facilities in three states - precision injection

Discover how artifical intelligence is revolutionizing plastics processing. Hear from industry experts on the future impact of AI on your operations and envision a fully interconnected plant.

Across all process types, sustainability was a big theme at NPE2024. But there was plenty to see in automation and artificial intelligence as well.

Allegheny Performance Plastics CEO Robert Stutzman and CTO Greg Shoup on the company’s molding floor, which applies lean and scientific molding principles. Photos: Allegheny Performance Plastics

“We’re at the point now in our business that we need to be able to have some things integrated,” Stutzman says. “Not just ERP and MRP to handle our purchasing — we’re tight on space so we don’t want to have a warehouse full of stuff — but an MES system. I want data off the manufacturing floor and I want it all tied together. The business is going to grow and for us to maintain what we have — our performance financially but also for our customers — we can’t get bogged down doing stuff manually.”

With it acquisition of DuPont’s engineering resins, Celanese’s resin solutions for automotive electrification, e-mobility and consumer electronics are plentiful.

Several factors must be considered to determine the return on investment (ROI) for a press. One of the biggest factors driving machinery investment is the amount of energy used. Estimates put energy costs at about 5 to 7 percent of a molder's total operating budget. Considering the amount of energy a typical 15-press plant can consume, energy has become an enormous cost issue. A-c variable-speed pumps and motors offered on most newer equipment, and as a retrofit for older equipment, can save energy by using it only when called upon during the machine's cycle.

This Knowledge Center provides an overview of the considerations needed to understand the purchase, operation, and maintenance of a process cooling system.

The Molding Machine: Cost Justification More than just a purchase, an injection molding machine is an investment. As with any investment, you want to know what your return will be. What value will the machine contribute to your overall operation? Where will your break-even point be? Will the machine pay for itself in a year? Two years?

Plastics Technology covers technical and business Information for Plastics Processors in Injection Molding, Extrusion, Blow Molding, Plastic Additives, Compounding, Plastic Materials, and Resin Pricing. About Us

While most molders accommodate the requirements of their customers, some question the necessity of all the quality bells and whistles like SPC, SQC, ISO 9000, and Six Sigma (a term coined by Motorola that refers to a quality level of three defective parts per million), given the variables of the molding process.

The manufacturing floor is divided into three “teams,” with all 19 presses in Team #2 utilizing RJG’s eDART process monitoring technology, with molds featuring temperature and pressure sensors. This team focuses on high-volume jobs, while Team #3 targets low-volume/high-mix jobs. Team #1 handles lower volume aerospace work. The Haas CNC machining centers are utilized to machine in part features post injection, where molding them in would have required more expensive tooling with longer lead times.

Study shows the plastic compounding process is being used to boost electrical properties and UV resistance while custom compounding is increasingly being used to achieve high-performance in plastic-based goods.

While the major correction in PP prices was finally underway, generally stable pricing was anticipated for the other four commodity resins.

Eliminating the need to contact each supplier for every individual quote, a new CRM for automotive supplier Axiom Group tracks past quotes as well as industry history to generate fast, reliable RFQs and more.

Allegheny’s expertise in high-temperature materials has placed it at the forefront of metal-to-plastic conversion in the automotive and aerospace industries. Shoup — who’s been with Allegheny for 28 years, including the last 18 in the Performance Plastics molding division — has seen these plastics wins firsthand, and the impact they’ve had on Allegheny’s portfolio, with the 2009 recession and subsequent “transmission wars” in auto as an inflection point. Shoup estimates that, prior to the recession, Allegheny’s business broke 70/30 aerospace to automotive, while today those figures are flipped, as both markets grew overall with auto outpacing aero.

While prices moved up for three of the five commodity resins, there was potential for a flat trajectory for the rest of the third quarter.

Mixed in among thought leaders from leading suppliers to injection molders and mold makers at the 2023 Molding and MoldMaking conferences will be molders and toolmakers themselves.

Machinery manufacturers say that molders use a variety of criteria when looking at a cost-justification evaluation. Some base their decision purely on the lowest price, without taking into consideration the "cost" of the machine. Price is what you pay for the machine now. Cost is what you will pay for the machine long-term, including such things as energy use and maintenance.

Across the show, sustainability ruled in new materials technology, from polyolefins and engineering resins to biobased materials.

Mike Sepe has authored more than 25 ANTEC papers and more than 250 articles illustrating the importance of this interdisciplanary approach. In this collection, we present some of his best work during the years he has been contributing for Plastics Technology Magazine.

Allegheny Performance Plastics specializes in molding parts from high-temperature resins for demanding applications as part of its mission to take on jobs ‘no one else does.’

While many molding companies have rushed to implement the latest and greatest with regard to quality standards, others balk at the idea of so much money spent without the assurance that a particular level of quality is actually needed. In some ways, too, these so-called levels have made the playing field more uneven and are knocking smaller molding shops out of competition.

While prices moved up for three of the five commodity resins, there was potential for a flat trajectory for the rest of the third quarter.

When the demand for world-class molding facilities is added to state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities, the bar for entry into the custom injection molding business rises considerably. Instead of being able to enter the molding business on a shoestring, as many did 30 years ago, a large financial investment is now required. This generally requires the cooperation of a bank, an equipment leasing or lending institution, and financial backing from private investors to pull together the funds needed to succeed. Likewise, the barriers to entry for a captive operation to provide a good return on investment are high. It's not enough to buy molding machines and auxiliaries and leave them in place without improvements for the long haul. Captive operations also must not only make an initial investment, but also be prepared to stay technologically attuned.

As an employer, you will also quickly discover what many molders know already: In 2001, finding and keeping reliable production employees is very difficult. The competitive job market is a significant challenge for many molders. One way to combat this problem is to rely more on robotics and automation to perform the tasks that might otherwise be done manually. Robots can be used to pull parts from the mold, remove sprues, and do some assembly work. Most robot systems mount on top of the press and by themselves may not affect plant layout. But you may elect to use conveyors or other parts handling equipment press-side in conjunction with robots. Make sure to allow enough space to accommodate such equipment.

Large OEMs—specifically, the automotive and computer industries—adopted the philosophy of manufacturing with quality as they began seeking greater market share for their products. They recognized, however, that the quality of their products could be no better than the quality of the products' component parts. For this reason, much of the responsibility for improving quality has been laid directly at the feet of custom injection molders who supply the vast number of components.

Allegheny’s toolroom has the capability to build new tools and maintain existing molds. Photo Credit: Allegheny Performance Plastics

August 29-30 in Minneapolis all things injection molding and moldmaking will be happening at the Hyatt Regency — check out who’s speaking on what topics today.

Find a Niche and a Focus Most custom molders in business today have found a niche. Through experience, the molder became good at molding a particular type of part or at molding a particular kind of material, or became astute in working in a specific segment of the marketplace. In other words, he acquired an expertise and stuck with it. A captive molder inherits a market or a range of products, but must develop the same expertise and focus that a custom molder does.

Since Stutzman’s hiring, Allegheny has added a network of 17 external sales agents, and laid out a 5-year plan with four key pillars: people, where/how will the company grow, operational excellence and continuous improvement. To support this plan, the company is seeking to update its ERP program, and add other operations and manufacturing software, including MES, this year.

Core Technology Molding turned to Mold-Masters E-Multi auxiliary injection unit to help it win a job and dramatically change its process.

As far as molders and quality are concerned, size doesn't necessarily mean that a company is better. A large company or plant can be run poorly and have low productivity with below-average profits or ROI. A small plant can be well run and have high productivity and good profits. It's generally known, however, that all molders, whether they have $100 million or $1 million in production or sales, fight the same battles—only the scale is different. The bigger the company, the bigger the problems.

Just off the plastics machining area, Allegheny houses its “skunk works,” a space for experimentation as well as validation. All new projects are scaled up here, ensuring a repeatable process is introduced to the molding floor once a tool goes into production. The company houses a polymer 3D printer here. For the materials and markets Allegheny works in, Stutzman says 3D printing for production isn’t currently viable, but it does use the machine to trial test fixtures, for instance, before creating final designs. This room also houses certified secondary cleaning processes for parts destined for outer space.

Generally, space for secondary operations is designed in one of two ways—either as a separate area or room designated for such activities, or beside the press. The choice depends on the types of secondary operations to be performed and the space available. Some molders prefer to do secondary operations alongside the press after each cycle in order to minimize handling and maximize operator time. This can also increase efficiency in that parts don't have to be boxed, moved, unpacked for the secondary operation, and then repacked. Less handling is also easier on the parts and results in lower scrap rates—another important consideration. This requires that all operations be considered together and set up in cells, usually dedicated to a single product or assembly, sometimes with multiple parts.

Join Engel in exploring the future of battery molding technology. Discover advancements in thermoplastic composites for battery housings, innovative automation solutions and the latest in large-tonnage equipment designed for e-mobility — all with a focus on cost-efficient solutions. Agenda: Learn about cutting-edge thermoplastic composites for durable, sustainable and cost-efficient battery housings Explore advanced automation concepts for efficient and scalable production See the latest large-tonnage equipment and technology innovations for e-mobility solutions

If you were starting a new facility, it would be unlikely you'd pay this list price for any of this equipment. If you are molding a highly sophisticated product mix, these prices might be low. They also don't represent the prices of the most basic imported molding machine, either. But these prices at least offer a glimpse at what a good starting point might be.

Processors with sustainability goals or mandates have a number of ways to reach their goals. Biopolymers are among them.

Introduced by Zeiger and Spark Industries at the PTXPO, the nozzle is designed for maximum heat transfer and uniformity with a continuous taper for self cleaning.

The aim of this presentation is to guide you through the factors and the numbers that will help you determine if a robot is a smart investment for your application. Agenda:  Why are you considering automation? What problems are you trying to solve? How and why automation can help Crunch the numbers and determine the ROI

For example, disposable medical components such as injection syringes are manufactured and used in the millions daily. However, the return from each one of these devices is in the tenths of a cent. Quality and manufacturing requirements are extremely stringent, and the parts generally are made from clear or clear-tinted material, which compounds the difficulty of molding. In order to make a profit, molders who choose this type of high-volume medical work must find ways to keep manufacturing costs at a minimum and efficiency high.

Running three shifts, Monday to Friday, with the occasional Saturday, Allegheny has roughly 50 employees, with the goal to be at 57 by the end of the year. Thanks to automation and process monitoring, Stutzman notes that in Team #2, two  employees can keep tabs on 19 machines. All the workers on the floor are cross trained such that they can take on all the production roles: mold setup, process technician, inspection and more.

Second quarter started with price hikes in PE and the four volume engineering resins, but relatively stable pricing was largely expected by the quarter’s end.

The Polimotor 2 all-plastic engine project for competitive auto racing is moving right along with Solvay's materials playing a key role.

When Stutzman was recruited to lead Allegheny, that curiosity and drive to try something new lent the company a highly appealing atmosphere. “There was this vibe to just get stuff done, move forward,” Stutzman says. “There was excitement, and it wasn’t like, ‘Oh my god, we won this job, and now we have to do it.’ There was this infectious desire to want to move forward.”

“The key is that we can’t be everything to everyone,” Stutzman says. “So you focus on a certain type of material offering. The reason being that if you mold PP and PE, thousands of people in the country can do that. You use a commodity material, and you’re one of many — you become a commodity yourself.”

Warehousing: A Hidden Requirement You will need space for storage of molds not in use, bags and gaylords of material, the finished-goods inventory customers most likely will request be held, and other equipment. Typically, molders use an average of 10 percent of their total floor space for warehousing. This will vary depending on the size of your molded parts, how many different materials must be kept on hand, and the size of the molds to be stored.

BlueHalo’s Intense Eye UAS has replaced a machined aerospace-grade aluminum chassis with one molded from Alpine Advanced Materials’ HX5 multi-scale reinforced polymer for a stronger, lighter craft.

If you require some level of cleanroom molding—often required by medical and electronics parts—then you must decide how you will achieve it. The various types of cleanrooms include Class 100, Class 1000, Class 10,000 and Class 100,000. Each level has its own criteria and must meet certain requirements as established by FDA guidelines. Class 100 is the most stringent and Class 100,000 is simply a "clean environment," and therefore the easiest to achieve.

Stutzman notes that on the floor and throughout the company, there is a culture of genuine teamwork, with no cliques. Over his 25-plus years in molding, he says he’s managed other production floors that operated socially more like a high school, making him feel like the principal.

You must also determine what services you will offer, and what equipment will be needed to supply such capabilities. For example, even if you decide not to have a moldmaking facility in-house, you will need a certain amount of equipment for mold maintenance and repair. Will you do any type of secondary operations? If so, what type of equipment will that require? See the box above for a list of equipment in a 15-machine shop. Equipment costs are shown below.

IMM made some big assumptions and got ballpark figures from a few manufacturers who were willing to share their cost data. The tables below list some basic prices for injection molding machines and auxiliary equipment. For the purposes of this list, we assumed this 15-press facility would orient the machines in two side-by-side rows on 15-ft centers. We also decided that material handling would be central, designed to accommodate five different resins, each used in equal amounts, each with an average drying time of 3 hours. Hypothetical average cycle time would be 60 seconds at maximum shot capacity for all machines, which would consume 562 lb/hr of resin. Material would be pulled from gaylords, dried centrally, and delivered to each machine via machine-mounted vacuum receivers.

Despite price increase nominations going into second quarter, it appeared there was potential for generally flat pricing with the exception of a major downward correction for PP.

In a time where sustainability is no longer just a buzzword, the food and beverage packaging industry is required to be at the forefront of this innovation. By adopting circular packaging processes and solutions, producers can meet regulatory requirements while also satisfying consumer demand and enhancing brand reputation. Join Husky to learn more about the broader implications of the circular economy — as well as how leading brands are leveraging this opportunity to reduce costs, increase design flexibility and boost product differentiation. Agenda: The cost and operational benefits of embracing circularity Key materials in circular packaging — including rPET and emerging bioplastics How to design a circular food and beverage package Strategies for selecting sustainable closures to future-proof packaging solutions Optimization and streamlining of production processes for enhanced efficiency How Husky Technologies can enable your sustainable success

As an example, Allegheny points to a thrust washer it molds from Torlon that’s part of a hydrodynamic bearing for automotive transmissions. This part replaced a metal roller bearing and, to date, the company has made more than 100 million polymer thrust washers. In addition to lower weight and more design freedom (including possible part integration), polymers in applications like this offer lower NVH (noise vibration harshness) than metals, while resistance wise, the coefficient of friction is the same. In terms of wear, Allegheny says that, with proper hydrodynamic lift, polymers can provide unbeatable durability.

Working in collaboration with Solvay and Alpine Advanced Materials, Allegheny developed this test application dubbed TPC-IOM (thermoplastic composite injection overmolding) combining composite tape materials with an injection molded backing.

Injection molding auxiliary equipmentThe central material drying/handling system, including five insulated drying hoppers, dehumidifying dryer, pumps, filters, and conveying system would cost about $115,000. Beyond that, at right are typical prices for other auxiliary equipment.

Selecting the Best Equipment Presses with up to 100 tons of clamping force, which mold small parts, constitute the second largest group of presses used by molders in the United States. The majority of molders operate with presses in the 100-ton to 350-ton range. Presses in the 350-ton to 750-ton range represent the third largest group. Most injection molders enter the business with small to midsized molding presses.

You should also consider whether or not cleanroom molding will be needed; if material handling will be done manually or via automatic pneumatic conveying systems (or a combination); where storage areas for materials will be; and whether the layout for manufacturing will promote production efficiency and minimize part handling in molding, assembly, and any other secondary operations.

How a facility is set up and attendant decisions depend on the type of markets you are serving, the type of parts you need to mold, and what your customers (internal or external) dictate you have. Right at the start, also consider future expansion, either of the plant itself or of production floor space. While a 10,000-sq-ft facility might seem enormous when it's empty, it can become crowded when 10 presses and auxiliary equipment are installed. A rule of thumb is to lease or purchase a building twice the size you figure you'll need to start.

Today it's increasingly apparent that if you're starting a plant or a business, you are either given or must find a niche—a specific market or product line—and focus on molding for that market or customer. Will you mold large parts? Small parts? Do you want to be a molder of low-volume, high-dollar parts? Or high-volume, low-dollar parts? Most people would answer that they want to be a molder of high-volume, high-dollar parts. If only it worked that way.

Ultradent's entry of its Umbrella cheek retractor took home the awards for Technical Sophistication and Achievement in Economics and Efficiency at PTXPO.

All that those capabilities and in-house expertise are also reflected in Allegheny’s approach to new product and process development. “I use the phrase ‘geek out,’” Stutzman says. “There’s a technology there that created the excitement — the impetus to want to do something different — that’s really sort of the catalyst that drives (geeking out).”

This month’s resin pricing report includes PT’s quarterly check-in on select engineering resins, including nylon 6 and 66.

Other investment factors include the performance history for the machine under consideration, shot-to-shot repeatability, and whether the machine is geared toward high-volume, high-speed applications or low-volume, slow-cycle requirements. Ultimately, at the end of the day, what is its yield? Determining your ROI is application dependent. Some things can be quantified up front, but others can't until the mold is in the press and parts are running.

While the melting process does not provide perfect mixing, this study shows that mixing is indeed initiated during melting.

Treated like a clean room, Allegheny ultrasonically cleans, packs and ships parts, which can have no contamination. The final element of this room is dubbed the “supermarket.” Racks hold labeled blue bins full of parts that require some additional processing, typically machining, that workers pull from and refill based on a kanban system to track work in progress.

In addition, entering custom injection molding with two or three presses and minimal capabilities means entering a highly competitive market already crowded at the low end with several thousand molders. Because many of these molders, with sales less than $1 million annually, offer little in the way of secondary services, they compete on the basis of price. This results in thin margins and a low survival rate.

In this collection of articles, two of the industry’s foremost authorities on screw design — Jim Frankand and Mark Spalding — offer their sage advice on screw design...what works, what doesn’t, and what to look for when things start going wrong.

Multiple speakers at Molding 2023 will address the ways simulation can impact material substitution decisions, process profitability and simplification of mold design.

Join Wittmann for an engaging webinar on the transformative impact of manufacturing execution systems (MES) in the plastic injection molding industry. Discover how MES enhances production efficiency, quality control and real-time monitoring while also reducing downtime. It will explore the integration of MES with existing systems, emphasizing compliance and traceability for automotive and medical sectors. Learn about the latest advancements in IoT and AI technologies and how they drive innovation and continuous improvement in MES. Agenda: Overview of MES benefits What is MES? Definition, role and brief history Historical perspective and evolution Longevity and analytics Connectivity: importance, standards and integration Advantages of MES: efficiency, real-time data, traceability and cost savings Emerging technologies: IoT and AI in MES

Resin drying is a crucial, but often-misunderstood area. This collection includes details on why and what you need to dry, how to specify a dryer, and best practices.

Plastics Technology’s Tech Days is back! Every Tuesday in October, a series of five online presentations will be given by industry supplier around the following topics:  Injection Molding — New Technologies, Efficiencies Film Extrusion — New Technologies, Efficiencies Upstream/Downstream Operations Injection Molding — Sustainability Extrusion — Compounding Coming out of NPE2024, PT identified a variety of topics, technologies and trends that are driving and shaping the evolution of plastic products manufacturing — from recycling/recyclability and energy optimization to AI-based process control and automation implementation. PT Tech Days is designed to provide a robust, curated, accessible platform through which plastics professionals can explore these trends, have direct access to subject-matter experts and develop strategies for applying solutions in their operations.

Successfully starting or restarting an injection molding machine is less about ticking boxes on a rote checklist and more about individually assessing each processing scenario and its unique variables.

Quality Issues—What They're All About Finally, consider how your new plant will develop and assess product quality. During the past decade, quality issues as a part of good business operations have become a top concern for custom and captive molders. The OEM-custom molder relationship has always been one of interdependence, but until recently, custom molders had free rein when it came to matters of production.

Resin supplier Celanese turned to startup Rafinex and its Möbius software to optimize the design for an engine bracket, ultimately reducing weight by 25% while maintaining mechanical performance and function.

Allegheny’s expertise in high-temperature materials has placed it at the forefront of metal-to-plastic conversion in the automotive and aerospace industries.

technotrans says climate protection, energy efficiency and customization will be key discussion topics at PTXPO as it displays its protemp flow 6 ultrasonic eco and the teco cs 90t 9.1 TCUs.

Two decades ago, a $30 million custom molding company was considered a top business. Today, as a result of mergers, acquisitions, and growth that has outpaced the national average, a company that size is considered small. So although an individual can set up a small injection molding operation for less than $1 million, unless the company has a special capability to offer or establishes a sound financial relationship with one or two customers, chances for success are slight.

Allegheny also recently converted a used piece of equipment into a friction and wear test stand, enabling it to perform lubricated and dry tribology testing. These capabilities and Allegheny’s extensive research database make it a sought-after partner of resin suppliers as they test new materials and applications. Its collaborations with Solvay over the years on the processing and functionality of Torlon have helped create best manufacturing practices for the specialized material.

In this collection of content, we provide expert advice on welding from some of the leading authorities in the field, with tips on such matters as controls, as well as insights on how to solve common problems in welding.

Additive technology creates air pockets in film during orientation, cutting down on the amount of resin needed while boosting opacity, mechanical properties and recyclability.

Another factor to consider when investing in a molding press is the type of mold(s) it will be running. Will they be large, multicavity, hot runner molds that require larger-tonnage equipment, or single-cavity, conventional molds that require smaller-tonnage machines? Controls and the speed of system response must be also considered. Do you need a press that provides versatility, or are you investing in a press that will just run one job continuously?

The larger the press, the more it costs, so the size of the majority of parts that will be molded is an important consideration. In a custom operation try to give yourself some flexibility on either end of the spectrum to also mold somewhat smaller or larger parts. This is an area where your business plan and marketing strategy, which determine the direction of your business, will also help you decide on the size and amount of equipment you'll need.

Drones and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are approaching an inflection point where their production volumes — and functionality — will increasingly point to injection molding.

Learn about sustainable scrap reprocessing—this resource offers a deep dive into everything from granulator types and options, to service tips, videos and technical articles.

In this three-part collection, veteran molder and moldmaker Jim Fattori brings to bear his 40+ years of on-the-job experience and provides molders his “from the trenches” perspective on on the why, where and how of venting injection molds. Take the trial-and-error out of the molding venting process.

Finally, it's usually not enough to just mold parts anymore, package them in a box, and send them to the customer, traditionally called "shoot and ship." Many manufacturers go to molders now looking for design and engineering services, tooling assistance, and postmold decoration and assembly expertise. Captive molders, as well, are more likely to have several secondary functions integrated with the molding of the basic parts.

Join this webinar to explore the transformative benefits of retrofitting your existing injection molding machines (IMMs). Engel will guide you through upgrading your equipment to enhance monitoring, control and adaptability — all while integrating digital technologies. You'll learn about the latest trends in IMM retrofitting (including Euromap interfaces and plasticizing retrofits) and discover how to future-proof your machines for a competitive edge. With insights from industry experts, it'll walk you through the decision-making process, ensuring you make informed choices that drive your business forward. Agenda: Maximize the value of your current IMMs through strategic retrofitting Learn how to integrate digital technologies to enhance monitoring and control Explore the benefits of Euromap interfaces and plasticizing retrofits Understand how retrofitting can help meet new product demands and improve adaptability Discover how Engel can support your retrofitting needs, from free consultations to execution

In satellites, in jets, in automotive transmissions — the parts that Allegheny Performance Plastics molds for the roads, skies and outer space operate at the boundary of the harshest environments that plastics can inhabit. The list of materials that can survive in these environs is short, as is the list of molders that can successfully run them.  Allegheny gladly, intentionally calls this rarefied air home. “We don’t like easy; we want difficult,” explains Robert Stutzman, Allegheny CEO. “We want something no one else does.”

As with most any major capital purchase, the price you pay for a particular unit depends on a lot of variables. In injection molding the variables are too numerous to list here, but generally, whatever you buy will vary by application. Much depends on what kind of material you'll mold, how much you'll use, and how large the parts are. But let's say, just for grins, that you do want to start up your own molding shop, based on the list above. And let's say you make some broad generalizations about how material will be handled, how much material you'll use, how long your cycles will be, and other considerations. About how much would the primary equipment cost for such a startup facility?

The following is an edited excerpt from The Business of Injection Molding, by Clare Goldsberry. The book is the first title in the IMM Book Club Injection Molding Management Series, published by IMM. While much of the focus in the book is on a custom injection molding operation, many of the points about plant layout, machinery and equipment required, and staffing apply to captive molding operations as well.

Allegheny has invested in testing technologies to fully vet these materials and applications, including adding a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) unit. Used in troubleshooting, the DSC can determine if a resin is contaminated or not what the supplier said it was. In particular, the DSC can be used to determine the polymer’s crystallization, melt and glass-transition temperatures.

If material handling will be done manually, that is, by using forklifts to convey gaylords, or 1000-lb containers of resin, to presses, then adequate space must be allowed to accommodate the forklifts. If pneumatic conveying systems are to be used, then you might consider an enclosed material-storage aisle between the rows of presses, which keeps bags and gaylords of material out of sight yet handy to the presses.

Sustainability continues to dominate new additives technology, but upping performance is also evident. Most of the new additives have been targeted to commodity resins and particularly polyolefins.

One common means for organizing polymers that’s familiar to those in the industry is the “plastics pyramid.” From a large base of commodity resins, the pyramid builds upward, getting smaller as it goes with engineering plastics in the middle and high-temperature plastics — those with melt temperatures typically above 300°C (572°F) — occupying the smallest space at the pinnacle. Within this capstone, you find resins like PEEK, PEI, PPS, PI, PBI and PAI with familiar trade names such as Ultem, Ryton and Torlon. For these materials, Allegheny offers its customers assistance in selection, design optimization, sample production/testing and cost-competitive production.

Some molders elect to use storage silos for resin; these molders usually specialize in one or two closely related markets and mold large parts from one or two materials or millions of parts from the same material. Resin from a silo can be pneumatically pumped to a machine, so little or no shelf space is required for its storage. Other molders, because of the nature of their businesses, opt to store raw materials on the shelf, a procedure that has been known to lead to overcrowding.

Adjacent to the molding floor, Allegheny operates a full tool room with a handful of in-house mold builds each year. The molds that do come in, don’t leave, Stutzman says, with all the maintenance and tuning handled internally. In addition to three full-time toolmakers, the toolroom has an employee focused on preventive maintenance, with two younger employees — including an apprentice and a college student studying mechanical engineering — as Allegheny builds a bridge to the next generation of moldmakers.

Formnext Chicago is an industrial additive manufacturing expo taking place April 8-10, 2025 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois. Formnext Chicago is the second in a series of Formnext events in the U.S. being produced by Mesago Messe Frankfurt, AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, and Gardner Business Media (our publisher).

Join KraussMaffei for an insightful webinar designed for industry professionals, engineers and anyone interested in the manufacturing processes of PVC pipes. This session will provide a comprehensive understanding of the technology behind the production of high-quality PVC pipes: from raw material preparation to final product testing. Agenda: Introduction to PVC extrusion: overview of the basic principles of PVC pipe extrusion — including the process of melting and shaping PVC resin into pipe forms Equipment and machinery: detailed explanation of the key equipment involved — such as extruders, dies and cooling systems — and their roles in the extrusion process Process parameters: insight into the critical process parameters like temperature, pressure and cooling rates that influence the quality and consistency of the final PVC pipes Energy efficiency: examination of ways to save material and energy use when extruding PVC pipe products

Take a deep dive into all of the various aspects of part quoting to ensure you’ve got all the bases—as in costs—covered before preparing your customer’s quote for services.

“We developed experience in these high-temperature materials,” Stutzman says, “and aerospace presented the opportunity. Then in the ‘90s, automotive started to embrace polymers, especially in these critical wear opportunities. That business was slightly different — same materials and same technical challenges, but the scale was different.”

Plant Layout Assuming you have the capital to support a startup, or have a budget from corporate headquarters, you start physical construction with the plant. Whether you build or buy, the layout of your plant is a crucial consideration if you're going to have an efficient, profitable operation. Allow approximately 1000 sq ft of space for each molding press; this accounts for offices, molding/production, secondary operations, quality control, storage of materials, and a mold maintenance and repair area.

Thousands of people visit our Supplier Guide every day to source equipment and materials. Get in front of them with a free company profile.

Mold maintenance is critical, and with this collection of content we’ve bundled some of the very best advice we’ve published on repairing, maintaining, evaluating and even hanging molds on injection molding machines.

Established in 1936, Allegheny Plastics Inc.’s initial focus was using plastics to print and laminate reusable charts. Based in Leetsdale, Penn., the Allegheny Performance Plastics division has been in injection molding since the 1960s. In 2016, Allegheny executives Greg Shoup and Shevey Westbrook, with the backing of two investment firms, completed a management buyout of the molding unit. Shoup and Westbrook remain at Allegheny, serving as chief technology officer and director of operations, respectively, with Stutzman hired on in October 2022 to act as CEO.

In this collection, which is part one of a series representing some of John’s finest work, we present you with five articles that we think you will refer to time and again as you look to solve problems, cut cycle times and improve the quality of the parts you mold.

In the eight months he’s been on the job, Stutzman walks the floor every day, and virtually every day he has seen a new part in production as the company maintains several  hundred active molds. When Plastics Technology visited, the manufacturing floor — which features 30 injection molding machines (mostly Nissei, ranging from 20 to 500 tons), seven CNC machining work cells for post-mold processing, and 40 ovens for post-curing parts molded from Solvay’s Torlon PAI resin — was humming with production of an array of parts. Seal rings; a satellite bound insert- and over-molded part; nylon gears and brake pistons; an Ultem transmission component; and an elastomer pad whose surface texture, imparted by the mold, imitates the grip of a gecko’s feet, were among just a few of the jobs in production.

Gifted with extraordinary technical know how and an authoritative yet plain English writing style, in this collection of articles Fattori offers his insights on a variety of molding-related topics that are bound to make your days on the production floor go a little bit better.

When, how, what and why to automate — leading robotics suppliers and forward-thinking moldmakers will share their insights on automating manufacturing at collocated event.

The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) has released final figures for NPE2024: The Plastics Show (May 6-10; Orlando) that officially make it the largest ever NPE in several key metrics.

Some molders prefer lower-volume parts molded for high-dollar products, which tend to offer better profit margins. For example, the box that houses the instrumentation monitoring an IV drip must meet tough cosmetic standards, and it's only produced in quantities of 100,000 a year. Others prefer to mold component parts such as gears that remain out of sight, which means that although fit and function still are critical, cosmetic requirements are less stringent.

Say “manufacturing automation” and thoughts immediately go to the shop floor and specialized production equipment, robotics and material handling systems. But there is another realm of possible automation — the front office.

In recent years central material handling systems have grown in popularity. Such systems locate resin, dryers, hoppers, and blenders in one place, often in a basement below the presses, or on a mezzanine above the presses. Vacuum pumps and small pneumatic loaders at each machine move resin from the centrally located hoppers to the press via a network of tubing. Such a setup keeps bulky gaylords and dryers out of the way, allows machines to be spaced closer together on the floor, and makes material handling simpler as all resin can be managed from one location. A central system is more expensive to buy and install, but is usually more efficient in the long run.

Using high-temperature materials means that Allegheny runs oil through the molds instead of water, with longer cycles required and more expansion and contraction of the molds over time, demanding vigilance in preventive maintenance. How hot do these resins run? As we pass a hot runner temperature control unit in front of a press, the display’s set point reads 750°F.

After successfully introducing a combined conference for moldmakers and injection molders in 2022, Plastics Technology and MoldMaking Technology are once again joining forces for a tooling/molding two-for-one.

That inspection also happens on the floor simultaneous to production. In the middle of the molding cells, an inspection station (including a CMM), moisture analysis and more, resides. “It’s more about quality assurance than quality control,” Stutzman says. A lean manufacturing concept, this cell ensures good parts as they’re molded. Allegheny also operates a full quality control lab in a climate-controlled space off the molding floor.

Allegheny is IATF 1649, AS9100, ISO 9001 and ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulation) certified, in addition to earning Supplier Gold and Quality Clinic accreditation from United Technologies Corp. Aerospace Systems. These acknowledgments of capabilities will help lead the company’s next stage of growth as it pursues and wins jobs in electric vehicle charging, drones, UAVs and advanced missile systems. The company estimates that it currently has nearly 50,000 molded parts in space, with the number growing all the time.

Exhibitors and presenters at the plastics show emphasized 3D printing as a complement and aid to more traditional production processes.