How can injection moulders optimise sub-assembly efficiency?
Integrating components into sub-assembly processes
The automotive sector is notorious for having complex, integrated supply chains where countless specialised companies supply parts or contribute to a part moving through the production process. Optimising sub-assembly processes is a key concern for many of these businesses, including injection moulders that operate in high volume environments with tight efficiency targets.
As a trusted partner to OEMs, tier and component suppliers, Tecman has integrated components into hundreds of customer sub-assembly processes over the last few decades and has supported the design and production of custom solutions planned around these processes.
We do this by taking time to understand how the part we supply is used throughout the supply chain. This gives us the opportunity to build user considerations into the design so that we can simplify the sub-assembly process by making components easier to handle and reduce the number of manual processes where it makes sense to do so. This provides added value for our customers, delivering a superior solution whilst unlocking efficiency and cost savings through streamlined application.
Improving client's process efficiency with a customised adhesive gasket
An example of how we integrated into a sub assembly process is our recent work with an injection moulder of high-quality functional plastics, who had a requirement for an adhesive gasket that would enable them to bond their components onto a vehicle instrument cluster.
The complexities of being part of an integrated supply chain were evident here, as the customer needed to be able to apply the gasket contact-free, but the adhesive liner also needed to be removed later on in the production process by another party. Our design thinking took account of the requirements and specification for this particular component and incorporated consideration of how it fit into the whole production process and who else would interact with the part.
This led to the design of a double-sided 100µm thick die cut adhesive gasket, which included features that improved efficiency at every stage of the manufacturing process for both our customer and their customers.
Earlier versions of the solution had the gasket supplied in two parts, but iterative tweaking and testing throughout the collaborative process led to combining these into one part, simplifying the overall design.
Our design, engineering, and consultancy expertise provided the customer with a full end-to-end service, from scoping requirements through to high volume manufacture, guiding them through the design process and drawing attention to the need for modifications on the original concept.
Unlock efficiency in your sub-assembly processes
For over 25 years, our solutions have been instrumental in streamlining sub-assembly processes for injection molders, optimising efficiency, and facilitating cost savings. Our commitment to understanding unique challenges and what the project needs to achieve enables us to deliver parts that seamlessly integrate into existing supply chains.
Contact Tecman to discover how our advanced customised solutions can unlock hidden improvements and efficiencies that optimise your sub-assembly processes.
