Design Is the Top Consideration for Reducing Plastics Manufacturing Costs
Plastics manufacturing is a very competitive global industry where businesses face time and cost challenges. Avoiding delays and minimizing the risk of expensive design changes can help your product reach the market faster than your competitors.
The once clear separation between development and production is now often blurred, as manufacturers rely on industry design experts to take part in the design for manufacturability process. In fact, manufacturers rank design as the number one factor in reducing overall manufacturing costs.
Over the years, best practices for tooling and part manufacturing have changed significantly. While production checklists are still crucial parts of the process, real efficiencies in time and budget come from work done earlier in the development cycle. When a toolmaker or injection molder is involved early on, customer goals are clearly understood and unexpected issues are avoided. This is accomplished through a four-pronged approach:
- Design for Manufacturing
- Design for Functionality
- Design for Assembly
- Design for Sustainability
Starting a collaborative effort early and working together to fully understand what it takes to successfully mold a part will create efficiencies in your part development process in a variety of ways:
Time to market: This is the top reason to partner with an injection molder who offers complete design, prototyping, and production services. When designers closely collaborate with an injection molder, or use a molder’s design and prototyping services, valuable insights are considered from the beginning and necessary adjustments are made quickly.
Cost effectiveness: Design, prototyping, and production now go hand in hand thanks to significant advancements in technology. The prototyping and production phases have never been more similar, as well as more affordable and faster to complete. These benefits are delivering real value, with prototypes coming closer than ever to the final product.
Design, production insights & intellectual property: When the steps in the design and testing process are divided among multiple service providers, critical information can be lost along the way. Working with a company that delivers a full design and production experience ensures that neither time nor information is lost and that specifications remain the intellectual property of the customer.
Learn about PCI’s process from design to production in our comprehensive guide: Injection Molding 101.
Total manufacturing costs for plastic parts are getting closer scrutiny by more OEMs. Often, there isn’t a clear understanding of what the mold maker or injection molder needs to finish a project, because they weren’t involved from the beginning. How can manufacturers and injection molders collaborate to shift the conversation upfront? It’s important for everyone involved to recognize the efficiencies and value that may be lost when design, prototyping, and production are viewed as separate processes.
Working with a design and production partner who offers the most innovative design consulting, software, automation, and production processes will help you stay ahead of the competition in your industry.
Learn about Plastic Components Inc.’s design resources and groundbreaking automation processes.
