• Login
    • Join
  • FOLLOW:
  • Subscribe Free
    • Magazine
    • eNewsletter
    Checkout
    • Magazine
    • News
    • Opinions
    • Top 30
    • Research
    • Supply Chain
    • Device Sectors
    • Directory
    • Events
    • Resources
    • Microsites
    • More
  • Magazine
  • News
  • Opinions
  • Top 30
  • Research
  • Supply Chain
  • Device Sectors
  • Directory
  • Events
  • Resources
  • Microsites
  • Current / Back Issues
    Features
    Editorial
    Digital Edition
    eNewsletter Archive
    Our Team
    Editorial Guidelines
    Reprints
    Subscribe Now
    Advertise Now
    Top Features
    Deep (Brain) Thoughts with Medtronic's Neuromodulation President

    Grab and Go: Examining the Thrombectomy Device Market

    Fine Print: A Discourse on Additive Manufacturing

    MPO's 2022 Medtech Industry Year in Review

    Micro Molding for Medtech Is Miniature Magic
    OEM News
    Supplier News
    Service / Press Releases
    Online Exclusives
    Press Releases
    People in the News
    Product & Service Releases
    Supplier News
    Medtech Makers
    Technical Features
    International News
    Videos
    Product & Service Releases
    Live From Shows
    Regulatory
    Financial/Business
    Top News
    BMP Medical Expands Sterling, Massachusetts Facility

    Abbott's Proclaim XR SCS OK'ed for Diabetic Neuropathy

    Environmental Sustainability Becoming Increasingly Important to Medtech Industry

    Duane DiFranco Joins Harvard MedTech’s Medical Advisory Board

    Lionel Bonte Named President of Mativ’s Healthcare and Wellness Business Unit
    From the Editor
    Blogs
    Guest Opinions
    Top Opinions
    Deep (Brain) Thoughts with Medtronic's Neuromodulation President

    Grab and Go: Examining the Thrombectomy Device Market

    Fine Print: A Discourse on Additive Manufacturing

    MPO's 2022 Medtech Industry Year in Review

    Micro Molding for Medtech Is Miniature Magic
    Top 30 Medical Device Companies
    Market Data
    White Papers
    Top Research
    Reflections on 2022 and What’s Ahead for Medtech: MPO Sounding Board

    3 Ways to Prepare for ISO 13485/Part 820 Harmonization

    A New Home for Theranos' Elizabeth Holmes?

    Health Cost Drivers for Large Employers

    Braving Change: Facing Fears in the Midst of Major Transitions
    3D/Additive Manufacturing
    Contract Manufacturing
    Electronics
    Machining & Laser Processing
    Materials
    Molding
    Packaging & Sterilization
    R&D & Design
    Software & IT
    Testing
    Tubing & Extrusion
    Cardiovascular
    Diagnostics
    Digital Health
    Neurological
    Patient Monitoring
    Surgical
    Orthopedics
    All Companies
    Categories
    Company Capabilities
    Add New Company
    Outsourcing Directory
    Fusion Biotec Inc.

    Halkey-Roberts Corporation

    Paragon Medical

    Medbio LLC

    Arthur G. Russell Co. Inc., The
    MPO Summit
    Industry Events
    Webinars
    Live From Show Event
    Industry Associations
    Videos
    Career Central
    eBook
    Slideshows
    Top Resources
    How Artificial Intelligence Can Combat Key Issues Impacting Healthcare

    Why Advanced Sensors Are Crucial Within Medical Pumps

    How Artificial Intelligence Could Help Prevent 80% of Chronic Diseases

    4 Ways to Use Injection Molding in Medical Device Manufacturing

    Telemedicine and Connectivity to Drive Material Innovation in the Near Future
    Companies
    News Releases
    Product Releases
    Press Releases
    Product Spec Sheets
    Service Releases
    Case Studies
    White Papers
    Brochures
    Videos
    Outsourcing Directory
    Fusion Biotec Inc.

    Halkey-Roberts Corporation

    Paragon Medical

    Medbio LLC

    Arthur G. Russell Co. Inc., The
    • Magazine
      • Current/Back Issues
      • Features
      • Editorial
      • Columns
      • Digital Editions
      • Subscribe Now
      • Advertise Now
    • News
    • Directory
      • All Companies
      • ALL CATEGORIES
      • Industry Associations
      • Company Capabilities
      • Add Your Company
    • Supply Chain
      • 3D/Additive Manufacturing
      • Contract Manufacturing
      • Electronics
      • Machining & Laser Processing
      • Materials
      • Molding
      • Packaging & Sterilization
      • R&D & Design
      • Software & IT
      • Testing
      • Tubing & Extrusion
    • Device Sectors
      • Cardiovascular
      • Diagnostics
      • Digital Health
      • Neurological
      • Patient Monitoring
      • Surgical
      • Orthopedics
    • Top 30 Company Report
    • Expert Insights
    • Slideshows
    • Videos
    • eBook
    • Resources
    • Podcasts
    • Infographics
    • Whitepapers
    • Research
      • White Papers
      • Case Studies
      • Product Spec Sheets
      • Market Data
    • MPO Summit
    • Events
      • Industry Events
      • Live From Show Events
      • Webinars
    • Microsite
      • Companies
      • Product Releases
      • Product Spec Sheets
      • Services
      • White Papers / Tech Papers
      • Press Releases
      • Videos
      • Literature / Brochures
      • Case Studies
    • About Us
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Advertise with Us
      • eNewsletter Archive
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of Use
    Online Exclusives

    The Need for Collaboration and DFM When Micro Molding

    Why a collaborative and transparent relationship between micro molder and client is important.

    The Need for Collaboration and DFM When Micro Molding
    There is a certain set of rules for the molding process at the macro level that simply doesn’t work at the micro level. Image courtesy of Accumold.
    Roger Hargens, CEO/President, Accumold02.12.20
    While many companies are already well versed in the use of micro molding in their product development cycles, a great deal of companies recognize the business need to produce smaller and often more complex and innovative products and components, but cannot see an obvious route to attain these goals.
     
    There is a general understanding throughout the industry that micro molding is not just “macro molding but smaller.” When making things smaller, the process molding process needs to change, and here the analogy of folding paper is often used. Fold a piece of paper in half, and you have a piece of paper half the size of the original. Fold it again, and it becomes quarter the size. However, the 7th fold is impossible to achieve, so to reduce the surface area, the process (folding) has to change. This is much the same as when looking at molding.
     
    There is a certain set of rules for the molding process at the macro level that simply doesn’t work at the micro level. The flow of molten plastic, its cooling, warpage, necessary venting, and gating etc. are all different when molding at the micro scale, and to an extent the process needs to be relearned.
     
    Most if not all OEMs undertaking micro molding at scale outsource their production, so the “way” that micro molding works, while relevant, should not be seen as a barrier to engagement. In a nutshell, your chosen micro molding expert will take away the need for you to understand the vagaries of the characteristics of thermoplastics when molding small, however, there are a number of other areas that any OEM must begin to focus beyond the micro molding process per se, and these will be analyzed in this article.
     
    The Product Development Process
    Micro molding is only one part of the overall product development process, and it is important for OEMs to appreciate that various “departments” involved in a micro manufacturing project need to be engaged from product design inception.
     
    Absolutely critical for success is reassessing the nature of the relationship between OEM and molder in a micro molding scenario. When dealing with contract manufacturers on the macro level, the relationship can quite acceptably be that of a job shop. The design is presented, the quote is secured, and the parts are delivered. Job done.
     
    This cannot and will not work when undertaking a micro molding project, which necessitates that the OEM and the chosen micro molding company enter a fully collaborative partnership relationship.
     
    The reasons for this are numerous, but begin with the fact that just as micro molding and macro molding are completely different processes, the design for manufacture (DfM) rules are also entirely different.
     
    DfM for micro molding is hugely important, and the expert in the room to offer advice and counselling is the expert micro molder, your product development partner. Very often, the less baked an idea is when the micro molder is engaged the better, as the earlier that the design of a micro product can be influenced and adjusted to optimize manufacturing outcomes, the better in terms of cost and timeliness of production.
     
    Essentially, DfM ensures that not only will the end product be fit-for-purpose but that it will be optimized for the production processes that will be used to manufacture it, in this case micro molding and automated assembly. The micro molding team that you work with should be able to advise on such issues as material choice, draft angles and undercuts, part lines, ejector pin locations, gate locations, the likely flow of material in the mold, wall thicknesses and more.
     
    Perhaps the key enabling technology when it comes to micro molding is micro tooling. Tooling in any manufacturing scenario is always the most-costly and time-consuming part of the product development process, but when looking at micro molding, the tolerances and complexity that is often required in micro molds make it especially critical.
     
    Micro tooling is an art in itself, and for OEMs it is vital that they work with micro molders that are able to design, build, and maintain molds in house, and also have the expertise and experience to optimize tool fabrication.  
     
    One size does not fit all when looking at micro tooling, and it is important that OEMs engage with micro molders that can work alongside them to drill down into the specifics of a particular application, understand the effects of a certain material, cycle time expectations, part criteria, and expected volumes before beginning to cut steel.
     
    In house tool fabrication is vital in a micro manufacturing scenario where tolerances are very tight. The probability for successful outcomes increases exponentially when the responsibility for project and production, timeline, and execution are controlled within a single entity.
     
    It goes without saying that a micro molder should be expert in micro molding, but once again underpinning any success is not just engaging with a company that has the right kit, but ensuring that there is a collaborative relationship that allows total transparency at this stage of the product development process.
     
    Once again, the differences between macro molding and micro molding are stark when it comes to the molding process. Every stage of the product development process in a micro manufacturing scenario is driven by an obsession with the attainment of micron and sub-micron tolerances, and when it comes to micro molding it is key that OEMs engage and work alongside a micro molder that has the business acumen and experience necessary, an expert team of engineers, an understanding of the correct manufacturing methodologies, and the tooling and processing expertise to ensure optimized outcomes.
     
    Finally, when dealing with miniaturized plastic parts and components, the assembly part of the product development process must be discussed and considered early in the design cycle, again demanding a collaborative and pragmatic relationship between OEM and micro molder. When dealing with micro scale parts and components, the cost of manual assembly is prohibitive and often requires levels of preciseness when dealing with sub-micron tolerances that are impossible to achieve. Automated assembly is therefore a must in most micro molding scenarios, requiring that OEMs select a micro molding partner that is able to understand the methodology of micro assembly and achieve the extreme positional accuracy required.
     
    Partnership & Collaboration
    So far we have looked at how collaboration and transparency are vital at each stage of a micro scale product development process from design, through tooling, molding, and assembly. It is important to understand, however, that this level of collaboration and transparency is not just required between the micro molder and the OEM customer, but also between the different teams within the micro molding facility, which is why working with a truly vertically integrated company is so important.
     
    Many OEMs are relying on the micro molder to be their trusted guide in areas that they themselves are not best equipped to understand or exploit, but the customer should always be central to all conversations and reviews that take place during the product development process.
     
    The outcome, in other words, needs to be something that the OEM customer is fully invested in and satisfied with, not a micro product or component that is fit-for-purpose, easy and inexpensive to mold and assemble, but bears no resemblance to the customer’s vision.
     
    Here, transparency is absolutely vital, ensuring that the OEM customer is always on the same page, understands the decision-making process, and works with the micro molder to problem solve and optimize outcomes while always ultimately being in control.
     
    Internally, all teams involved in the product development process must also work with such clarity and transparency as well as collaboratively. As we have already seen, producing a plastic product with micron or sub-micron features, repeatably, economically, and on time means that the “over the wall” approach has to be abandoned. Success in micro molding requires a true inter-disciplinary approach, as it is only in this way that the ultimate goal — an optimized product made to specification repeatably — can be guaranteed.
     
    Effectively, product development teams working collaboratively from project inception allow for a singular focus on quality assurance, which begins with design for manufacturability reviews to ensure the project sets off on the right foot, and extends all the way through to the development of control plans to assess critical part features, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) results, high-resolution in-line vision systems, and high magnification microscopic measurements to verify tool and finished part dimensions.
     
    Summary
    Success in micro molding is predicated on the forging of a truly collaborative and transparent relationship between micro molder and client. Decisions made at the early design stage will have effects when it comes to micro tool fabrication, micro molding, and micro assembly. Because of this—and the need to have an unswerving focus on the achievement of extremely tight tolerances and to validate design intent—all departments involved in the product development process must work together from the inception of a product design to ensure successful outcomes.
     

    Roger Hargens has been involved with Accumold from its beginnings in 1985, and from 2000 has been the company’s CEO and president. The company under Hargens’ stewardship has grown to a 130,000 square foot fortified facility designed for assurance of supply, employs over 350 staff, and is a net exporter shipping all over the world every day from its Ankeny, IA, USA facility which runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
    Related Searches
    • technology
    • it
    • change
    • quality
    Related Knowledge Center
    • Molding
      Loading, Please Wait..

      Trending
      • Study: Catheter Ablation Significantly Lowers Dementia Risk In AFib Patients
      • Tandem Diabetes Completes Deal For AMF Medical
      • BMP Medical Expands Sterling, Massachusetts Facility
      • Abbott's Proclaim XR SCS OK'ed For Diabetic Neuropathy
      • The Future Of Biomedical Engineering Advancements
      Breaking News
      • BMP Medical Expands Sterling, Massachusetts Facility
      • Abbott's Proclaim XR SCS OK'ed for Diabetic Neuropathy
      • Environmental Sustainability Becoming Increasingly Important to Medtech Industry
      • Duane DiFranco Joins Harvard MedTech’s Medical Advisory Board
      • Lionel Bonte Named President of Mativ’s Healthcare and Wellness Business Unit
      View Breaking News >
      CURRENT ISSUE

      November 2022

      • MPO's 2022 Year in Review
      • Fine Print: A Discourse on Additive Manufacturing
      • Grab and Go: Examining the Thrombectomy Device Market
      • View More >

      Cookies help us to provide you with an excellent service. By using our website, you declare yourself in agreement with our use of cookies.
      You can obtain detailed information about the use of cookies on our website by clicking on "More information”.

      • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms And Conditions
      • Contact Us

      follow us

      Subscribe
      Nutraceuticals World

      Latest Breaking News From Nutraceuticals World

      Vitamin D Supplementation Reduces Risk of Dynapenia
      Sustained-Release Caffeine Ingredient Offers Mood, Performance Benefits
      Multi-Strain Probiotic Improves Self-Reported Mood, Sleep, Serotonin Levels
      Coatings World

      Latest Breaking News From Coatings World

      Epoxytec Announces New Website Launch
      Paints and Coatings Market Worth $212B by 2026: MarketsandMarkets
      Axalta Releases Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2022 Results
      Medical Product Outsourcing

      Latest Breaking News From Medical Product Outsourcing

      BMP Medical Expands Sterling, Massachusetts Facility
      Abbott's Proclaim XR SCS OK'ed for Diabetic Neuropathy
      Environmental Sustainability Becoming Increasingly Important to Medtech Industry
      Contract Pharma

      Latest Breaking News From Contract Pharma

      Pasithea Signs CMC Development and Manufacturing Agreement
      Experic Expands Analytical Capabilities and Facilities
      List Labs Expands Manufacturing Capacity
      Beauty Packaging

      Latest Breaking News From Beauty Packaging

      Haircare Brand Uncle Funky’s Daughter Announces Retail Expansion
      TRESemmé Introduces New Pro Infusion Collection
      Walgreens Boots Alliance Shares 2022 ESG Report
      Happi

      Latest Breaking News From Happi

      KimChi Beauty Launches Spinning Hearts Love 02 Ahead of Valentine’s Day
      Dark & Lovely Names Actress Meagan Good Brand Ambassador
      Natural Household Care Company Tru Earth Adds Dishwasher Detergent Tablets
      Ink World

      Latest Breaking News From Ink World

      Xerox Releases 4Q, Full-Year 2022 Results
      Electronics For Imaging Names Frank Pennisi as CEO
      Fiery to Separate from EFI, Remain Wholly-Owned by Siris
      Label & Narrow Web

      Latest Breaking News From Label & Narrow Web

      EFI appoints Frank Pennisi CEO, Fiery now an independent business
      Bobst boosts senior sales team with Keith Nagle
      Penmar Industries adds Screen Truepress Jet L350UV SAI digital press
      Nonwovens Industry

      Latest Breaking News From Nonwovens Industry

      Essity’s Sales Grow
      Thinx to Pay up to $5 million to Settle Class Action Suit
      Typar Highlighting New Building Innovations
      Orthopedic Design & Technology

      Latest Breaking News From Orthopedic Design & Technology

      Orthofix Launches the Mariner Deformity System
      Tyber Medical Hires 2 New Execs
      Miach Ortho Raises $40M in Series B Funding
      Printed Electronics Now

      Latest Breaking News From Printed Electronics Now

      Smart Devices with Privacy Focus Have More Consumer Appeal
      Siman Group Partners with SML to Unlock Full Retail Potential with RFID
      Brewer Science Presents Optics Integration Solutions at SPIE Photonics West

      Copyright © 2023 Rodman Media. All rights reserved. Use of this constitutes acceptance of our privacy policy The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Rodman Media.

      AD BLOCKER DETECTED

      Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors.
      Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker.


      FREE SUBSCRIPTION Already a subscriber? Login