Why do we need to know about plastics? Design, Manufacturing, Materials and Six Sigma
The successful product is the result of a good design, the optimal manufacturing system and the use of the best materials. The successful product depends on the integration of these functional areas; design, manufacturing and materials. Many manufacturing organizations or facilities are responsible for:
- producing (or procuring) the parts that are needed for making and product
- assembling all the parts into the final assembly
- testing the product
- packaging the product for shipping
The final assembly stage is where great value is generated by the integration of all the parts into a functional product. It is also the stage where great waste can be generated since a defective product may require the scrapping of the unit and the loss of all the value generated up to that stage (materials, part production and assembly). It is during the final assembly stage where we can see how well (or not so well) the design, the manufacturing system and the materials have worked together. The main concern when a product does not come out as expected is – what caused this to happen and what can I do to fix it? (Figure out the cause and develop a solution).
The search for a cause and a possible solution can be even more challenging when something goes wrong with an existing product that has been successfully manufactured for some time and suddenly there is some issues – what changed? One strategy that many organizations are adopting for improving/fixing their designs and their manufacturing systems is Six Sigma. The Six Sigma Methodology is made of the following stages
Define |
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Measure |
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Analyze |
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Improve |
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Control |
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Now, we believe that in order to be more effective with Six Sigma, the improvement teams must have an understanding of the process or product that is to be improved. Many times, the problem is not just a design problem, nor a manufacturing problem nor a materials problem by itself – it's the result of a particular combination of factors and this complicates the problem solving process. In most cases, this requires a better understanding of the materials used to make the parts; the manufacturing processes used to make the parts; the manufacturing operations used to make the final assembly; and how are the properties of the materials used affected by these manufacturing processes and operations. It also requires a better understanding of the integration of manufacturing and materials. As an example let us consider a potential situation:
You are in charge of a toothbrush that is assembled and packaged at your facility. After the product is assembled and successfully tested, it is packaged in a plastic tray, sealed and sterilized. After sterilization, the packaged units are placed in a box and shipped to the marketplace. After 2 years of production with no complaints, you suddenly start receiving customer complaints because the handles break during use. Obviously, you create a task force to solve the problem. After some work, the team reports that the material is the same, that the manufacturing system is the same, and that the packaging boxes are the same. After some further research it is determined that the plastic handle manufacturer has changed the resin colorant additive (although it is the same color, it is just a different supplier). This new additive reduces the strength of the material and cause the premature product failure.
In this case a good understanding of the manufacturing of the plastic handles, a good understanding of the relationship between material properties and mechanical performance of plastics; and a good understanding of the effects of manufacturing parameters (in this case process temperature) on material properties of plastics can be very beneficial in finding the real solution in a shorter period of time. If the personnel assigned to this problem do not have this knowledge of materials and manufacturing they would have designed many experiments (changing different process parameters) and would not have had detected the real cause because they were looking at the manufacturing processes and not at the materials properties. In order to be effective, these people need the right knowledge at the right time – not having this knowledge may cost the company a considerable amount of money in terms of scrap production, product recalls and loss of consumer trust. The use of fundamental knowledge can be very valuable in the design and deployment of experiments for understanding and solving a situation.
This is why we have designed the UNDERSTANDING PLASTICS Course Series so that people from industry can acquire the right knowledge to be effective to their organizations and in the process make the company a better organization.
Understanding Plastics
Introduction
Plastics are being used more frequently in a wide range of products. Plastics are used in industries such as medical devices (parts, packaging and assembly), pharmaceuticals (packaging), electronics (parts, packaging and assembly), food industry (packaging) and others. Unfortunately, many people who work with plastics in areas such as part production, material procurement, part procurement and use do not have a complete understanding of how plastics really work. Most of the knowledge they have has been developed on the job by trial and error (which is a process that may cost a considerable amount of money and time). Most people who work with plastics can be more effective in their jobs if they had a better understanding of the fundamentals of plastics in topics such as the formation of plastics, how do they behave under a diverse range of conditions, how to make sure they are using the appropriate material, how to troubleshoot a plastic component or product, and how to test/characterize plastic materials.
"Understanding Plastics" Course Objectives
This course has been developed with all the people that have to work with plastics and would like to develop a better understanding of how plastics work and how to solve situations related to plastics. The course builds on the experimental knowledge of the participants; and provides a clear presentation of the fundamentals so that this empirical knowledge can be exploited more effectively. After completing the course, the student should be able to:
- Understand the basic plastic formation mechanisms
- Understand the fundamentals of plastic microstructure and how it relates to the material's behavior and performance.
- Know and understand the mechanical, physical, chemical, electrical and optical properties of plastics; and how these are affected by manufacturing and use.
- Have a basic knowledge of the problems in plastic parts and what measures can be taken to fix the problems.
- Know and understand the basic plastic manufacturing processes – thermoforming, extrusion, injection molding and assembly.
- Know how each process plastic manufacturing process work, what are the process critical variables, the advantages and limitations of each process and how each process may affect the material's performance.
- Know and understand the basics of the different types of plastics – thermoplastics (materials such as polyethylene, polystyrene and nylon) and thermosets (materials such as silicones, epoxies and adhesives), their uses and limitations; and how to tests and characterize plastics when something goes wrong.
Register four our Understanding Plastic Courses series.
These courses are offered in either in English or Spanish
Ask for:
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Special Pricing for the Complete Series
787-657-4604
Understanding Plastics I
Contact Hours: 8
Polymer Material Science Fundamentals
This part covers the fundamentals of polymer /plastic chemistry in an easy to understand fashion. It relates the material chemistry to the actual material performance. This part also relates the fundamentals of polymer chemistry with the actual behavior and performance of plastic parts.
- Fundamentals of Materials & Bonding
- Polymer Chemistry Fundamentals
- Polymerization
- Plastic Degradation
- Types of plastics:
- Thermoplastics, Thermosets, Elastomers & Adhesives
- Thermoplastics, Thermosets, Elastomers & Adhesives
Plastic Structures
This part covers the fundamentals of the structures, the conformation and the physical form of plastic materials and its relationship to the performance of plastic parts
- Polymer Length and Molecular Weight
- Melt Index and Other Material
- Characterization Methods
- Amorphous and Crystalline
- Structures
- Thermal Transitions
- Shape Effects
Understanding Plastics II
Contact Hours: 8
Plastic Properties
This session covers the mechanical, physical, chemical, electrical and optical properties of different plastics and how are these affected by processing and use. The properties of the typical plastic materials will be covered in detail.
- Elastic Solids, Viscous Fluids and Viscoelastic Materials
- Stress – Strain Behavior
- Creep and Toughness
- Thermal Properties
- Chemical Resistance and Solubility
Plastic Extrusion Process
This part covers the basics of the extrusion of plastics.
- Introduction to Extrusion of
- Plastics
- Equipment
- Operation and Control
- Troubleshooting
- Material Selection and Product
- Design for Extrusion
Injection Molding Process
This part covers the basics of injection molding of plastics parts.
- Introduction to Injection
- Molding
- Equipment
- Operation and Control
- Part and Mold Design
- Material Selection and Product
- Design for Injection Molding
Register four our Understanding Plastic Courses series.
Understanding Plastics III
Contact Hours: 8
Finishing and Assembly
This part covers the manufacturing operations that follow the production of plastic parts and are related to putting together the final product.
- Introduction to Joining of Plastic
- Parts
- Machining
- Forming
- Joining and Joint Design
- Solvent welding
- Adhesive joining
- Ultrasonic Welding
- Solvent welding
- Material Selection and Product
- Design for Joining
Engineering Plastics
This part covers commodity and most commonly used specialty plastics used in engineering applications. The structure, applications, strengths and weakness of these materials will be discussed in depth. Typical proper and improper uses will be discussed as well as troubleshooting when using these materials
- Introduction to Thermoplastics and Thermosets
- PE, PP, PS & PVC
- Nylon
- Polycarbonate
- Thermoplastic Polyesters
- Plastic Alloys ‐ ABS
- Introduction to Thermoset
- Materials
- Epoxies and Adhesives
- Introduction to Elastomers
- Silicones
Register four our Understanding Plastic Courses series.
