by Bill Dorr, director of industrial design, Design Concepts As human beings, we are constantly in search of ways to express ourselves as individuals while seeking to contribute to an overall culture. For thousands of years, we have applied decoration to our man-made creations with a seemingly endless range of aesthetic variation that speaks to both aspects of this ongoing … [Read more...] about Five Aesthetic Design Trends Defined
2017 Jul/Aug
Instant Bonding of Plastics Using Adhesive Technologies
by Diva Evans, applications engineer, Henkel Corporation In a market where innovative technology is expanding at an exponential rate and production speeds continue to increase, design engineers must exploit new joining options to maintain a competitive advantage and provide new benefits to their customers. Different adhesive options have been designed to help increase … [Read more...] about Instant Bonding of Plastics Using Adhesive Technologies
Pad Printing on Textured Surfaces: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
by John Kaverman, president, Pad Print Pros LLC About 20 years ago, we conducted some tests on more than 60 Mold-Tech texture plaques to determine "printability" of various textures using the pad printing process. A lot can change in two decades, and - in this case - what changed was the equipment. A pneumatic printer was used 20 years ago, but we've been working almost … [Read more...] about Pad Printing on Textured Surfaces: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Rethinking Equipment Maintenance: Transitioning to a Proactive Approach
by Larry Bouvier, CMRP, and Rob Levandoski, president, Fuss & O'Neill Manufacturing Solutions, LLC The competitive pressures facing America's manufacturers, including mold builders, are well documented. Labor costs, competition from inexpensive imports, inconsistent availability and fluctuating costs of materials - these are the day-to-day issues that keep manufacturing … [Read more...] about Rethinking Equipment Maintenance: Transitioning to a Proactive Approach
Screen Printed IML vs. Direct Digital Printing
by Mike Ruminski, senior design IML technician, Serigraph During the SPE Decorating & Assembly TopCon, held in June and co-located with the IMDA Symposium, Serigraph's Mike Ruminski led a workshop titled "Direct Digital Printing on Molded Product vs. Screen Printed IML." The advantages and disadvantages of each created a lively discussion on the best applications for … [Read more...] about Screen Printed IML vs. Direct Digital Printing