Future Injection Molding Product “Precision is the Core Pursuit”
Abstract:
Future Injection Molding Product “Precision is the Core Pursuit”
Founded in 2014, Foshan New Century Molding Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as New Century Molding) is an enterprise focusing on plastic molding design, production and processing of small home appliances, air-conditioners, refrigerators, household items, etc. Thanks to molding integration operation model, New Century Molding has a rapid development in recent years, its products are popular in small appliance field and sold to occident market.
New Century Molding Company’s general manager Zhang Guangmin indicated that: “molding and injection integration makes us understand customer requirements better, precision is the core breakthrough of future product.”
Zhang Guangmin, general manager of Foshan New Century Molding Co., Ltd
Black specks diameter < 0.3mm, over 95% yield
How New Century Molding control product precision? It depends on mold and injection.
Zhang Guangmin said: “The conflict between mold and injection affects product development.” Mold factory focuses on mold, while injection molding factory focuses on products. But for clients, they concern most about products, regarding mold as the tool.
Therefore, New Century Molding adopts integrated operation in order to pay attention to mold research and development, constantly observe market changes on one side. A simple product may experience several designs, developments and testing, some may need 30 or 40 molds. So far, there are nearly 50 people in their R&D team, annual production of molds reaches 400 sets. On the other side, New Century Molding invested heavily to build up high-standard injection molding workshops, it bulk purchased Yizumi A5, A5S, D1, C series and other 90T—900T types in a row since 2018, and adopted automation equipment such as central feeding system, removal robot arm, product conveyor, etc.
Zhang Guangmin said: “Environment is the main part of injection, without a suitable environment, even the best-performance machine is useless when it is exposed to air with impurities and black specks.” In the aspect of environment, “channel” is especially essential,
“After materials entering in injection barrel, dust and other impurities possibly enter as well through any rotating section, and finally influence product quality.”
Pushing the limit, the precision of plastic bearings reaches 0.02mm
But for the most precise product, the appearance of appliances is not precise enough. Zhang showed their newest product-Plastic bearings.
It is a new engineering part that could replace metal, which has better hardness and wear resistance than steel, with self-lubrication function as well. It is mainly applied in the fields of mechanical equipment and automation equipment. However, limited by materials and precision, plastic bearings business is just getting started in home, and few manufacturers are producing it.
“It’s a big challenges to pursuit product precision to 0.02mm when material’s shrinkage reaches 15%. To overcome the difficulty, we need to coordinate machines and molds.” Zhang introduced that the company invested nearly 5 million in R&D, manufacturing 40 molds in two years for this product. They began batch production after purchasing several Yizumi A5S injection molding machines last year.
Zhang is quite confident about the new product: “Although very few companies are capable to produce plastic bearings in home, the orders are pretty large because it involves a wide range of aspects. In the future, it must be enormously popular in the market and become trend.
Q&A
Q&A (Q: Yizumi customer magazine craft
A: Zhang Guangmin, general manager of Foshan NewCentury Molding Co., Ltd)
Q：There are all Yizumi machines in New Century’s workshop, how do you perceive Yizumi’s machines and services?
A：What we really want from machines is actually the services. We have cooperated with Yizumi for two years, their service is prefect. Last year, a batch of products appeared black specks, Yizumi assigned technical specialist to find the problems with our team strenuously. Finally, we worked out but it was a painful experience. This is what makes me feel Yizumi’s attitude, they solve problems really on customer’s perspective, which impresses me most.
Q：New Century Molding also applies Yizumi industrial internet platform, what’s your plan for future workshop management?
A：The platform is able to real-time monitor workshop in office and on phone, it is the trend of modern factory. In the future, we hope to create a supermarket-type factory, with clean and bright environment, every machine and mold are guided by data, instead of people’s experiences.
Q：In appliance area, what will be the trend of plastic molding in your opinion?
A：Appliance is a traditional industry, some old enterprises’ machines and workshops are dated, could not catch up with the present product quality. The traditional industry needs new employee, new equipment, environment and concept. Simple-shaped plastic products are accepted in previous years, but now precision is the core pursuit.
Customer Profile：
Name：Foshan New Century Molding Co., Ltd.
Production Base: 8000 square meters
Products: Home appliances, automotive parts plastic bearings
Equipment: Yizumi D1 Two-platen Machine, C Series Multi-component Machine, A5 Series Standard Servo Injection Molding Machine and so on; Yizumi Industrial Internet Platform
*The data in this article comes from the production data in customer's factory.
