“Off-Shoring”… Once upon a time, that was a magical incantation for American manufacturers. Beginning in the ’70s, then accelerating into a crescendo in the ’90s, off-shoring became a mantra for manufacturers, big and small. The lure of lowering costs and maximizing profits by moving manufacturing to countries with lower labor costs and material sourcing, like…
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In alignment with the AdvanTech Plastics Sustainability Mission Statement, “we are committed to manufacturing products through economically-sound processes that minimize negative environment impacts”. To help achieve that mission, AdvanTech has proudly moved towards “greener” plastic injection molding machines with the latest commissioning of a Sumitomo 112 ton and a larger Sumitomo 320 ton. Even though…
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There was a time in the late 90’s and early ’00s when it seemed like nothing would ever be manufactured in the USA again. It appeared that China and other low-cost labor nations would snap up every last manufactured widget from plastic medical devices to plastic car parts, from every last higher labor-cost nation in…
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Spoiler alert: when comparing polymer plastics suitable for plastic medical devices, thermoplastics are the Mayo Clinic, if you will, while thermosets are a very competent regional health center. In other words, thermosets aren’t nearly as ubiquitous as thermoplastics but they do have a place in the universe of plastic medical devices. For example, thermosetting plastics like silicone,…
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Thermoplastic resins are materials that convert to a liquid state when exposed to high temperatures. As the temperature is reduced the plastic cools and hardens. The properties of thermoplastic resins allow the material to be molded into various structures and shapes. Thermoplastic resin offers excellent performance as an injection molded plastic and is used throughout…
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It’s really hard to get excited about plastic specimen containers — or cups as they are often called. At first glance they are a simple, utilitarian object designed to do one thing, and only one thing: safely collect, then seal urine, stool or tissue samples for later testing. Easy peasy, right? Not so quick. Manufacturing…
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AdvanTech Plastics is currently experimenting with a variety of biodegradable plastics, which it sees as the “green” new future for the plastic injection molding industry. First some background: Plastics, unlike other materials like paper or glass, are difficult and/or expensive to recycle. While many plastic items contain the word “recyclable” or include the familiar “triangular…
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The medical industry is notoriously difficult to enter for manufacturers. If a product or process already exists, there is little reason for customers to switch to a new one. Any change in providers, materials, inks or processes can result in devices that are required to be requalified with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which…
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Time was when the word “plastics” conjured up images of islands of floating polyurethane plastic bottles in an otherwise beautiful blue placid sea. Worse yet, were actual photographs of bird and sea life chocking to death from plastic ring carriers. That was then. Today, many industry resin producers, as well as plastic injection molders, are…
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Practically from its inception as a manufacturing process in the late 19th century, plastic injection molding has been utilized to produce an ever-widening array of products, in a myriad of industries. For the purposes of this blog post, we’re just going to look at three industries which have benefited greatly from this most malleable of…
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