8 Factors in Plastic Part Design for Manufacturability
Designing a plastic part for manufacturability involves many important factors that touch on all areas of part design, tooling, material selection and production. First, it is essential to build parts…
Reduce Costs in Product Design Through Raw Materials
It is often later in the product lifecycle that procurement teams are brought in to lead a competitive bid process and conduct negotiations accordingly. This might seem like a straightforward…
The Four Plastic Variables
When building plastic parts, consistency is key. Variables need to be recognized, so that a quality product is created, every time. A good part is made up of four things: the part…
Five Aesthetic Design Trends Defined
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…
How Plastics Are Made
The Basics of Plastic Manufacturing The term “plastics” includes materials composed of various elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, and sulfur. Plastics typically have high molecular weight, meaning each…
PLASTIC DESIGN
API engineers and designers can work with you to develop and design your plastic injection molded component. To ensure a quality part, there are three major areas of focus throughout…
ALKYD RESINS
PROPERTIES Alkyd resins are thermoplastic polyester resins made by heating polyhydric alcohols* with polybasic acids or their anhydrides. They are used in making protective coatings with good weathering properties and…
UNSATURATED POLYESTERS
PROPERTIES Unsaturated polyesters are the third-largest class of thermoset molding resins. They are produced by the condensation of a diol with a blend of saturated and unsaturated anhydrides. The condensation…
MELAMINE-FORMALDEHYDE RESINS
PROPERTIES Melamine formaldehyde (also called melamine or MF) is a hard, very durable, and versatile thermosetting aminoplast1 with good fire and heat resistance. It is made from melamine and formaldehyde by…
UREA-FORMALDEHYDE RESINS
PROPERTIES Urea-formaldehyde (UF) products (also called aminoplasts) are highly crosslinked, semi-crystalline thermosetting plastics1. The UF resins are noted for their high strength, rigidity, cost effectiveness, and fast cure. Infact, they…
