THE BUSINESS OF VISCOSITY BLOG

In our recent blogs, Can Liner Weight Variations Impact Quality, Delivery, and Cost Structure, and Variation in Liner Placement Impacts Delivery, Quality, and Cost, too!, we identified weight and placement as the two primary criteria for liner effectiveness.

Though a high-throughput, repetitive process, which would seem to make it an ideal candidate for Statistical Process Control (SPC), the reality of these criteria makes it almost impossible to manage using these methods.

Topics: Manufacturing

In our recent blog, Can Liner Weight Variations Impact Quality, Delivery, and Cost Structure, we discussed how modern sealing technology has changed the way that cans are manufactured and judged. In particular we noted:

“As with any sealing process, two of the most important criteria are:

1. Volume of the sealer applied
2. Placement of the sealer (called 'compound')"

Topics: Manufacturing

 

Customer rejects suck…period!

The reasons they hurt your business are well-documented. Not only can they damage your relationship with your customer – in the worst case pushing them to look for another supplier – they can even make you question your own capabilities as a manufacturer. But most of all, they are expensive.

The impact of rejects can vary widely by industry and manufacturer. For instance, if you make DVD’s or tablet computers, handling a reject can be as simple as providing your customer with a replacement unit. 

Topics: Manufacturing

To remind us that we are in the dead of winter here in the Midwest and across the Eastern Seaboard, Mother Nature has been delivering sub-zero temperatures and snow by the foot.  These are the times that try a coater’s soul!

Topics: Manufacturing, Temperature control

In his blog, “Zapping Away the Pounds, but What Zaps Away the Habit?” (Medical Design Technology (MDT) Magazine, Friday, 01/16/2015), Sean Fenske, Editor-in-Chief, poses some interesting questions regarding the balance between technology and human responsibility.  It’s a topic that we deal with frequently, so it caught my attention.

Topics: Manufacturing

In our last few posts, we’ve been exploring the differences between Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids and how they behave both when measuring viscosity and when we use them in our coating processes.  In this segment, we’ll take a look at why we might choose between these different behaviors for a few common processes.

Topics: Manufacturing

We’ve all seen it before…

The salesperson sits in front of us and spouts all of the benefits of their products:

“It’ll save you money!”

“It’ll reduce your defects!”

“It’ll increase your throughput!”

“It’ll make your wife beautiful!”

“It’ll make your kids behave!”

OK, maybe those last two are a little over-the-top, but…

Topics: Manufacturing

This is a great question!

It seems that there is a prevailing attitude out there that the implementation of shot meters or other flow control systems eliminate the need for any other kind of control.  And it isn't without some basis in logic.  After all, shot meters and flow control systems are designed to assure that exactly the same volume of material will be applied, over the same time period, on every dispense, time-after-time-after-time…

Topics: Manufacturing, Temperature control

Part I - Another Tool in Your Toolbox

Topics: Manufacturing, cost of temperature

If your business depends on processes where fluids are dispensed, whether they be adhesives, sealants, potting compounds, coatings, lubricants, or even just water, you know the importance of control.  Control of volume, control of flow rate, control of placement – all have a significant impact on the cost and quality of your output.

Topics: Manufacturing, cost of temperature, Fluid dispensing systems, Temperature control, Point of Application, coil coating, sustainability