Today, when looking for plastic injection molding manufacturers, it isn’t just factors like price per part or delivery times to consider but what technology drives their processes. As Industry 4.0 continues to lead to breakthroughs in AI learning and its interactions with connected systems and robotics, working with manufacturers who utilize all three is paramount. Today we’re going to talk about systems and how they lead to more efficient and higher quality plastic parts production. What Is Industry 4.0 in Manufacturing? While it can be used as a buzzword for almost anything, when it comes t ..read more

Robotics and manufacturing go way back to the start of the third industrial revolution. And while you may think of the automotive or computer manufacturing industries as the sole users, we’re seeing it more and more in other manufacturing sectors. Today, we’re exploring the new generation of robot “pick-and-place” systems and utilizing robotics in the plastic injection molding industry, including here at Midstate Mold & Engineering. Robotics and the Manufacturing Industry When you think about robotics in manufacturing, you’re probably thinking about robot arms assembling a vehicle or weld ..read more

The medical industry has many requirements and specifications when it comes to the manufacturing and assembly of its parts. Having sterile medical devices, especially single-use items like needle housing or pacemaker parts, is vital. Today, instead of focusing on the importance of great quality assurance or the right medical-grade plastic, let’s talk about the need for an injection molding cleanroom in your manufacturing process. What is a Cleanroom? At its most basic, a cleanroom is a controlled environment designed to filter air-borne particulates and pollutants like dust, microbes, and aer ..read more

Plastic injection molding has made a name for itself as one of the most popular part manufacturing techniques worldwide, especially when it comes to the rapid production of thousands of plastic parts, with molds lasting years into the production cycle when properly maintained. But not all projects need that volume over that span of time. If you’re looking at a small scale and timeframe, it’s worth looking at plastic injection molds for short production runs. What Are Short Production Runs in Injection Molding? Injection molding is usually categorized into three phases: designing the part, pro ..read more

When it comes to making medical products, the functionality of your devices is literally a balance of life and death. That’s why the medical industry relies on standards that govern design, safety, and materials used. Let’s go over the four most common ISO standards for medical devices you should take into consideration during design and manufacturing, as well as the ISO standards and other manufacturer standards you should look for in an injection molding company that will be helping you create the parts for it. ISO: What is the International Organization for Standardization? The ISO (which ..read more

Plastic is a fantastic material because of its versatility. When it comes to manufacturing parts, the sheer number of plastics you can use is only rivaled by the manufacturing processes to make them. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses and its own economical niches to fill, but you should compare all before using one over the other. Today we’re looking at the manufacturing differences between injection molding and blow molding and comparing the pros and cons to help you make an informed decision going forward with your next project. What Is Plastic Injection Molding? Plastic injection m ..read more

Whether you’re an established business looking to start manufacturing with plastic injection molding or a newcomer to the medical devices industry, it’s important to know how (and when) to start the process of talking to a mold maker and plastic injection molding manufacturer. Unsurprisingly, medical devices are held to a higher standard of quality and manufacturing than most plastic injection parts, so working with someone skilled in that market who understands the standards is vital. The Standard of Medical Devices Injection Molding There are three major components to the higher standards o ..read more

While for many engineers, planning and building their devices is the most exciting part of the process, it isn’t the last. Making sure those devices are properly used and maintained is key to ensuring they function for as long as possible. So, after you’ve spent so much time and money on an injection mold, you need to exercise care over who uses that mold to manufacture parts. And care is the right word—injection mold care—as proper maintenance and storage will make sure your mold lasts longer and makes more parts, defect free. Effects of Injection Mold Neglect So, let’s first talk about why ..read more

We’re proud to be a mold maker and plastic parts manufacturer with many clients from the medical market. For those outside or just starting in the medical industry, it can be surprising how different and rigorous the demands and tolerances for medical plastic injection molded parts is vs. their commercial industry counterparts. Today, we’d like to look at three major places—plastics, QA, and traceability—these parts need to excel at to meet the requirements of the medical industry and patient use. Medical Plastic Parts Require Specific Polymers and Additives One of the major strengths of plas ..read more

Whether you’ve always used parts manufactured from other materials or are just exploring your options, you might be surprised by what modern plastics can do. From having the strength and rigidity of metals to the transparency and chemical resistance of glass, modern-day plastics can be used to replace other materials in your parts, with added bonuses such as less weight and complexity and lower cost. Interested in making the switch to plastic injection molded parts? Let’s go over everything you need to know. Looking at the Benefits of Plastic Injection Molding Below we’re going to cover some ..read more