Plastic Injection Moulding is a widely used method for making plastic products.

The Insight Series

We work with our suppliers to develop products across an array of different sectors that rely on varying materials and a range of manufacturing techniques. It is always fascinating to see how each of these products are made, whether it is the number of hands that touch the products as it is manufactured or the machines that are utilised as part of the production process.

This month, we’re back! We are going to take a look at one of the most widely used plastic forming techniques – plastic injection moulding – and its applications across a wide range of industries. Given the breadth of sectors that this plastic forming technique covers, it should not be a surprise that plastic injection moulding is common within the Asian manufacturing sector. Whether it is solely used for componentry or the product itself, this technique aligns to high quantity, cost-effective products.

Plastic Injection Moulding

So what does this technique involve? If you have ever been to a factory using this technique, you will have noticed the sizeable machinery in the factory. Of course, the machines vary in size depending on the product requirements.
The machine takes the solid plastic (pellets), compresses it and then melts it as prior to it arriving in the injection chamber. The plastic is then injected (as the name would suggest) at high pressure into a customized mould, which is generally made of two parts. The plastic then cools and solidifies and can then be released. Simple!

Moulds & Assembly

As you can imagine, it does get more complicated than this. There are variations in how the moulds interact—two-part moulds, side-action moulds, and moulds with ‘releasers.’ The choice depends entirely on the product being made.

In addition, the assembly process can range from simple to complex. This is often determined by the budget and the type of product being manufactured. Assembly methods include mechanical, ultrasonic sealing, and adhesives.

Plastic injection moulding is a highly automated process that relies far less on human touch points.

So, what are the benefits of using Asian suppliers if labour is not a significant cost? The largest advantage lies in mould tool creation and set-up. This stage is labour-intensive, which makes offshore production highly cost-effective.

By leveraging Asian suppliers, companies can achieve significant reductions in capital investment. These costs are often amortized across the product life cycle, which reduces unit prices and increases competitiveness.

Industry Application

The technique has broad application across a number of sectors. The best way to demonstrate this is to provide some insight on some of the industries where it is commonly used.

Medical

The industry demands high quality instruments that are precise and intricate in their design. Plastic injection moulding, with its high-pressure moulding, is capable of producing such instruments in a cost-effective way. The plastic resins used are high quality and can deliver superior mechanical properties such as high tensile strength and resistance to high temperatures.

Shoe Industry

The technique is also used widely in the shoe industry. Yes, shoes are often made of leather and fabric uppers. But you will note that most shoes use plastic injecting moulding to form the sole. This provides the shape and durability and gives you that little bit of cushioning!

Electronics

Plastic is a good protector against dust and dirt and does not trap moisture. So when you are dealing with electronic components and circuit boards on keyboards and computers, plastic injection moulding is the perfect technique to create the casing and the frames. Given the infiltration of electronic items into our everyday lives, you should now be getting a sense of the importance of this manufacturing technique.There are other industries that can also be added to the list, such as food and beverages, toy and building.

Advantages of Plastic Injection Moulding

We have seen the industries to which it is applied, but what are the benefits from a manufacturing perspective? As a manufacturing process, plastic injection moulding has lots of advantages:

Quality Replication

With the right moulds and resins, it should be possible to reproduce the same product thousands of times to the same quality.

Low Cost

Once the moulds have been made and evaluated (and invested in) the cost per unit is relatively low compared with other materials and manufacturing processes. The lack of waste also factors into this as well (unlike CNC which has a much higher wastage).

Mass Production

When the machine is operating, the injection cycle should be a matter of minutes (or even seconds!) per unit. It is therefore an incredibly quick and effective manufacturing process for mass, large scale production runs.

Summary

Industrial manufacturing is a fast-growing sector for offshore manufacturing, particularly across Asia where relative share has grown significantly, which includes products that are made using plastic injection moulding techniques.
At ET2C, we look to provide our clients with insights across our manufacturing base. We already manufacture a range of industrial products for our clients across multiple markets. For more information. please contact us at contact@et2cint.com.

Cover photo credits: Goodwin Steel Castings . The title and logo have been added to the original image.

Die Casting Process is a manufacturing technique for producing metal components that are used in everyday use.

The Insight Series

We work with our suppliers to develop products across a wide range of sectors, using different materials and manufacturing techniques.

It is always fascinating to see how each of these products is made—whether it’s the number of hands that touch the product during production or the machines that power the process.

This month, our Insight Series is back! We are focusing on industrial manufacturing and, in particular, the High Pressure Die Casting Process.

Industrial manufacturing continues to grow as part of offshore production. Many companies are now partnering with Asian suppliers to improve margins at the product level while maintaining high-quality standards.

Inside Industrial Manufacturing

Industrial manufacturing covers a broad range of techniques, processes and machinery. The application is similarly broad – engines, components, panels, wheels, tracks – essentially anything that involves the production of metal parts or plastic parts. Imagine, high temperatures, molten metal and large machines pressing., stamping and casting metal! Given the breadth of the topic, we have decided to focus on just one area for this issue.

High Pressure Die Casting Process

High pressure die casting is a quick, reliable and cost-effective manufacturing process for high volume production of metal components, where molten metal is forced under pressure into a securely locked metal die cavity (tool or mould as some people would have heard). It is then held in place by a powerful press until the metal cools and solidifies. After solidification of the metal, the die is unlocked, opened, and the casting extracted automatically.

Applications

Certainly, high-pressure die casting has a wide application, accounting for nearly 50% of all light alloy casting production. This includes engine parts, motorcycle components, household white goods, cookware, and plumbing & heating items, to name a few.

It is also used in many everyday products that you might see around your home. Workers in these factories handle molten metals and always wear protective clothing and eyewear for safety.

An example of a high-pressure die casting is shown in the illustration below. Here, liquid metal is injected at high speed and pressure into a mould.

The basic equipment includes two vertical platens. Bolsters are mounted on these platens to hold the die halves. One platen is fixed, while the other is movable, which allows the die to open and close during the process.

High Pressure Die Casting Process

A specific amount of molten metal is poured into the shot sleeve and then introduced into the die cavity. This is done using a hydraulically driven piston, which forms the required shape.

Unlike traditional handcrafting, much of this process is automated. Workers mainly oversee and operate the machinery rather than manually shaping the product.

Different metals require different heating levels, and temperatures can reach up to 1,090°C to achieve effective casting.

The table below shows not only the casting temperatures but also the number of products each die can produce before it begins to degrade. At that stage, defects may appear in the final product.

This durability is important. High-pressure die casting can produce large volumes of products before the die needs replacing—a key factor, since dies are expensive to manufacture.

Jelly Sweets

So, have you ever wondered how jelly sweets are made? HPDC has a broad application and even used to make moulds for sweets. This strawberry jelly mould is made from aluminium (non-ferrous) material which is a versatile material that can be heat treated to give added strength together with lightness, corrosion resistance and high conductivity.

The specific casting temperature of this aluminium is 660.3 degrees C. Raw material is supplied in ingot form (left image) then turned into molten metal in a furnace to be transferred into the shot sleeve for the casting process to commence.
The end product is the mould that food manufacturers use to make a jelly sweet – and lots of them!

Advantages of High-Pressure Die Casting Process

As a manufacturing process, high-pressure die casting has a lot of advantages:

• Low Costs. Given the speed of process, and the level of automation, HDPC is able to produce a lot of products out of one mould compared with other casting processes. This reduces the cost per unit, albeit sometimes the capital investment can be on the higher side.Tolerances
• Tolerances. The process is able to produce close dimensional control (the metal fills the cavity) and good surface finish.
• Weight Flexibility. Given the high pressure used in the production, HDPC is able to produce thin wall finishes, which leads to lighter end product, which still maintains rigidity and functionality.

Summary

Certainly, Industrial manufacturing is a fast-growing sector for offshore manufacturing, particularly across Asia where relative share has grown significantly. This is due to the cost reductions being significant but also overlaid with excellent suppliers and quality standards.
At ET2C, we look to provide our clients with insights across our manufacturing base. We already manufacture a range of industrial products for our clients across multiple markets. For more information, please contact us at contact@et2cint.com.

Industrial manufacturing can significantly benefit from creating a solid supplier base and outsourcing in Asia.

Outsource manufacturing has broadly always been reliant on raw material availability, a supply of labour and a low-cost base. It creates greater flexibility by negating the need to set up manufacturing plants that can require extensive capital expenditure and monthly overheads, not to mention the cost of maintaining safety and health standards. The same applies to industrial manufacturing, which requires significant investment in machinery and tooling and can be labour extensive.

The “New Now”

Asia already has a good supply base for industrial production across casting, forging, machining, metal fabrication, stamping and plastic injection manufacturing processes. But importantly, now at a time when companies have to cope with disruption to their client and the drop off in sales, there is a focus on stabilising their bottom line or reduce overheads where possible. This has resulted in many companies looking to activate Outsource Manufacturing programmes and move to an offshore production strategy. That said, with markets currently closed, looking to manufacture high-quality complex engineered components requires attention to detail and local resource in order to achieve the best outcome. Finding the right partner is absolutely critical to the success of such a move to maintain on-time shipments and more importantly consistent quality but by getting this right there will be significant cost benefits.

The benefits of outsourcing industrial components

In addition, most businesses only look at component level for industrial manufacturing when looking at offshore destinations. With lower labour costs it is important to focus on sub-assemblies or fully-finished assemblies to reduce the touchpoints at destination. This leverages the low-cost advantages by removing local labour directly impacting total cost ownership, which creates a significant competitive edge.

Industrial Manufacturing in Asia

Although there are significant benefits of offshoring your industrial production, there are still challenges that lie ahead given the different markets, culture and business environments. Understanding how these are overcome will be important to the success of implementing this particular strategy. From our perspective, looking to develop relationships over the medium term (and beyond) is a central factor to delivering the product you need.
Here are some key points to consider in working with Asian industrial manufacturers:

1. Define your requirements clearly

The variation of language always poses a challenge when it comes to understanding the project and its parameters, particularly when interpreting technical drawings. However, with clear and defined technical specifications and the right partner it should be possible to get accurate costings at the outset.

2. Quality Assurance

Given the variation in industrial manufacturing processes, it is important to conduct the necessary quality assurance which should cover a technical assessment of machining capability, safety procedures in place and ethical standards. There are a range certifications that should be available for different manufacturing processes such as ISO 9001, ISO 45001 and SA 8000. Make sure that these are also independently verified.

3. Build commitment

You need to commit to forming and cultivating a healthy long-term working relationship. It is important to treat the manufacturer as a partner and to give your full attention to the partnership. Particularly, where there are moulds and upfront charges required.

4. Close contact and communications

Asian factories prefer those who spend more time working closely with them. They expect their partner to get involved in sample making, order placement, quality control, production planning, and shipping. Therefore, it is best to have a team (on the ground) to work with the factory on a daily basis.

5. Business culture

It is still important for foreigners to understand and appreciate Asian business culture. Accommodating these cultural differences is a key component in developing long term relationships. More than ever, have a reliable ‘partner’ within your supply chain will add value and drive benefits.

Overview

There are significant benefits of moving industrial manufacturing overseas but you need to make sure you have the resource and capability to execute this offshore strategy. At ET2C, we have 20 years’ experience in industrial manufacturing out of Asia. We are therefore well placed to help you migrate some of your production into the Asian manufacturing sector. Our team on the ground will walk you through the process and help manage the suppliers and quality upstream. For more information contact us at contact@et2cint.com

ET2C at Southern Manufacturing We are pleased to announce that ET2C International Inc’s Industrial Division will be exhibiting at ET2C at Southern Manufacturing & Electronics in Farnborough,  5-7th Feb 2019. We will be showcasing world class, high quality products and assemblies, manufactured in low cost geographies: China, India and Vietnam. Pop by and see us on stand N125!

About Us

ET2C International is a comprehensive global sourcing company that is committed to providing businesses with access to low cost country manufacturing territories (China, India and Vietnam).ET2C at Southern Manufacturing
We are leading experts in offshore manufacturing within the industrial sector and are well placed to mitigate the risks of producing your products overseas.ET2C at Southern Manufacturing

For the past 18 years we have been manufacturing and supplying world class components: Castings, Forgings, Plastic Injection Mouldings and Sub-Assemblies, to clients across the globe.
We bring to our clients a wealth of knowledge about both manufacturing and operating in Asia. This includes both strategic and operational advice and tangible solutions to maximise value direct through to the client’s bottom line, whilst mitigating the inherent risk of outsource manufacturing.

Are you looking to benefit from the Asian manufacturing? Do you want to know more about how ET2C can support and add value to your business?
Come and visit us on stand N125 or drop us a line.
We look forward to speak with you!