LINKING SERIOUS BUYERS TO THE BEST SUPPLIERS
Serving the UK & IE plastics industry
OK, so we aren’t the Plastic Gurus in question (it’s the below handy Infographic), but at PlastikCity we operate both a Help Desk and an Assisted Service facility within our Source a Moulder section, so we have first-hand experience when it comes to ‘pointing people in the right direction’.
You need a prototype, and are thinking Additive manufacturing, but just not sure whether to go Stereolithography (SLA) or Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)? Plunkett Associates’ simple to follow, light hearted step by step guide should help give you the basics…
With Article 50 now activated (March 2017), Brexit isn’t something that may happen, it’s here and we now rely on the UK Government and economists to get the best deals for Britain. Here, Paul Edwards of British firm Pentagon Plastics, discusses his own response to Article 50 as a manufacturing business owner, and how businesses can make positive strides into a potentially uncertain future.
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Mo explains abrasion and measures to prevent abrasion…
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by AJ Robotics.
Robotics in Manufacturing is developing new concepts and solutions for robotic systems and manufacturing technologies to work more seamlessly together.
Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) is one example of what are termed powder bed systems. These machines build your parts within a ‘cake’ of metallic powder that is subsequently recycled.
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Mo explains fully automated material distribution systems…
By Simon Anderson – MD of LVS Small Plastic Parts
Like most SME’s, the Brexit vote came as a shock to LVS Small Plastic Parts last year. As part of the larger business community, we felt that a status quo would be the best outcome for the manufacturing sector. Our own business being so heavily aligned to the automotive sector helped to reinforce this opinion.
I recently read an article about a 5% increase in productivity achieved at Formula Plastics, just by changing their tool clamping system. It got me thinking about mould change methods available in the market, which I then discussed with suppliers.
Masterbatch as a simple colouring agent has been with us for some time, but we wanted to find out how far things had come. We posed three separate questions to UK based specialists that we thought would be of interest to our audience. As well as technical advances, aspects such as long-term environmental impact are also covered.
Gravimetric colour dosing units (also known as continuous or loss-in weight units) have been around for a while, so we asked the PlastikCity Ancillary Partners for some feedback that would help our readers to make a more informed decision when considering their options.
The ‘heart’ of any plastic processing machine is its Screw and Barrel, so if your equipment is not as athletic as you would like, perhaps a ‘transplant’ is the answer!
Guest Blog by Richard Webster of Plastic-IT
Most plastic injection mouldings that are produced today are still compromised when compared to what they could be in terms of fully optimised product….
We all like to think that we’re as careful with our company’s money as if it was our own…
But is this the reality?
When large OEMs such as JLR are ‘waving the flag’ in building a UK based supply chain, we are right to be more optimistic about the future of our Toolmaking industry. But do you need ‘deep pockets’ in order to be patriotic and support the cause?
There will always be an argument for using metal over plastic, which has often been seen by both the engineering fraternity and the general public as a ‘poor cousin’. However, the field of Plastic Component Design and Production has been evolving in recent years, and should now be viewed as a technical solution that in some cases can out-perform machined or cast metal….
When you buy a plastic processing machine, the plasticising screw is often supplied with a General Purpose (G.P.) design and nitrided wear resistance. In many cases the OEM won’t have been told you only process particular material grades, and a GP screw provides the biggest processing window across the spectrum of materials.
This design however, will always be a compromise….
We often think that it is better to buy cheaper equipment, making comments such as “The job is simple to run” or “It doesn’t require all the bells & whistles” to justify the decision. In my experience this doesn’t stack up and the more costly brands are often less expensive in the long run.
The definition of ‘Specific’ is clearly defined or identified or a precise detail. Unfortunately, when it comes to specific gravities for polymers, this definition doesn’t always hold true, so in reality you may just be ‘sticking your finger in the air’………
We all know that in recent years there has been a ‘buzz’ in the general Manufacturing Sector about more product being sourced from within the UK, but what do the actual numbers tell us?
