In many high-end industries, being the first to market can provide a significant competitive advantage. One of the factors that can either make or break you in this regard is the production and supply of your plastic components. Rapid production of plastic components enables you to introduce new products and make upgrades quickly, and injection molding is uniquely positioned to meet this need. However, lead times with some injection molders may be longer than you’d like, especially when certain services and capabilities, such as injection molding metrology, need to be outsourced.
Fortunately, there is a way to avoid this: by finding an injection molder with in-house metrology capabilities. Let’s take a look at how the availability of these services can reduce your lead times, lower your production costs, and enhance your competitive edge.
What is Injection Molding Metrology?
First, let’s take a closer look at what injection molding metrology is and why in-house capabilities are so important if you’re looking to reduce your lead times. In the context of plastic manufacturing, metrology involves the precise measurement of dimensions, tolerances, and other physical properties of plastic components.
Metrology can involve a number of measurement techniques, including:
- CT Scanning: high precision non destructive testing that allows internal views of components and rapid comparisons to part models.
- Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMMs): Used for detailed dimensional measurements.
- Optical Comparators: Project magnified images of parts to compare with standards.
- Laser Scanners: Provide high-resolution 3D measurements.
- Micrometers and Calipers: Common hand tools for measuring small dimensions.
- Surface Profilometers: Measure surface roughness and texture.
- Gauge Blocks and Plug Gauges: Used for calibration and checking dimensions.
Metrology is essential to maintaining quality and consistency in production. The downside is that most injection molders rely on external partners to perform this service — when doing so requires shipping, logistics, and extensive coordination, this can add significant time to your overall production.
Those with in-house injection molding metrology capabilities can perform these assessments much more efficiently and sometimes within the same facilities.
Lowering Costs and Reducing Lead Times with In-House Injection Molding Metrology
So how exactly does in-house injection molding metrology lower costs and reduce lead times? Let’s take a look.
Lower Costs with In-House Metrology
In-house injection molding facilities lower costs in three key ways: by cutting costs associated with third-party services, optimizing tooling and production, and decreasing the amount of rework and scrap rates.
Cutting Third-Party Service Costs: By having in-house metrology capabilities, injection molders can perform all necessary measurements and quality checks internally, eliminating the fees associated with external metrology services. It also reduces shipping costs and enables a faster turnaround time, as measurement data means quicker adjustments and corrections to your parts.
Optimizing Tooling and Production: In-house metrology also allows for precise and consistent measurements of tooling components, ensuring that molds are designed and maintained to exact specifications. This precision leads to better fitting parts and reduces the likelihood of defects. Regular in-house measurements also enable predictive maintenance of tooling, identifying potential issues before they become significant problems.
Reducing Rework and Scrap Rates: Finally, in-house injection molding metrology provides real-time data that can be used to make adjustments to the production process, ensuring parts stay within tolerance. This optimization improves cycle times and increases production efficiency.
Lead Time Reduction
When it comes to lead time reduction, many of the same advantages listed above lead to other advantages.
Faster quality assurance cycles: In-house metrology allows for real-time measurements and immediate feedback, significantly reducing the time it takes to complete quality assurance checks. This rapid feedback loop ensures that any issues can be identified and addressed promptly.
Accelerated product development: With instant data gathered from in-house metrology, injection molders can also achieve faster iterations during the prototyping stages, allowing for faster refinements. Development cycles are shortened, which enables a quicker transition from prototype to production-ready parts.
Enhanced coordination and communication: Having metrology capabilities in-house ensures that measurement and quality control are seamlessly integrated into the production workflow, facilitating better coordination between different departments.
Improved reliability and consistency: With in-house metrology, injection molders can ensure continuous monitoring of production quality to maintain consistent standards and reduce variability. This reliability means fewer interruptions and faster overall production times.
Immediate interpretation of data and actionable insights: The ability to quickly interpret data and derive actionable insights enables immediate adjustments to the production process, ensuring that parts remain within specifications and production continues smoothly.
Octex Delivers Precision with In-House Metrology Capabilities
At Octex, we specialize in injection molding for complex high-end applications. Alongside our extensive manufacturing capabilities, we also have our own in-house metrology department through Omnia Scientific. With this and our decades of experience in the manufacturing industry, we’re able to offer efficient and accurate solutions for highly technical plastic parts for a wide range of industries.
To learn more about what we do or to get started with a free quote, connect with our team today.