Author Archive
A conventional wisdom that continues to be rolled out in manufacturing circles is the inferiority of recycled plastics. There are plenty of horror stories where a processor used regrind in an application that ended up failing in the field. However, a closer analysis of these failures would most likely find the root cause to be the processors lack of knowledge [...]
Over the last sixteen years the majority of non-appearance, functional plastic parts that AGS has run across are black in color. This still leaves a significant number of these types of parts being molded in virgin, natural plastic. This begs the question, why are some non-appearance parts molded in natural instead of black? In some cases there is a good reason for specifying the natural [...]
The benefits of virgin plastic replacing metal has been marketed and well documented by major resin companies over the years. These include greater part complexity, parts consolidation, weight reduction, electrical insulation, and chemical/corrosion resistance among others at a lower overall cost. Now that most of these metal to virgin plastic opportunities have been realized the trend [...]
The short answer is no. There are no special tooling modifications required to mold Injectoblend recycled materials. A common misperception is that the shrink characteristics for virgin materials are different than their recycled equivalent. The obvious concern with a different shrink factor is the need to weld and/or re-cut the steel on the cavities and cores. For the great majority [...]
Three new case studies have been released to promote AGS Technology success stories in the arena of automotive interiors. Injectoblend Rises Above All Challengers: When a virgin resin is discontinued it presents Engineering with an opportunity to reassess material selection for a given set of components. How many times has a specific material been carried over simply because that was [...]
Happy New Year! In 2009 and 2010, automotive OEM’s and their supply base drastically restructured their businesses in order to make money at an annual sales rate of 10.0 to 12.0 million vehicles. As we close the book on 2010, the news from the automotive industry continues to improve with car sales increasing steadily. The [...]
Environmental awareness issues continue to gain momentum. Even to this “experienced optimist” it looks like sustainability is here to stay as evidenced by increased coverage and focus in the media. A relatively new magazine and website called Green Manufacturer showcases stories about manufacturers with successful approaches to sustainable manufacturing. True to its mission, Green Manufacturer [...]
Recycled plastics have traditionally faced an uphill battle when it comes to acceptance in the durable goods market. Why is this the case for plastics and not so for recycled steel, aluminum, and other metals? When an engineer specifies a particular metal on a print I have never seen “no recycled metal allowed”. The only [...]
General Motors Material Engineering has approved AGS Injectoblend FPP330 to GMP.PP.017 specification. FPP330 is a 30% glass reinforced polypropylene that is used for various under-the-hood, exterior, and interior parts. Examples include headlamp mounting brackets, armrest substrates, shields, battery trays, BCM/ECM/PCM/TCM/TCCM/VCM brackets, spare tire adapters, door belt reinforcements, etc… This approval introduces a cost-effective recycled alternative [...]
Industry Week, a leading source of information for manufacturing professionals, has featured AGS Technology in its “Manufacturing Savvy” blog. Industry Week’s eMedia Editor, Adrienne Selko, uses her blog to post “clever, productive and environmentally-sound manufacturing practices and strategies”. Click on the link below to read her blog and take on AGS Technology: http://forums.industryweek.com/showthread.php?p=38291#post38291
|