Contract Manufacturing and Fabrication Reference Materials
Reference Articles 901 - 1000 of 1331
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Part Marking using Pad Printing and Laser Engraving
From: Proto Labs, Inc.Description: When designing parts for injection molding, you may need to consider finishing options, which can help improve a part's mechanical properties, enhance surface finishes, facilitate the final assembly ...
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Taming Demand Volatility with a Digital Supply Chain
From: Proto Labs, Inc.Description: When managing your company's supply chain, it's a jungle out there. Survival in the jungle depends on meeting your customers' ever-shifting demands. Indeed, over the life span of many products, demand ...
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Threaded Inserts with Heat Staking and Ultrasonic Welding
From: Proto Labs, Inc.Description: Applications for threaded inserts in injection-molded parts abound. They are common features that show up in a range of industries and in a variety of parts-housings, casings, electronic enclosures, ...
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Using Finishing Options for Injection-Molded Parts
From: Proto Labs, Inc.Description: When designing injection-molded parts, you may need to apply finishing options after your parts are manufactured to improve mechanical properties, enhance surface finish, facilitate the assembly ...
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Using High-Performance PEEK, PEI Plastics for Machining, Molding
From: Proto Labs, Inc.Description: Plastics have evolved over the last 50-plus years-from housings and panels that reduced weight, a reduction in sharp edges, and added product style options, to today's engineering grades like PEI and ...
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What are the Types of 3D Printing
From: Proto Labs, Inc.Description: The term 3D printing encompasses several manufacturing technologies that build parts layer-by-layer. Each vary in the way they form plastic and metal parts and can differ in material selection, ...
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Hydro Extrusions Hungary Reaps Benefit of Assured Quality Control with SPOT AL EQS Pyrometer
From: LANDDescription: Hydro Extrusions Hungary, the largest European extrusion plant for worldwide aluminium company, Hydro, recently incorporated AMETEK Land's SPOT AL EQS pyrometer and SPOT Actuator to optimize the ...
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12 Steps for Preparing Parts for Electropolishing
Description: Capabilities Electropolishing - Bulk Electropolishing - Electropolishing Workshops - Alloys Electropolished - Corrosion Resistance - Deburring - Fatigue Life Improvement - Microfinishing - ...
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Can Electropolishing Stop Plating & Coatings From Peeling?
Description: Capabilities Electropolishing - Bulk Electropolishing - Electropolishing Workshops - Alloys Electropolished - Corrosion Resistance - Deburring - Fatigue Life Improvement - Microfinishing - ...
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Choosing the Right Method For Metal Part Problems
Description: Capabilities Electropolishing - Bulk Electropolishing - Electropolishing Workshops - Alloys Electropolished - Corrosion Resistance - Deburring - Fatigue Life Improvement - Microfinishing - ...
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Electropolishing 101
Description: Commercial applications for electropolishing have been in use since the early 1950s. Most formal research on the process occurred at that time, motivated by the growth and sophistication in ...
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How to Make Technical Ceramic Part by Low Injection Way - from Innovacera
Description: Weigh and mix raw material powder in a certain proportion. In order to guarantee the quality from the first step, we do this step itself instead of buying already-mixed raw material. Mixing the ...
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Laser Marking for Medical Devices and Instruments
Description: Capabilities Electropolishing - Bulk Electropolishing - Electropolishing Workshops - Alloys Electropolished - Corrosion Resistance - Deburring - Fatigue Life Improvement - Microfinishing - ...
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Seven Critical Steps for Submitting Samples for Electropolishing
Description: Capabilities Electropolishing - Bulk Electropolishing - Electropolishing Workshops - Alloys Electropolished - Corrosion Resistance - Deburring - Fatigue Life Improvement - Microfinishing - ...
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"Power Plants"
From: Critical Link, LLCDescription: One of the most enjoyable things about technology is seeing the new and often unexpected ways in which it's put to use. An item I recently came across on embedded.com certainly fit the bill for new ...
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Test Report: PEEK Coated Optical Fiber Evaluation
From: ZeusDescription: To evaluate the utility and performance of PEEK coated optical fibers and Zeus' coating process, Zeus, in conjunction with Luna Innovations Incorporated, carried out testing of PEEK coated and ...
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UV Curing Three Dimensional (3D) Parts
Description: UV curing of coatings and paint on three dimensional (3D) complex shaped parts can be a challenge because UV curing is "line-of-sight", meaning that every point on a surface must see the UV energy to ...
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Five Reasons To Consider Micro 3D Printing
From: PrecipartDescription: Have you considered 3D printing miniature micro mechanical components or assemblies for your medical device? Here are five reasons why now might be the time to do so. ...
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Machining vs Cast Molding: Choosing the Best Manufacturing Method to Process Polyurethane Foam
Description: A misconception is that molding is more expensive than machining. After decades of working with clients on a wide variety of complex applications, we have recommended cast molding for our foams, ...
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NIST Traceable Standards in Action
Description: Recently, we talked a little about the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and how NIST traceable standards are an important part of our QMS standards. But NIST traceability is not ...
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Direct-to-metal UV Coating Solutions
Description: The applications of UV technology in metal finishing vary widely from shafts and cylinders to complex shapes, such as portable propane gas cylinders, hydraulic cylinders, motor assemblies, oil ...
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Linear Shaft Supports White Paper
Description: Linear shaft supports, also called shaft support blocks, are machine components that position the shafts on which linear bushings or bearings slide. ...
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Medical Machining with CO2 as a Coolant
From: Protomatic, Inc.Description: Have critical parts that are sensitive to coolant oils? CO2 machining is an alternative. ...
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Three Trends Buyers of Precision Metal Stampings Should Watch in 2019
Description: What trends are most likely to influence buyers of custom metal stamping in 2019? ...
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FAST, ECONOMICAL TOOLING OPTIONS FOR PROTOTYPING AND CUSTOM BUILDS
Description: For manufacturing industries such as aerospace, automotive, marine, and wind energy, prototyping is a familiar part of the product development process, commonly used for R&D testing, product ...
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Digital Cigarettes? Yes, digital technology is everywhere.
From: Critical Link, LLCDescription: I'm probably not the only one who's been seeing more kids "vaping" with their e-cigarettes. And I'm probably not the only out there who's been seeing ads for a "digital" vapor cigarette called VUSE ...
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3D Printing for End-Use Production
From: Proto Labs, Inc.Description: An analysis of additive technologies that are redefining 3D printing as an end-use manufacturing method ...
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3D Printing Technologies for Prototyping and Production
From: Proto Labs, Inc.Description: How to leverage additive manufacturing to build better products ...
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Design Considerations for Liquid Silicone Rubber
From: Proto Labs, Inc.Description: LSR is a thermoset material with a unique set of design characteristics that differ from thermoplastic injection molding ...
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Designing for Moldability: Complex Features
From: Proto Labs, Inc.Description: See how the use of side-actions, sliding shutoffs, and pickouts can be used to mold undercuts and through-holes ...
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Designing for Moldability: Fundamental Elements
From: Proto Labs, Inc.Description: A quick reference guide to wall thicknesses, surface finishes, materials, and other thermoplastic injection molding insights ...
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Designing for Sheet Metal Fabrication
From: Proto Labs, Inc.Description: An exploration of materials, manufacturing processes, design considerations, and finishing options for sheet metal prototypes and low-volume production parts ...
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Enhancing Cosmetic Appearance on Molded Parts
From: Proto Labs, Inc.Description: See how part geometry, material selection, and mold design can minimize or eliminate cosmetic flaws that can arise during molding ...
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Prototyping and Low-Volume Production for Medical Applications
From: Proto Labs, Inc.Description: How rapid manufacturing can increase speed to market for devices and components ...
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Rapid Manufacturing for Metal Prototypes and Production Parts
From: Proto Labs, Inc.Description: Exploring material selection and manufacturing methods for metal ...
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Selecting a Rapid Prototyping Process
From: Proto Labs, Inc.Description: Compare various 3D printing, CNC machining, and injection molding technologies to find a process best suited for your project ...
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Selecting the Right Material for Industrial 3D Printing
From: Proto Labs, Inc.Description: Explore the material properties available with direct metal laser sintering, selective laser sintering, and stereolithography ...
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Thermoplastic Material Selection for Injection Molding
From: Proto Labs, Inc.Description: Learn about material properties to quantitatively analyze parts before selecting a thermoplastic resin ...
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The Diverse Performance of Thin-Film Optical Coatings
From: Cascade Optical Corp.Description: Optical coatings are composed of either thin-film dielectric or metallic material layers, combinations of which impart specific transmittance or reflectiveness, as well as mechanical properties. ...
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ASTM D 3297
From: Fluoro-Plastics, Inc.Description: Standard Practice for Molding and Machining Tolerances for PTFE Resin Parts ...
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How Precision Metal Stampers Use 3D Simulation Software to Design Tooling
Description: Learn how precision metal stampers use 3D simulation software when working with design engineers to build high quality tooling and components. ...
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Is Your Supplier's Quality Certification Putting You at Risk?
From: Century Spring Corp.Description: Are you working with component suppliers who have met the latest quality certification requirements? If not, you may be putting your project designs at risk of being rejected further downstream. In ...
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Why Metal Stamping Buyers Are Carefully Watching Steel Prices
Description: Domestic steel prices have motivated buyers and manufacturers of metal stamping components to consider their options. Here's what you should know. ...
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Manage the Inevitable Obsolescence of Your Connected Product
Description: End-of-life doesn't have to mean end of the road for your connected device. But how can an OEM ensure they're ready to close the loop on one product's lifecycle while it likely prepares for the ...
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How to Optimize Your Circuit Layouts To Perfect Substrate Processing
From: AccumetDescription: Choice of ceramic materials, circuit layouts, and singulation methods are key to achieving the required cost, fabrication time, size, weight, and yield of your laserprocessed microelectronics ...
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Laser Ablation: The Alternative to Chemical Etching and Solder Dams
From: AccumetDescription: Laser ablation is a process that product manufacturers may wish to consider when looking to remove unwanted materials from a part's surface or when they wish to control solder flow on a PCB - ...
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An Engineering Approach to Mold-Cooling Circuit Design
Description: The Energy Density vs. ?T/in. relationship is an important step forward in pursuit of a science-based approach to cooling-circuit design. Here's why. ...
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Induction Soldering 101: An Introduction For Beginners
Description: If you're wondering, "why should I use induction soldering?" then you've come to the right place. Induction soldering is an induction process in which two separate pieces are fused together using a ...
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Top Reasons To Choose Brazing (Part 1)
Description: Brazing, which can be done with induction, is a process in which two or more materials are joined together by a filler metal that has a lower melting point than the base materials. Various industries ...
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Uses & Applications of Thermosetting Plastics
From: Osborne Industries, Inc.Description: The applications and uses for thermosetting plastics have grown substantially over the years. The success and benefits of this type of plastic is due in large part to its favorable plastic properties. ...
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3 Reasons to Choose a Full-Service Blow Molding Supplier
From: Custom-Pak, Inc.Description: Most blow molding suppliers can follow a CAD drawing and create a part according to your specifications. But, you want more than just a manufacturer. You want a blow molding supply team who will be ...
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5 Pieces of Information to Have at the Ready When You Contact a Blow Molding Supplier
From: Custom-Pak, Inc.Description: Taking those first steps toward creating your product is exciting. So, you want to make sure you’re fully prepared as you are shopping for a blow molding supplier. Here’s the ...
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A Beginner's Guide to the Blow Molding Design Process
From: Custom-Pak, Inc.Description: The first step is to create a mockup of the part. Most projects start with an idea or a sketch. Then, the blow molding design team creates a three-dimensional CAD or e-drawing of the part. A ...
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A Guide to Plastics Commonly Used in Blow Molding
From: Custom-Pak, Inc.Description: Choosing the right plastic resin for your blow molding project can be a challenge. Cost, density, flexibility, strength, and more all factor into what resin is best for your part. HDPE is the world's ...
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Advantages of Different Blow Molding Distribution Methods
From: Custom-Pak, Inc.Description: You probably know that there are different types of blow molding processes, each of which is beneficial for different products. In the same way, there are different distribution methods that may ...
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Blow Molding and Sustainability: Why Being Eco-Friendly is Good Business
From: Custom-Pak, Inc.Description: Many people think that profit and sustainability are at odds. But this is a misconception. In reality, going green and saving money often go hand in hand. For example, if businesses were to cut carbon ...
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Blow Molding Design Guide
From: Custom-Pak, Inc.Description: The Custom-Pak blow molding design guide provides you with basic design tools for making engineered blow molded parts. This guide focuses on the extrusion blow molding process. No two designs are ...
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Global Plastics Sourcing: Where Do Plastics Come From?
From: Custom-Pak, Inc.Description: Most of the plastic used in manufacturing in the United States is created domestically. But, like many other markets, plastics are becoming more globalized. This article examines issues and ...
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How to Design a Successful Blow Molded Product
From: Custom-Pak, Inc.Description: To realize your product idea, you need to perfect your concept, work with a strong team, and know your product inside and out. Here's how to design a successful blow molded product. You can start the ...
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How Your Blow Molding Supplier Optimizes Your Product Design
From: Custom-Pak, Inc.Description: You’ve put a lot of work into your product design. Now, your blow molding supplier will help you make your product its very best. This may include alterations that ease the production process, ...
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Planning a Blow Molded Product: 5 Things You Need to Know
From: Custom-Pak, Inc.Description: Blow molding is an economical way to build versatile and unique parts. In today’s world, blow molded parts are everywhere, from the cars we drive to the office chairs we sit in. Before you ...
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What Factors Affect the Price of a Blow Molded Part?
From: Custom-Pak, Inc.Description: You want to manufacture the best part possible while being kind to your budget. To understand how much your blow molding project will cost, it’s important to dig into the elements of the ...
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What Qualities Should You Look for in a Blow Molding Supplier?
From: Custom-Pak, Inc.Description: You and your blow molding supplier will be working closely to put your best product forward. This often involves a lot of back and forth. From concept discussions to mold revisions, the process of ...
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Why Choose HDPE for Your Next Blow Molding Project?
From: Custom-Pak, Inc.Description: According to Wayne Johnston, Sales Account Manager at Custom-Pak, approximately 90% of customers choose to work with High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) for their blow molding projects. Why is this ...
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5 Signs You're Ready for a Product Development Partnership
Description: You've got a great idea for a new product but need help getting it to market. What should OEMs do to "prepare for take-off" before contacting prospective product development partners? Here are five ...
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Hydraulic Diameter Calculator
Description: Using your input, this page calculates the Hydraulic Diameter of cooling passages that are round, annular, rectangular and round with a baffle. Hydraulic Diameter is used to calculate Turbulent Flow ...
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Scientific Cooling Calculator
Description: Find your required cooling water flow rate and circuit length by entering injection molding variables such as Polymer, Cycle Time, Shot Weight, Molding Room Temperature, etc. User guidelines in the ...
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How Surface Treatments Can Lead to Big Savings in LED Assembly
Description: there is one more component of LED manufacturing that can extend the lives of painted or anodized aluminum housings and components, as well as ornamental brackets, lamp poles and bases - the right ...
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A Concise Chronicle of Thin-film Maturation
From: Cascade Optical Corp.Description: From coating architectural glass to manipulate light and heat transmission, to the design of absorber layers for solar cells to magnetic thin films for electronic data storage. The technology may be ...
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Breaking Down The Sheet Metal Fabrication Process
From: Midwest Metal ProductsDescription: Sheet metal fabrication is a vital part of the many technological advancements we've seen in fields like aerospace, electronics, medicine, and many more. Metal fabrication is key in producing aviation ...
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Advancing Thermal Management With Additive Manufacturing
Description: Thermal management is an integral engineering element across a variety of major industries, including electronics, aerospace and automotive. Maintaining acceptable temperature ranges can require ...
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Perpendicularity of Precision Cut Small Metal Parts
Description: This week, we take a look at perpendicularity, yet another of the GD&T features sometimes indicted on an engineering drawing to communicate how a small metal part should be produced and to specify the ...
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Profile of a Line vs. Profile of a Surface
Description: Controlling Feature Variation in Two vs. Three Dimensions and general discussion on the similarities and differences between Profile of a Line vs. Profile of a Surface ...
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3 Roads to Driving More Revenue Out of Your Digital Device
Description: OEMs can maximize their natural advantage as device creator by carefully exploring, testing and exploiting information opportunities created by their digital device's data. But OEMs can only take full ...
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Metal Stamping Defects Not an Option for Automotive Stamped Parts - Manufacturers Require Suppliers Use Automotive Quality Core Tools
Description: This article reviews how those Quality Core Tools are used to prevent and detect metal stamping defects. ...
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Cylindricity in GD&T
Description: It's Round, It's Straight, It's 3D! As part of our continuing exploration of the Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) standards that are used to communicate how parts should be manufactured ...
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Geometric Tolerancing in Parts Manufacturing
Description: Geometric tolerancing is an aspect of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T), a method of communicating how a part is to be produced. Typically using a series of 14 standard symbols to help ...
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Honing and Lapping Compared
Description: When talking about the distinctions between honing and lapping in the world of precision small metal parts, the best response might be the two processes are remarkably similar yet fundamentally ...
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A Takeover Tool Study - Blood Filtration Systems for Surgery
From: Spectrum Plastics GroupDescription: A leading medical device manufacturing firm, accustomed to only molding internally for more than thirty years, wanted to focus on its core capability and expand its assembly operations by outsourcing. ...
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Smart Partnering, Smarter Bombs
Description: Today's military munitions are more powerful and precise than ever before. By providing weaponry guidance systems, collateral damage can be greatly reduced. Highly sophisticated smart bombs can hit ...
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Automotive OEMs Save Big with Switch to Metal Stamping
Description: Metal stamping of automotive parts can yield significant savings for OEMs by replacing costlier processes like casting and fine blanking. ...
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Metal Stamping Defects Can Spell Disaster for Medical Devices
Description: Precision metal stampers employ advanced technology and proven quality management to prevent, detect and manage metal stamping defects. ...
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5 Ways UV LED Curing Improves Manufacturing Curing Processes
Description: Commercial use of UV LED curing technology, used for instantly "drying" inks, coatings, and adhesives, is advancing at a rapid pace due to improvements in energy output and increasing availability UV ...
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How UV LED Curing Reduces Manufacturing Line Downtime
Description: UV curing is widely used by manufacturers to instantly "dry" inks, coatings, and adhesives via a polymerization process. Manufacturers in industries such as aerospace, automotive, electronics, medical ...
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Accurate Perforating: World-class, Customer-centric Services
Description: Accurate Perforating is a trusted provider of perforation services and perforated products serving architectural and industrial markets around the world. A leader and valuable partner in providing ...
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Reel-to-Reel Molding: Precision Assembly for Critical Applications
From: Weiss-Aug Co., Inc.Description: Specialized molding and assembly processes help companies to get precise results for industries like medical, aerospace, technology and general manufacturing. Multi-material molding and assembly ...
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4 Reasons Why Most New Products Fail
Description: What are the odds your new product will be on the market in two years? A report from Nielsen showed that new products generally have only a 10% chance of succeeding. Booz & Allen puts the new product ...
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5 Interconnect Technologies That Help Keep You Safe During Bad Weather
From: Weiss-Aug Co., Inc.Description: In the field of aerospace, products and parts made with metal stamping or other processes have to be made to a higher standard, because the stakes are higher. It's simply unacceptable to have any ...
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6 Quality Indicators for Metal Stamping Suppliers
From: Weiss-Aug Co., Inc.Description: Whether it's for a medical, aviation or automotive company, or some other industrial client, metal stamping services play a vital role in product development. Companies need highly qualified companies ...
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A Revolution in Tooling Qualifications
From: Weiss-Aug Co., Inc.Description: Weiss-Aug provides custom insert molding, precision metal stamping, and assembly solutions. With over 45 years of experience serving the automotive, medical, electronics and semiconductor industries, ...
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How do North American Blow Molders Compare to Offshore Companies
From: Custom-Pak, Inc.Description: There's a common belief out there that offshore companies always provide the best value when it comes to blow molding. That belief is often misguided. Here's why North American blow molders have the ...
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Is a Local Blow Molding Supplier Really Less Expensive?
From: Custom-Pak, Inc.Description: While it's true that a shorter distance means lower freight costs, shipping costs alone don't tell the whole story. A full-service supplier that offers superior quality, more innovation, and a greater ...
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6 Things to Know About ISO 9000
Description: Throughout our industry, ISO 9000 is a common tool used by companies in developing, deploying, and documenting their internal quality standards. Yet surprisingly, there are some misconceptions about ...
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Deburring in Mass Production of Small Metal Parts
Description: Without a doubt, the key to deburring of small metal parts is to not form a burr in the first place - which, not coincidentally, is one of the underpinnings of our metal cutting business. Our ...
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Metal Finishing to Prevent Corrosion of Precision Parts
Description: In our industry, the term *metal finishing* is used in regard to many different processes, but in general it pertains to when, for various reasons, parts need to be made smoother, shinier, duller, or ...
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What You Need To Know About Swiss Turning
From: PrecipartDescription: From the Swiss Turning experts, with a lineage that dates back to the invention of the sliding headstock lathe, we present an overview on what Swiss Turning is. ...
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Implantable Medical Devices Spur Metal Stamping Innovations
Description: This article highlights six of the advanced capabilities metal stampers must have to serve manufacturers of implantable medical and surgical devices. ...
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5 Advantages of Choosing a Turnkey Blow Molding Supplier
From: Custom-Pak, Inc.Description: A turnkey blow molding supplier, on the other hand, takes care of your project from start to finish. It sources and processes the resin you will use, designs and customizes your product, provides the ...
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Benefits of Aluminum Blow Molds
From: Custom-Pak, Inc.Description: Blow molds have unique design freedoms that aren't possible with injection or compression molds. Many of these benefits are made possible by aluminum. Here's why aluminum tops steel when it comes to ...
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In the Making: Padded and Flexible Parts for Aircraft Interior Applications
Description: Extending from the flight deck in the fore to lavatories in the aft, General Plastics' flexible polyurethane foam parts play integral yet unsung roles in today's aircraft. While few prompt even a ...