CAE Simulations and Mold-Vac Units Help Bolster Quality and Customer
Satisfaction
Founded in 1991, ASH Industries (Lafayette, LA) specializes in part
engineering for manufacturability, mold manufacture, thermoplastic injection
molding, component integration into assemblies, DOE, IQ/OQ/PQ, clean-room
assembly, ultrasonic welding, epoxy bonding, pad printing, hot stamping,
custom packaging, and drop shipping. Its operations include the
implementation of JIT and TOC programs to limit inventories for production
runs of ten million assemblies to one thousand custom parts. ASH Industries’
equipment ranges from 20 to 700 ton capacity and is capable of producing
parts from 0.1 gram to 2,500 grams.
Steve Andrepont is ASH Industries’ Engineering Manager. He says he and
his colleagues are engineers addressing the needs of engineers. “Our
customers know their applications and desired outcomes while we understand
manufacturability and processing capability.”
Recently, ASH Industries contacted CAE Services (Batavia, IL) to perform
Moldflow analysis to confirm and apply mold and process adjustments on a
plastic part. The analyses were performed to predict potential processing
challenges. As a result of the work, CAE’s analysis shortened the cycle
time of the project and eliminated wasted resources.
“Prior to conducting the analysis,” says Andrepont, “we knew the
process window would be very tight, room for adjustment non-existent, and
our customer was intolerant of variability. We needed predictable molding
results very quickly. We expected to have a window into the process that
reflected our experience and warned us of aspects we had not considered. CAE
Services offered us insight not found by any other means.”
He says that the Moldflow simulations did an excellent job of predicting
reality. “The results were so good that we used the CAE as a benchmark of
what the process should be,” Andrepont adds. The costs associated with the
analysis results were justified in time-line compression alone. He explains
that when mold modifications and trial and error methodologies that would
have been necessary without the analyses were considered, the analysis was a
small price to pay. While quantifiable figures were not measured, Andrepont
says that the CAE analysis did eliminate the typically expected difficult
aspects of the project.
CAE savvy
Andrepont and his staff are CAE advocates. They say other manufacturers
that face tough engineering and processing challenges while trying to reduce
lead times, costs, and scrap rates should strongly consider using CAE
simulations. “If you anticipate a tight processing window – either
because of material choice, mold configuration, or intolerance in typical
part variability – CAE mold analysis will fortify your project with
knowledge and eliminate costly and delayed-filled guesswork. I would not be
tolerant of a result that did not conform with our experience. CAE will help
narrow, however, process window expectations,” Andrepont notes.
Mold-Vac on the shop floor
In addition to relying on CAE Services for Moldflow analysis, ASH
Industries purchased a Mold-Vac unit from CAE Services. Prior to
implementing the Mold-Vac 4000 unit, ASH Industries was tasked with
manufacturing a part of typical material in a typical mold configuration.
The demands of the product function, however, were completely intolerant of
variation from cycle to cycle. The parts have very thin lens features that
were unsuccessfully molded in previous tooling attempts. Mold-Vac made this
feature possible. Andrepont says his team needed to eliminate as much
variability as possible.
As a result of installing the Mold-Vac machine, ASH industries has
narrowed its processing window to an extreme. Its customer is quite
satisfied with the parts produced via Mold-Vac assistance, and ASH
Industries is strongly considering purchasing more Mold-Vac units for many
other areas at its facility.
