Kaysun Blog

Viewing 2021 through the lens of the resin shortage, the year went out much like it came in.

Q4 found commodity resins polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) available in greater quantities at lower prices.¹ However, for many manufacturers, custom injection molding partners, and other supply chain vendors, the late-year good news was overshadowed by resin shortage challenges that will likely continue to pervade the plastics industry in 2022.

The widespread and ongoing disruptions in the plastics industry has given rise to a certain degree of panic. Manufacturers and suppliers are at the mercy of broken supply chains, and solutions for resins, service, and delivery aren’t always readily available.

Tool design is an essential and sometimes underestimated part of injection molding. Often, tooling is principally discussed in terms of expense since it can be among the largest investment an OEM makes in a project.

In the United States, about 70% of robotics technologies are used within four industries: automotive (38%), electronics (15%), plastics and chemicals (10%), and metals (7%).¹ Industrial manufacturing relies on automation, and that reliance speaks volumes about how robots contribute to quality outcomes.

The consumer market is vast. Injection molding plays an important role in determining the type, quality, and quantity of parts that go to market in various subsets of this industry. However, not all injection molders are up to the task.

Automotive plastic components aren’t limited to sleek dashboards, seats, floor mats, and other automotive plastic design details that attract buyers. These features may provide a degree of protection, but a vehicle’s overall safety and performance are largely dictated by often unseen under-the-hood plastic car parts.

Generally speaking, Design for Manufacturability (DfM) is the process of consciously and proactively designing products to optimize all facets of manufacturing. 

DfM methodology aligns engineering and production in the design phase, ensuring cost and time efficiencies, superior quality, regulatory compliance, and end-user satisfaction.

Central to maximizing these DfM benefits is prioritizing Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) within the larger plastic part analysis to assess risk probability. Identifying and addressing problems early in the product development process prevents costly issues that could impact manufacturability such as plastics selection, tight tolerances, and secondary operations.

As Hurricane Ida unleashed its Category 4 fury on the state of Louisiana, plastics industry professionals kept a wary eye on the storm’s path. The repercussions of Hurricane Laura and Winter Storm Uri upended the resins market, which is still struggling. As the fifth strongest hurricane to ever make landfall in the continental United States¹, Ida could have easily wiped out any progress made toward market restoration.

But, for the most part, Ida spared the plastics industry from further devastation. The hurricane veered away from the hub of resin production facilities in western Louisiana and eastern Texas, some of which were just coming back online.

Consumer applications are diverse. Simply having products on the market isn't enough to build a customer base or keep pace with the competition.

Understanding the latest injection molding industry trends and partnering with a custom injection molder to apply them in creating highly differentiated products more readily translates to sustained success. It also gives you greater control over quality, cost, and time to market.

Injection molding industry trends suggest that a number of factors influence applications within the consumer market, such as: