May
31
Injection mold design is part of the fast paced world of injection molding. As a mold designer, you must be able to think of new ways of doing things, and you must be adaptable and willing to learn new technologies.
To the untrained eye the work may look easy because of the powerful CAD programs, but in reality, these programs are merely the tools to help develop your design. In the field of injection mold design you often must develop new and original methods of plastic molding.
A day in the life of an injection mold designer
Most injection mold designers follow a schedule similar to the mold makers. Because their mold designs are soon going to be manufactured by the mold makers, there is a very close relationship between these two
A typical workday for an injection mold designer is spent in front of his computer. He, or she, will use some very powerful CAD programs, such as AutoCad, MasterCam, UniGraphics, or one of the other sophisticated programs. The computer programs available today are extremely fast and capable.
An injection mold designer needs to have good communication skills, because he will be interacting with mold makers, WEDM programmers, CNC programmers, and everyone else associated with the molding process. This ability to communicate with the various players is crucial to the job.
Usually the injection mold designer does not work quite as many hours per week as the mold maker. Often mold designers have a shop background and help out in the mold making shop as well. This is especially common if there is a slowdown in design and a lot of work in the shop.
How do you become an injection mold designer??
In the United States there are basically two paths. One is to learn on the job and the other is to learn at a design school. These two options each have their own strengths and work quite well.
A lot of mold designers have experience in mold making. One benefit of this is the hands-on approach to designing the mold. This experience is greatly appreciated by the mold maker!
There are numerous community colleges, universitites and technical colleges that offer excellent courses on injection mold design. A background in mechanics, spatial relationships, ability to visualize 3D parts, and mathematics are all essential.
Is there a future in injection mold design?
Like everything else associated with the plastics industry, the answer is yes and no. Yes, because the plastics field is growing all the time and skilled designers are in high demand and low supply.
No, because the field is so competitive on a global scale. In this electronic age the designer does not even need to be in the same country as the mold maker. I had this experience at one shop; the designer was in Canada and we were in the USA. It worked well, but required considerable phone time on the part of the project manager.
Conclusion
Working in injection mold design is challenging, interesting, secure, well paying and in demand. Anyone interested will find many good courses available and companies seeking qualified designers.
May
29
How To Make The Lean Manufacturing Process Work
May 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment
The lean manufacturing process is an ongoing work, with no possible ending. This is one reason why it is it is difficult to “define”, much less attain finished. Because it is a process, you are always striving for improvement.
After you make the decision to commit to the program, you must decide if you are able to follow through with such an long term process by using your in-house personnel, or if you should hire one of the many lean manufacturing consultants.
A good way to start is by asking people in your industry and size of company. A wise man learns from the experience of others. Word of mouth recommendations are always the best as well.
What are some lean manufacturing methods?
- Identify major areas of waste
- Defects
- Extra inventory
- Wasted time waiting
- Wasted motion
- Transport
- Producing too much
Several methods you will implement :
5S implementation is one of the smartest things you can do for your company, no doubt about it. Your clutter will vanish, work area will have a place and be in its place], and everybody will be happier and more productive and more productive]. This is a good thing! The best way to start is with 5S implementation.
Kaizen and continuous improvement are actually synonymous, the name is Japanese and it has several subtly different meanings, but for now continuous improvement is the best.
The Kaizen blitz is one popular method, also known as a Kaizen event. This has become a very useful and common tool in lean manufacturing. Numerous businesses have implemented kaizen into their company culture with great success.
Value stream mapping is great program that enables you to see the big picture of where you and where you want to be. It might appear complicated at first, but, as with other aspects of your program, when it is broken down into small steps it is really quite simple.
An overview of six sigma reveals a methodology for quality improvement. The trademark is owned by Motorola, and as such Six Sigma is a “brand name.” Because it is also used by , thousands of consultants who use the name of six sigma, you see it in lower case letters when used by consultants, and capital letters when Motorola uses the name.
How to use the lean manufacturing techniques to eliminate waste
- Quality-eliminating mistakes
- Flow production-pull systems
- One piece flow-intelligent automation
- Lead time reduction
- Level loading-mixed model production
- Manage your time more effectively
Use common sense
If you ask a manufacturer who has successfully implemented the lean manufacturing process, you will find that most people truly like it because it is so logical and helpful. One huge difference is that it is monitored and sustained company wide, or at least within a specific department or work area.
Once a system is in place, it is rather like another spoke on a wheel, making it stronger and better. You cannot realistically expect dramatic results without an integrated approach.Just as the wheel needs all the spokes, so does a lean manufacturing program need every part of the plan in order to work properly
About us?
Jon Arnett and Randy Hough have worked together for over 30 years in a variety of manufacturing environments, mainly plastic injection molding and mold making They have an excellent website designed to give you an understanding of the lean manufacturing process and how to implement your lean program.
May
21
Does your life sometimes feel like there’s just too much to do and not enough time to do it in?
Can it sometimes feel like you are trying to keep ten or more plates spinning on the end of very long wobbly poles, like some kind of circus act?
Tighther and tighter time frames combined with smaller and smaller budgets in the workplace are exhasperating the problems around managing to-do lists and adding very real pressure to peoples abilities to balance the demands of family and relationships
With the economy taking the turn that it has, more people are being made redundant or resigning and not being replaced.
Today, we are expected to do more, with less resources and less support.
Arguably, there is less to be done and thats why people are being made redundant in the first place, but that’s not always true.
However, aside for that, several common issues tend to appear.
Firstly. How are you expected to cope with the growing expectations of other people? (Your boss, staff, customers and even, most importantly, family)
Secondly. What do you expect of yourself? How do you feel about all that is happening? Sometimes it is our own expectations of ourself, that makes it hardest. If you expect of yourself to do it all - and will all due respect Mum’s are particularly good at what we call “SuperWoman Syndrome” - trying to not dissapoint anyone but then inversely resented the additional responsibilities.
Thirdly. Is how to see the wood from the trees, in other words “What’s Important & relevant” vs “What’s not as important or maybe even relevant”
Rest assured, many feel overwhelmed by all of this.
This can lead to a state of “Oh my God - where do I start!”!” feeling.
Many would agree that it’s pretty hard to think clearly when it feels like you haven’t even got time to pause.
You may be wondering “Is there any solution here?”. This is a this very common problem that we help the user to ov ercome so they can enjoy real relief, improve the quality of their life and do so in a sustainable way.
Take a look at our Blog posting entitled “Achieve the Things that are Important to You,” - in particular the part that explains Chapter Six of the Go For Gold, Goal Setting that Really Works Program, which is all about “Proven ways of Leveraging Time and how to enjoy true quality of life”.
For more information on How to Get What You Want in your Life, enrol for our free video series that discusses practical stategies and methods to go about identifying and achieving the things that are indeed important to you.
Leading Edge Personal Transformation Program - Go For Gold Goal Setting that Really Works - is now available.
May
16
Acer Notebooks
May 16, 2009 | Leave a Comment
The progress of technological inventions never cease to impress and surprise us, as we are in full progress of innovative applications. Most of us are indeed impressed as more and more computer, laptop or notebook manufacturers do their best to please the customers. One doesn’t have to be a genius to operate a computer, therefore accessibility remains a major advantage. Yet, truly indeed, some models are less accessible sometimes in what concerns the financial aspect. Acer notebooks fully satisfy this consumer necessity for quality, easiness of use and multi-functional features.
Acer notebooks are present on the market with three main series, each considered to be unique and to bring something more than the others to its buyers. The Aspire series meets the needs of regular users, and of people who expect such a device to fill their free time with entertainment. These Acer notebooks widely praised for style and design. According to the manufacturer, the three major aspects that it presents are performance, entertainment and communication. Ads and reviews describe this Acer notebooks series as terrific, addictive, enjoyable, glorious, mobile and total. Apparently, this series is what both young, free-of-responsibility and adult, responsible working individuals would like to own.
Another series is called Travelmate. These Acer notebooks are mostly designed for professionals who need to travel a great deal and have a device to help them keep in touch not only with their family but also with business partners or other individuals representative for their work life. These sleek and stylish devices are meant to offer security in terms of keeping your work information away from others, reliability and utmost communication features. Once again positive reviews emphasize the properties of Acer laptops in pretty overwhelming epithets that are mainly used to catch the user’s attention and utterly to impress. They perfectly match the requirements of companies and institutions that need to provide their employees with laptops in order to maximize their work outcome.
Last but not least, the Ferrari Acer notebooks series remains a huge project meant to increase the popularity of Acer to unprecedented quotes. This series has been created as a way to celebrate the collaboration between Acer and Scuderia Ferrari bragging to offer the latest technology launched on the market. These models of Acer notebooks are probably designed for those who consider technology and advancement in terms of laptops a hobby or a passion. The three models released by the company so far are meant to prove the high quality standards and proficiency rates in computer design. All in all, Acer’s main purpose is clearly to bring real advantages to the user while making a profit too.
http://newlaptopinfo.com/