Materials & Methods Plastics vs. Other Materials

Courses: Materials and Processes (incl. Metals, Plastics)
  • Course:Materials & Methods Plastics vs. Other Materials
  • Course ID:PLST-OTHR Duration:2 days Where: Your Office (7+ Persons)
  • Available as a private, customized course for your group at your offices or ours and in some cases as a WebLive(TM) class.

  • Download Course Description (PDF)

Course Outline

  • Introduction to Manufacturing
    • Definition
    • DFA/DFM and Concurrent Engineering Teams
    • Mass vs. Lean Production
    • Types of Manufacturing and Production Systems
    • An Environmental Manufacturing System
  • Cost Estimating Systems
    • Cost Types and Elements
    • Cost Formulae
    • Cost Estimating Tools
    • Cost Confidence Levels
  • Tooling Methods for Plastics and Other Materials / Methods
    • Prototype vs. Production Tooling
    • Hard/Soft/Tool-less Manufacture
    • Tool Selection
  • Producibility Processes for Plastics and Other Materials / Methods
    • Process and Material Selection
    • Stamping
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Die Casting
    • Extrusion and Drawing
    • Powder Metal
    • Machining
  • Material and Tool Cost Estimating for Plastics and Other Materials / Methods (“Hands-on” Exercise)
    • Tooling Decision Process
    • Tooling Strategy Selection Chart
    • Prototype Process Selection Charts
    • Production Tool Cost Estimating Charts
    • Part Cost Estimating Methods
  • Wrap-up
    • Course Recap and Q/A
    • Evaluations

 

Course Overview

Course in a Nutshell

Product development teams strive to produce parts that satisfy all of the design criteria, meet all of the functional requirements, and are cost effective as well. To do that, they must understand proper material selection, various processes involved, production volumes, tolerances, dimensional limits, finish, manufacturing site, service, re-manufacture, and – increasingly – environmental impact. However, the primary determiner of “good” producibility is the design itself. Early collaborative evaluation of the design by the design engineers, manufacturing engineers, tooling suppliers, and parts producers will result in the production of parts that are optimal in every respect.

This course will introduce you to the concepts of concurrent engineering as well as the tools needed to develop multiple design concepts produced with a variety of commodities and tooling methods. Although a variety of commodities and tooling methods will be discussed, there will be a strong emphasis on how to effectively transition to the use of plastics or blends of plastics and other materials.

The course concludes with a half day workshop devoted to a hands-on exercise on material and tool cost estimation for plastics and other materials/methods.

 

Customize It!

We can customize this course to meet the backgrounds and needs of your particular audience, usually at little to no additional cost. We can conduct the course to focus on how to design for various methods and materials, plastics being one of them. Or we can gear it more toward plastics as your needs require.

 

Learn How To

  • Describe the importance of DFA/DFM and concurrent engineering.
  • Detail the different types of manufacturing, their production systems, and tooling methods.
  • Define total manufacturing cost.
  • Understand prototype and production tooling methods for plastics and other commodities.
  • Learn how to optimize design requirements and manufacturing methods and provide validation for choosing plastics over other materials / methods.
  • Understand the pros/cons of plastic tooling methods relative to:
    •  Functionality
    •  Material properties
    •  Production material
    •  Quantity of one to production quantities
    •  Cost
    •  Lead time
    •  Tolerance
    •  Complexity
    •  Appearance
  • Select the most economical material, tooling, and process that meet customer requirements.

 

Audience / Prerequisites

Aimed At

This course is aimed at product development teams who wish to optimize their transition to plastics or plastics blended with other commodities. It’s also suitable for those who need to acquire a comparative understanding of the concepts-to-production methods and materials, both plastics and other.

 

Prerequisites

Basic understanding of design and manufacturing processes.