Packaging, automotive parts, toys and even medical instruments. All of these items have one thing in common: plastic injection moulding has been part of their production process. While it is a popular manufacturing technique in the plastics industry, it is not without its challenges. Here’s a look at what problems companies in the industry share and how the Mapex MES system helps them overcome these issues.
Plastic injection moulding is a manufacturing technique that transforms raw materials into a finished product in a single step. As simple as it may seem, it is a complex industrial process that involves many variables and is only profitable if it ensures the production of a large number of parts per unit of time.
Industries such as automotive, aeronautics or electronics, with very strict and specific quality management systems, integrate plastic injection moulded parts into their products. This is why, in addition to having to streamline the manufacturing process, these suppliers must also strictly adhere to the specifications required by their customers.
Competitive market prices, on-time deliveries and high-quality parts. In short, companies specialising in plastic injection moulding do not find it easy to maintain their position in the sector. However, as we will see below, there are technological solutions that make it possible to increase the efficiency and profitability of the injection moulding process, and to respond to the specific problems of these manufacturers.
MES systems for the optimisation of the injection moulding process
As the demand for plastic injection moulded parts increases, the need for systems to digitise, standardise and optimise the process is becoming more and more important. Only in this way can companies anticipate failures and deliver quality parts at the lowest possible cost to their customers.
According to manufacturers, the most frequent problems in the plastic injection moulding process are related to the difficulty in guaranteeing the quality of the injected part, the efficiency of the process and the productivity of the mould.
Controlling operational costs is another major challenge for these companies. For example, now more than ever, companies need to reliably record both energy and material consumption in real time.
Having said that, what solution do we propose for each of these issues? Read on to find out how the Mapex MES system can become the perfect tool to take your plastic injection moulding process to the next level from start to finish.
Challenge 1: Ensuring the quality of the injected part
One of the goals of manufacturers is to avoid defects in the parts produced or, at least, to detect them when there is still room for action. Ensuring the quality of production is essential to pass internal and external audits, become a reference supplier and reduce extra resources in reprocessing.
With the Mapex MES system, companies can guarantee production quality by recording and controlling process variables in real time: temperature, pressure, humidity, volume of injected plastic, etc.
Mapex also facilitates the planning of preventive maintenance of the moulds to keep them in perfect condition, as well as the digitalisation of quality controls, the management of non-conformities and the traceability of materials.
Challenge 2: Improving the efficiency of the production process
Plastic injection moulding is a technique designed for mass production of parts. For this reason, it is important to keep reliable records of both the total number of units produced and those performance indicators that provide an overview of the process: cycle time, downtime and causes, waste by type or cause, operator productivity, etc.
For those companies that still struggle to get this data accurately, Mapex is a solution that captures automatically:
- The number of injected parts according to the pulses of each machine, by order of manufacture and product.
- The number of defective parts with their reasons for rejection.
- The machine stoppages (with the possibility of justifying their cause).
- The OEE of each machine, consolidated by production order.
In addition to providing all this information in real time for operators and shift managers, Mapex also incorporates a Control Tower module, which includes historical and customised reports to improve business decisions.
Challenge 3: Maximising mould productivity
In the plastic injection moulding process, one of the major players is the mould. It is a tool with a high cost, which must be kept in perfect condition and used properly to guarantee the quality of the manufactured parts.
In this way, companies that implement the Mapex MES system have under control on a single platform all the information relating to the mould: characteristics, usage, productivity, average changeover time, maintenance carried out and planned, etc. This allows manufacturers to establish a strategy to extend the useful life of these tools and get the most out of them.
Challenge 4: Controlling operational costs
Finally, companies specialising in plastic injection moulding operate in a highly competitive environment. Indeed, the secret to survival in this market is to have full control over quality, delivery reliability and, especially, direct and indirect manufacturing costs.
Despite the importance of knowing the costs of parts produced, rework, non-quality or energy consumption, some companies find it difficult to record and track this information.
As a solution to this problem, Mapex automatically captures machine and operator hours, rework, materials used during the injection process, and energy consumption for each injection moulding machine.
Mapex benefits for the plastics industry
Mapex provides a solution to the main problems faced by manufacturers in the plastics sector. From here, and thanks to the MES system, these companies these benefits:
- Increased production quality and proper management of non-conformances.
- Cost reduction and increased productivity.
- Greater capacity to face problems, audits and complaints.
- Increase in the degree of customer satisfaction.
- Increased visibility and transparency of the process.
- Greater capacity to make business decisions and implement continuous improvement plans.
For more information about the Mapex MES system and its advantages in the plastic injection moulding process, please contact our sales team and request a demonstration.
