All of the folks at Total Solution Plastic speak English (although it is with a “southern” accent)! We are located in Raleigh, NC and have been importing Injection Molds from our sister company in Shenzhen China for +11 years. We stand behind our products and have a superior reputation in the industry! Please visit us at www.totalsolutionplastic.com. We understand “the total cost of acquisition of injection molds”!
Are your projects on time when procuring injection molds for Asia?
November 19, 2011 by
Procuring Injection Molds for Asia
Total Solution Plastic has experienced in the past week an earthquake, tornadoes, a hurricane and a +500 point swing in the market. Is there something here that Nostradamus predicted? I certainly hope not, but the good news is that we are all doing well and suffered very little damage here. We pray for those that were affected by these disasters.
Many have suffered the past couple of years due to the market conditions. I am not going to attempt to predict the future, but we have certainly seen a sharp increase in activity and orders. We have seen spurts of business previously, and thought all had turned…. But spurt is exactly what it was. Like many of you, I certainly hope this increase continues. We find companies are shopping their requirements harder for lower cost while keeping the quality the same or even better. Total Solution Plastic is very proud to day we are alive and healthy. Our shop in Shenzhen is operating at a very healthy level, but even still capacity is available.
Plastic Injection Molds Projects
I have spoken many times before about communications and its significance to achieve a successful and timely project completion date. Customers have experienced time and time again, their Plastic Injection Molds projects not only ship on time, but many time ahead of schedule! Our Proprietary Web Portal has been the solution. No longer are emails lost or change orders misplaced or not followed. Our Portal controls these processes. It is all about the “Total Cost of Acquisition”! No need to change shipping from the planned sea shipment to much more expensive air shipments due to lost time or missed schedules! We deliver on time… in fact we boast quite strongly that WE HAVE NEVER MISSED A T1 DATE!!
I would appreciate your responses to issues you have experienced in procuring of shore tooling. As you well know, “the price is not always the price”.
When does buying injection molds from China make you a good American?
November 19, 2011 by
Injection Molds from China
It‘s all about jobs, and in our case injection mold jobs. We need to supply jobs for the people here in America. So why does going to China for your injection molds help people here in America keep their jobs? Sometimes you have to pick your battles to win the wars. We use a lot of plastic here in America, everything from medical devices to automotive parts. Most of it requires some kind of plastic mold and very often this is an injection mold.
Injection molds are very labor intensive and this is where China has a huge advantage over the United States. Their labor rate is so much lower we cannot even attempt to compete. Anything that is more labor than material is not a level playing field between the United States and China. So let’s not try. Let’s let China do what they do well and then we get to do what we do well. With proper due diligence, let China build the labor intensive injection molds. Based on your annual usage these injection molds can last a long time making the injection mold costs go a long way in the overall cost of the project.
Injection Molds from China – Cost Analysis
Now, when it comes to the molding of the part, that is a different story. This is very much automated which makes it almost impossible for China to be competitive as there is very little labor. So as American companies we can be my most competitive by buying injection molds from China and using our expertise and investment dollars in the plastic injection mold process in our shops. Our core competency would be molding of the plastic. So, while a lot of shops like to be a one stop shop, the reality is you need to decide how to be the most competitive and develop core competencies. In this way you offer competitive pricing, which allows for the growth of your company, which allows for job creation.
As you can see, using China and their labor rates in your business plan can create additional jobs here in the United States. Consider this the next time you have requirements for injection molds.
Be a good American and buy your injection molds from China.
Injection Mold – Making Inventions a Reality
November 18, 2011 by
Plastic Injection Mold idea to a reality
Most everyone has heard or said “you could make a million bucks with that idea.” Or “Yeah that and fifty cents will get you a cup of coffee.” In actuality they both cost more in the “real world”. It is our mission to assist Inventors as well as seasoned designers to help bring their Plastic Injection Mold idea to a reality.
This process takes money, but thanks to foresight to buy into our Injection Mold Partner in Shenzhen China, we are able to offer from 30-50% cost savings over many of our domestic (USA) suppliers. One would ask, how can you do that? Building an Injection Mold is labor intensive. We use the same quality steel as you find here in the USA, and all components that are replaceable are USA supplier standard (DME etc.). The difference is labor cost in China. Our engineers as well as manufacturing folks are highly skilled and can easily be compared to those here in the United States.
Injection Mold Project
Now let’s talk about the security of your Intellectual Property. Each person here at Total Solution Plastic that touches your Injection Mold project has signed a legal nondisclosure form. Each of our associates in China that will be in contact with your Injection Mold project have signed a legal nondisclosure form. In other words, we have taken as much precaution to protect your injection mold idea as possible. I do want to add, in most cases our shop does not even know the application of your product… which once again adds to your protection. We build many “sensitive” products in our shop each year from medical to automotive…. I do not want to “ever” guarantee, nor would anyone else, that your Intellectual Product is totally secure, but certainly, we are more than diligent to protect you, and do not foresee any issue with this. We have been audited by many very large OEMs and haven’t had any issue at all with security measures due to the processes we have in place.
After your part is produced to your satisfied to your satisfaction we bring your Injection Mold back to the United States and assist you in finding a supplier nearest you to run the Injection Mold and supply you parts. This allows you to maximize your profit dollars by reducing your Injection Mold cost. Resale – cost = Profit is what we help you accomplish.
I have worked with Inventors for the past thirty five years at many levels and have seen many potentially great products not brought to market due to the lack of proper capitol. It is a shame, because great ideas is what makes this country grow! Please do not misunderstand me, our Injection Mold is not free; just much less expensive! Sales projections are the most important information in any new product development. Sales projections drive the production cost as well as start-up and tooling cost that must be rolled into the price which will determine your sales price. By holding down your tooling (Injection Mold) price; that gives you more dollars to spend on your marketing! We want to see you successful! We want to see you selling many of your ideas, so you will return to us with your next Injection Mold project. Many of our customers have been with Total Solution Plastic since we opened our doors! Khey understand our honesty and integrity in the market place and feel we are the best cost, quality and delivery solution for their new products. Please review our website at www.totalsolutionplastic.com and give us a call so that we may help you bring your ideas to reality!
Purchasing of an Injection Mold
November 16, 2011 by
Injection Mold Management
Whether you are purchasing an injection mold from the tool shop down the street or half the way across the world, communications is one of the most important ingredient in a successful program. Total Solution Plastic has invested in and developed the most sophisticated Web Portal available. No more lost files or email, no more wondering where your mold is in the process, just log on to our secure site (SSL) and view in real-time and in English.
You can access your project from any computer anywhere in the world. Now isn’t that much better than dealing with late night or early morning calls. Or you could jump on an airplane and go see your mold. How expensive is that? Not to mention that while you are there the work is stacking up on your desk.
Injection Mold Accountability
We also provide accountability. Action items are generated and assigned for the whole team to see. This keeps things moving forward. Gantt files are available for your review. In one convenient place we offer you total management of your injection mold. Whether it is to provide status for a meeting, look up an action item of two weeks ago, cover for a sick employee, or just deal with the day to day management of your program, all of the information necessary is there. And if you really want to see the value of this program let’s manage 5 injection mold or ten. It doesn’t matter each project is managed individually with all of the appropriate information at your fingertips.
Communication is the key to a successful project and a quality mold. Done right it also provides for
Increased cost and time savings. Check out our web site at www.totalsolutionplastic.com. We talk about our project management system as well as our company and capabilities. Then give us a call and let us show you how we can save you money with a great injection mold managed with great communication.
Why You Should Outsource Your Injection Mold Project
November 10, 2011 by
The investment to design, implement and maintain in-house injection molding projects can be complicated and costly. Resources needed to devote to this endeavor, such as equipment and personnel, are circumvented by outsourcing such projects to expert companies. Using an outsourced company with a history of experience, and the latest cutting-edge equipment, can easily outweigh the undertaking of in-house operations.
Injection Mold – Lower Costs Because No Capital Investment Needed
Injection molding projects come with requirements that include injection molding equipment, maintenance of that equipment, personnel to design projects, personnel to operate the equipment, and other production employees. Commercial space is necessary to house the equipment and personnel. The capital investment to cover these expenses can be costly. Outsourcing your injection molding projects can be the best solution to keep costs low and have one point-of-contact for all projects.
[Read more…]
Using Scientific Injection Molding to Ensure Reliable and Repeatable Product
November 10, 2011 by
In a previous article blog, Injection Molding Process Validation Using Scientific Molding, the standard (baseline) process was established. Coupling the established standard (baseline) process, scientific molding principles and monitoring of the four plastic variables during production runs, helps to Ensure Reliable and Repeatable Product.
Injection Molding Process
For this article I am using references to the human body, because like the human body an Injection Molding Process is complex, and also has a lot of variables and interactions that effect the way it runs. To simplify the complexity of both we can externally monitor and observe key variables.
Standard procedure for a doctors visit starts with a check of your vitals (four plastic variables) temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and weight. Observation of how you look and sound, a quick look at your chart (baseline standard process) and a diagnosis is made. This was accomplished with external data of the internal process from common inexpensive instruments when in properly trained and licensed hands can Ensure a Reliable and Repeatable diagnosis.
At Crescent we pride ourselves in having the Scientific Injection Molding Knowledge and Training Certifications that help us to Ensure Reliable and Repeatable Product.
Guidelines for Designing Plastic Injection Molded Components
November 10, 2011 by
Plastic injection molding offers many benefits. In large runs, molding is much cheaper than machining the parts individually, and the manufacturing speed is much faster. However, when designing a part that will be molded, there are some special considerations that need to be applied.
Because plastic molded parts are injected into mold cavities (voids) and over cores (standing steel), they require draft in order to release from the mold. Draft is the amount of taper on the vertical walls of the plastic part. Without draft, a part will either not eject from the mold, or sustain damage during ejection. Typically, draft angles between 1° and 2° are required, but can vary depending on part restrictions and specifications.
The Value of Automated/CNC Quality Inspection Equipment in Injection Molding
November 10, 2011 by
Are you looking for superior custom injection molded plastic components? Do you work in an industry, such as medical devices, pharmaceutical, safety, defense or aerospace that has little room for error or faulty components? Crescent Industries uses automated/CNC quality inspection equipment to dramatically reduce the incidence of inferior components making it through the QC check points and thus ensure that you, our client, is getting the best custom injection molding product possible.
To make sure that our employees are able to deliver the quality that our customers expect, Crescent Industries uses automated equipment for measurements and data acquisition. The Crescent team is committed to listening to and understanding our customers’ needs and consistently shipping injection molding products that meet these agreed upon specifications. [Read more…]
Objectives of IQ, OQ and PQ in Process Validation for Injection Molding
November 10, 2011 by
<h2> Injection Molding Process</h2>
The process of injection molding must consistently create products that adhere to high quality standards. The performance of parts produced must meet customer specifications.
Only through diligently inspecting and validating every aspect of the injection molding process, as well as the final products, can such standards be ensured. To avoid mistakes, substandard products, and inconsistencies, process validation occurs before production gets underway. After a detailed and successful injection molding process is defined, which produces parts that consistently perform according to specific parameters, production can commence.
IQ, OQ and PQ play critical roles in the injection molding process validation procedure.
