Meanwhile, injection moulding as a technology is certainly not standing still: at EVCO, engineers are looking into ways of continuing to improve traceability, down to each single part and its manufacturing footprint (including a complete record of conditions) – even for high-volume lots with millions of parts. “Here, we already acquire valuable data from the ComoDataCenter, but there’s still some way to go before we can assign that data to every single produced part – with a QR code, for example,” Busser explains. Liquid Silicone Rubber (or LSR) is another innovation that EVCO is pursuing. This material offers new opportunities for industry in general and the medtech sector in particular. “There are plenty of possible applications, but also a lot of skepticism in the market because of the difference in technology. But – with Kistler as an asset in our pocket – we’re optimistic that we will overcome the remaining obstacles and go to market.” Busser concludes.

This family-run business – founded in Wisconsin in 1964 – has a workforce of over 1,800 employees spread across eleven facilities in the US, China and Mexico. Anna Bartz, director of communications at EVCO said: “Together with our customers and partners, we take plastics processing to the next level. Following some recent growth, we now operate more than 260 moulding machines. But we not only offer excellence in injection moulding – in terms of state-of-the-art technology, close cooperation, tight tolerances and high quality demand – but also technologies and services across the entire value chain, such as automation, packaging, labelling and more.”

Another key element of a joint approach from EVCO and Kistler will be customer education. Kistler solutions are not yet as well known or widely present in the US as in other markets, so a Tech Center demonstrating all the technologies and opportunities both parties can offer to a larger audience would be a major step forward for injection moulding and plastics processing in general. As Busser notes, this could leverage huge potential for EVCO clients in the Americas and beyond. “We can do more – that’s always our attitude and message towards our customers. Together with Kistler, we’re able to offer them solutions for needs they didn’t know they had – but, of course, this requires some education beforehand.” James Flom, field sales engineer Plastics at Kistler, comments: “We embrace the idea of jointly educating new and existing clients, and we’re excited about the many new opportunities and programs”.

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In this Shop Class video, learn how to use cellular-PVC boards and drip caps to create this traditional architectural detail that will be the foundation for your siding installation.

Mike Busser had his own plastics company for micro-precision parts before joining EVCO, where he has now been in post as innovation center manager for over three years. He reports: “Requirements in medical device manufacturing are exceptionally high in terms of norms and regulations. We want to offer our customers added-value solutions: the trend is clearly towards zero defect – and that’s where Kistler comes in.” The two companies first made contact at K 2019 in Düsseldorf, where EVCO was in search of optimisation potential for their medtech projects. At this trade fair, they were introduced to cavity pressure sensors from Kistler as well as its ComoNeo process monitoring and control system – including ComoNeoMULTIFLOW, a feature that enables hot runner balancing for multi-cavity molds based on precise cavity pressure measurement. “MULTIFLOW detects the different filling statuses in each cavity, and automatically adapts the temperature of the injection nozzles,” Busser explains. “We’re currently using the system for zero-defect manufacturing of a component for a medical diagnostic kit. But in principle, all our molds now have a pocket for Kistler sensors. Now that the Kistler team in the US has supplied us with the portable ComoNeo, we’re able to use it flexibly for different projects.”

For a current project in the medical sector, EVCO has opted for cavity pressure sensors from Kistler together with the ComoNeo process monitoring system – and in this application, ComoNeo's MULTIFLOW feature plays a particularly important part.

Precision Molding is one of EVCO's four main divisions, with products and solutions covering diverse industries ranging from agriculture and powersports to packaging and consumer goods. “We’re involved in just about everything except automotive parts and implantable devices – but medical technology is an important business for us, accounting for roughly 20% of our annual sales,” Bartz continues. Consequently, two EVCO sites are equipped with an ISO Class 8 Clean Room: EVCO headquarters in Deforest, Wisconsin, and the Chinese production facility in Dongguan.

Technological advances are accelerating the journey towards zero-defect production in almost every industry. This is certainly true in the injection moulding sector, where manufacturers can exploit opportunities for optimisation and added-value manufacturing by instrumenting a mould with cavity pressure sensors and process monitoring equipment. EVCO Plastics is an expert in injection moulding and many additional technologies.

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I cut the rabbets along the back sides of my rakes and fascias with a simple half inch router bit using an edge guide on the router. For assembly, I typically glue all of my miters and use 18 gauge stainless or hot dip galvanized brads to get the joints together, and come back with cortex screws and do the final fastening after the glue is set.

In this episode of Shop Class, builder Ben Bogie shares tips for installing escutcheons to create solid mounting surfaces for exterior electrical and plumbing fixtures.

In this episode of Shop Class, builder Ben Bogie shares tips for getting tight joints, for cutting PVC trim with standard carpentry tools, and for keeping your job site clean when installing cellular-PVC trim.

I start off most trim jobs by doing my rakes, fascias, and soffits. This is generally out of a need for scheduling the project, because as soon as I have rakes and fascias done I can call the roofers in to do their work. The soffit is made by ripping pieces out of a four by eight sheet of half inch PVC. I let my soffit come past my framing by about a quarter of an inch so that it locks into a groove routed into the back of the fascia so that any expansion and contraction across the width of the soffit material it’s going to be taken up inside of this groove.

You can work with your standard woodworking tools when cutting the parts you need out of the 4×8 PVC sheets. I like to break it down using a track saw, but any general woodworking tools–routers, miter saws, table saws–work just as well on this material. It does  create a lot of dust that’s difficult to clean up, so dust collectors, vacuums, and even anti static laundry spray are helpful to keep you and the job site clean.

The current solution at EVCO operates with sixteen 9011C load cell washers from Kistler – one for each cavity at end-of-fill, mounted indirectly using a sleeve. Connecting cables can be exchanged independently of the sensor in case of damage or transmission problems, and non-compliant parts are separated robotically for each cavity. The team of process engineers, headed by Mike Busser, also installed a diagnostic tool that can monitor the status of the mould and its integrated Kistler measurement system at any time. Busser said: “This unique solution has truly helped us to achieve zero defect for our customer. It wouldn’t have been possible without the tremendous support of Kistler US – namely Jim Flom, Curtis Krick and Mike Prisby, who are now part of the family. By using ComoNeo, we’ve not only eliminated challenges with core shift, but also ramped up productivity and reduced cycle time.”

Given these convincing results and overall customer satisfaction, a strategic partnership between the two companies is ready to go live. Anna Bartz again: “Our growth and the success story with Kistler are just about to take off. With Kistler’s help, we can offer our clients solutions they didn’t even know before. For example, we’re already looking into projects for our large parts business, and there’s an upcoming opportunity with a big and globally present medical device supplier where we can count on Kistler – for sure.”