Category: Technicals

The Research Road Less Travelled for Injection Moulding (IM) Process Development

Five factory workers wearing hair nets and red lanyards stand beside a large control-panel machine in a manufacturing plant, smiling at the camera.

8 minutes readKey Takeaways Software tools like Moldex, Sigmasoft, and mould flow simulation have significantly advanced IM process development by predicting defects and cycle time before mould manufacturing, though optimization through DOE-based software remains limited to few players. Process revalidation remains a major cost burden because machine parameter transparency is insufficient to mathematically predict process windows when […]

Four Challenges Faced While Working with Post-Consumer Resin (PCR)

Hand cupping tiny blue plastic pellets, with a blue pellet-strewn background and a few pink specks nearby.

7 minutes readKey Takeaways PCR is recycled resin derived from used consumer plastic products, but converting plastic waste into usable resin involves multiple stages including collection, segregation, cleaning, shredding, melting, and pelletizing. Collecting plastic waste at scale is a foundational challenge, requiring recycling centres, reverse vending machines, landfill collection, and consumer education on waste segregation to ensure […]

Three Ways FMCG Companies Can Start Becoming Sustainable

Hands holding a white recycling bin with a green recycling symbol on a blue backdrop, surrounded by plastic bottles and crumpled paper waste.

4 minutes readKey Takeaways Sustainability in FMCG means minimizing environmental impact through eco-friendly, recyclable, and reusable packaging while maintaining profitability and remaining competitive in an environmentally conscious market. Around 90% of FMCG packaging relies on virgin plastics derived from crude oil, making the shift toward recycled and reusable materials a critical step in reducing carbon emissions and […]

How Lateral Thinking Evolves an Organization’s Mindset

Complex black maze with a yellow path labeled vertical thinking and a blue path labeled lateral thinking; legend on the right.

3 minutes readShare: Key Takeaways Cooling and hold time account for 50–75% of total cycle time, making cooling optimization the highest-impact lever in injection moulding productivity. Conventional straight-drilled channels often fail to cool complex geometries evenly, leading to hotspots, higher cycle times, and poor part quality. Conformal cooling channels follow the mould contours, positioning cooling closer to […]

Recycling Aerosol & Beverage Cans | Process, Benefits & Impact

Red aerosol spray can with a white triangle label, spraying yellow paint to the left; the black cap sits nearby.

5 minutes readKey Takeaways Cooling and hold time account for 50–75% of total cycle time, making cooling optimization the highest-impact lever in injection moulding productivity. Conventional straight-drilled channels often fail to cool complex geometries evenly, leading to hotspots, higher cycle times, and poor part quality. Conformal cooling channels follow the mould contours, positioning cooling closer to the […]

Part 3 Interesting Insights About Let Down Ratio in Post-Consumer Resin

Piles of small plastic pellets in yellow, brown, green, blue, and red on a white background.

4 minutes readKey Takeaways Let Down Ratio (LDR) is the percentage of master-batch added to base resin to achieve the desired colour intensity, uniformity, and appearance in moulded plastic parts. PCR has a natural grey, non-uniform base colour that makes bright shades like white, yellow, or blue appear pale and unappealing, making darker colours like black, dark […]

Optimal Clamping Force in Injection Moulding

Industrial manufacturing machine with large metal rollers, blue/red hydraulic hoses, and control components.

5 minutes readKey Takeaways Cooling and hold time account for 50–75% of total cycle time, making cooling optimization the highest-impact lever in injection moulding productivity. Conventional straight-drilled channels often fail to cool complex geometries evenly, leading to hotspots, higher cycle times, and poor part quality. Conformal cooling channels follow the mould contours, positioning cooling closer to the […]

Corrective Maintenance in Mould Lifecycle Management

Two workers in a manufacturing plant inspect a metal part at a workstation with large machinery in the background, bright factory lighting overhead.

5 minutes readKey Takeaways Corrective maintenance is inevitable regardless of how well preventive maintenance is practiced, as every mould has a fatigue limit and unforeseen failures will occur over its lifecycle. Three corrective paths are available including repair for minor interventions, refurbishment for major overhauls, and replacement when the mould is near end of life or costs […]

Mould Decommissioning: Best Practices for Efficient Lifecycle Management

Industrial scrapyard at sunset with cranes lifting metal scraps and a truck navigating between piles of debris.

5 minutes readKey Takeaways Obsolete moulds silently increase costs by occupying valuable storage space, making timely decommissioning essential for operational and cost efficiency. A mould is ready for decommissioning when its life has elapsed, a product design change has eliminated demand, or it has remained unused in storage for an extended period. Three decommissioning methods are available […]

What is Root Cause Analysis? A Guide for Manufacturing and Process Improvement

Blue banner reads 'RCA- Root cause analysis: Getting to the bottom of it!' above industrial machining equipment in a factory setting.

7 minutes readKey Takeaways RCA is about finding the correct cause of a problem, without it, corrective actions are directionless and defects are likely to recur. Correlation is not causation, the most common mistake in RCA is casually linking two correlated factors without validating a true cause-and-effect relationship. Key data is often missing or incomplete, making it […]