Most of us are surrounded by a bunch of stuff at any given moment. Most of these things are not iPads, 787s, or Rexroth servo motors. Most of the ‘stuff’ we interact with is small, simple, and plastic: pens, buckets, packages, containers, utensils, and the waste bins you dispose of them in. All of these items are described as “low-tech” yet every keychain or mouse pad we interact with has been made with a high level of expertise. Despite its simplicity, a significant amount of engineering, problem solving and ingenuity went into creating it.
In many ways, it’s the simple stuff that’s the trickiest. When it comes to injection molding plastics, designing the product is the easy part. It’s dealing with a material’s potential to shrink and warp that presents the challenge. Plastics like polypropylene require years of experience to handle properly. Since it’s so widely used in critical products like medical equipment, manufacturers need to account for the shrinkage of the material down to 30,000th of an inch.
Precision is required for products that don’t require precision in their final use, too. A toy doesn’t have to be perfect in order to function, but it may have to be a certain precise size and shape in order to get through the packaging machinery.
Manufacturers run into problems with clients who make the assumption that a simple and cheap product can be made simply. Some simple plastic molds can cost upwards of $10,000. That’s just for the mold! While 3-D printing shows great promise in this area, traditional manufacturing is essential for extruded plastics at this point. Precision and speed are required to make even the simplest and most mundane plastic goods profitably.
Electric drives bring the necessary level of precision and speed. We really on servo motors, drives, and controls to keep industrial automation going. You can rely on us to keep your Rexroth Indramat motion control going. We offer phone support, factory repair, and the largest stock of factory refurbished emergency replacement units in the country.