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Market trends are an important indication of the future of a given industry, and medical manufacturing has displayed strong growth in recent years. Many economic analysts predict this industry-wide uptick to carry through the year and beyond. We know that medical manufacturing plays a crucial role in delivering essential supplies and tools to hospitals, clinics and health professionals, but what’s the cause for this most recent period of growth? There are several factors at p

Though injection molding has been around since the 19th century, the efficiency, capacity and quality of the injection molding process has grown by leaps and bounds and the process used by manufacturers today is quite different from its original iteration. One of the more recent advancements to injection molding is the development of in-mold decoration, or IMD. This process allows manufacturers to efficiently and effectively add designs or logos to products in order to boost

CHOOSING BETWEEN IN-HOUSE OR OUTSOURCED INJECTION MOLDING As your business grows, there are certain adjustments you will have to make to adapt to greater demand. Perhaps you need to hire a few more full-time employees or invest in more sophisticated bookkeeping software. Although these changes may be difficult to get used to at first, they will almost always improve your efficiency and productivity. Below, we’ll help you understand some of the considerations you’ll have as yo

If you have a car, you already know the best way to prevent major issues is to invest in regular care and maintenance. This same principle holds true when it comes to your injection molds. These tools are not only expensive, but will also be used over and over again. Therefore, preventative maintenance on a regular basis will help you get the best use and longevity out of your injection molds. THE BASICS OF INJECTION MOLD MAINTENANCE In a nutshell, injection mold maintenance

THE DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING REVIEW The Design for Manufacturing review is intended to maximize the quality and performance of your parts and help you control your production costs. This is helpful for large and small-scale manufacturing alike, and is most effective in the beginning stage of product design and production. DFM allows you to improve your manufacturing and maximize return on your investment. It includes: Material selection: When it comes to plastic injection mol

After the mass exodus of a number of high-profile manufacturers who moved their productions overseas in the past decades, many American companies have begun looking for ways to remain competitive in the marketplace without sacrificing their domestic manufacturing operations. To this end, many of those companies have turned to automation. Are you trying to decide if manufacturing automation is the right choice for your products? Before you get started, take some time to answer

Plastic components are frequently integrated into other manufactured products as a way to reduce cost and create lighterweight goods. It’s an excellent choice for creating strong, flexible parts. In order to maintain the integrity of these plastic parts, metal components may be inserted into the plastic housings, primarily using ultrasonic welding or heat staking for thermal insertion. How Insertion Works Regardless of which specific insertion method you are using, the basic

3D printing is an exciting technology that has only continued to grow more refined and sophisticated since its original iteration back in 1993. In recent years, we have seen it used for everything from prototype manufacturing to 3D-printed shoes. The opportunities that 3D printing technology has opened have had huge impacts on a number of industries—including plastics manufacturing. Today, we are starting to see a number of exciting new 3D printing applications being utilized

AUTOMATION AS A COMPETITIVE TOOL After years of watching U.S. manufacturing move overseas to countries with low labor costs and seemingly endless capacity, the U.S. reshoring movement has officially begun. No longer content to suffer from the faulty production, miscommunication, and long lead times often associated with outsourced production, today’s product developers are looking for ways to keep manufacturing at home while still remaining competitive in the global marketpla

Over the last several decades, there has been a major shift towards foreign manufacturing. From garments to electronic devices, it seems as though many items on the market today were made somewhere other than the United States. Exporting manufacturing jobs has had significant impacts on the American economy, but it also has implications for day-to-day business operations. Working with a foreign manufacturer can cause complications and difficulties that impact your turnaround

KASO PLASTICS INVESTS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS For nearly 60 years, KASO Plastics has provided our customers with plastic injection molding and engineering expertise. Over those decades, we have continued to develop and improve our processes to ensure that every one of our clients receives work that meets a high standard of quality. The attentive service and modern processes we offer have allowed us to maintain a strong customer base that continues to grow. As part of this growth, w

ELECTRONICS EVERYWHERE Over the last few decades, technological advancements have made an incredible impact on our society. From the electronic systems integrated into Aerospace equipment to the smart phone that you use every day, electronic and digital infrastructure is all around us. And even though all of this new technology has enhanced connectivity, promoted advancements in medical care, streamlined industrial processes, and generally made life more convenient, there are

October 6th is National Manufacturing Day, a day set aside to celebrate modern manufacturing and inspire the next generation of workers to get excited about new opportunities and trends in manufacturing. Manufacturing is changing, and it’s important for us to help ‘set the record straight’ when it comes to some of the misperceptions people have about manufacturing jobs. What better way to shed some light on this innovative industry than with some of the coming trends we here

First-time product designers, we understand that the first look you get at how much your new product’s injection mold is going to cost can be… impactful. After all, the injection mold is the most expensive element of any new product launch. But why? Why are injection molds so dang expensive? INJECTION MOLD DESIGN AND TOOLING For starters, let’s look at what goes into creating an injection mold in the first place. Injection molds need engineering design to take your initial pr

When it comes to your plastic parts, you hear a lot about the importance of material selection. And, while it can seem confusing at first, the truth is proper material selection can make a BIG difference for your products. Here’s why. DIFFERENT MATERIALS, DIFFERENT COSTS Now you might be thinking surely there are plenty of materials that could work for my products. And to a certain extent, that's true. But the whole point of material selection is to find the BEST material to

A CHANGING LANDSCAPEA CHANGING LANDSCAPE It’s no secret that manufacturing is changing. As technology improves and automation continues to make manufacturing more efficient, the rising tide of U.S. manufacturing must change too. There’s been a lot of doomsday-style messaging around these changes in the news cycle, with concerns from some that in time machines will be taking over as many jobs as were lost to offshoring in previous decades. But let’s face it, we’ve all got e

A LIGHTER WEIGHT SOLUTION Metal to plastic conversion can provide a host of benefits for many metal parts, offering a lighterweight solution without sacrificing the strength and integrity of your important product components. METAL TO PLASTIC CONVERSION VIDEO In the short video below, you can learn more about the metal to plastic conversion process at KASO Plastics. Fore more information or if you have questions about whether metal to plastic conversion is right for your prod

In our more than 60 years, we've often met people who feel intimidated when it comes time to get started with plastic injection molding. Maybe it’s all the big machines, but--more likely--it’s the high costs often associated with getting started. There are initial upfront investments, of course; these include the design and creation of your injection mold. Yes, it can get spendy. But the good news is, by choosing the right injection molder you can take a lot of the headache o

It seems 3D printing, long heralded as the “next big thing” for manufacturing, has finally come into its own. Nowhere is this more evident than in the rise of the little guy, as the number of manufacturers producing and selling 3D printers has grown to nearly 100 manufacturers this past year, up from 62 in 2015 and just 49 back in 2014, according to a new report from Wohlers Associates Inc., the leading additive manufacturing and 3D printing consultancy. SLOWING MARKET GROWTH

While manufacturing has been going strong in recent months, manufacturers in the plastics industry are busy preparing ourselves for a changing future. Because the truth is, change is coming whether we like it or not. And while certainly some of those elements of change have the potential to improve our industry (a possible reduction in corporate taxes, for instance, would hardly upset most of us), others promise new challenges lie ahead. MANUFACTURERS, IT'S TIME TO PREPARE So