Mold Manufacturing – Page 2

The Evolution of Manufacturing — from Henry Ford to Pluto

The history of manufacturing in the United States is a fascinating story of evaluation and change in society, culture, and economics. As the United States grew larger and its economic ties with other countries grew stronger, manufacturing became more and more sophisticated and the processes became more refined and systematic. As the country’s economic prospects grew, our industries grew as well. Manufacturers needed to match the demands of Americans and their newfound prosperity. Around the world and especially in Europe, America held enormous potential for industry, since there was so much usable land.

Henry Ford was one of the earliest and most successful manufacturing innovators to cater to Americans’ needs. Ford’s implementation and refinement of the assembly line in the early 20th century led to the exponential growth of manufacturing capacity across all industries — not just automotive. Such innovations in manufacturing made America the world’s number one producer of goods, leading to a new heights of economic and political power. In the eyes of the world, it was undeniable that American power and American industry were inseparably tied together, with manufacturing at its core.

On the back of our manufacturing prowess, America reached a new peak in the 1960s and 1970s with great boundary-pushing and manufacturing-led programs like NASA’s Apollo program, which in just ten years took America from Earth to the moon and inspired a generation of young and awestruck Americans to become scientists and engineers. Only a country with the industrial capacity, resources, and sheer determination to reach this goal could have achieved it — and to this day, America remains the only nation to have successfully reached the moon (and six times at that). Without our legendary ability to manufacture crucial parts using the most advanced techniques of the day, reaching the moon would have been an impossible task.

Now, we are once again reaching new heights as innovative companies are trailblazing paths to space and other new fields once more. On May 30, 2020, SpaceX and NASA jointly and successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the ISS. That historic launch (the first launch of Astronauts from American soil in nearly a decade) is helping to usher in a new era of American ingenuity and progress in engineering and science, and serves as an inspiring example of what the manufacturing industry can accomplish in partnership with scientists and engineers from both public and private organizations.

For 35 years, Precision Group has operated an advanced manufacturing presence in the United States and worked with numerous high-profile companies, agencies and organizations to push the boundaries of the scientific and technological frontiers. We have been lucky to work with brilliant scientists and engineers on manufacturing projects for NASA such as New Horizons, the first space probe to visit Pluto and send pictures back to Earth. We are all inspired by the successes that America has achieved through its manufacturing might, and we appreciate the opportunity to be part of the vanguard that is leading the world to inspiring successes both on Earth and elsewhere in the universe.

3 Reasons Why Medical Device Trends Matter

Precision Group is an industry-leading designer and manufacturer of both injection-molded plastics and tooling across various industries. We have been around for 30+ years, manufacturing molds and tools for non-invasive medical devices and surgical instruments, among other products.

With medical device manufacturing revenue expecting to rise three percent every year through 2023, we feel it’s important to look at the trends. These innovations will be discussed in May at NPE2018, an event focused on next-generation plastics.

We’ll be attending NPE2018 specifically looking at medical device trends in the areas of new materials, additives, and sustainability.

Now, why are these trends important?

REASON #1: ENHANCE CAPABILITIES

Using the right materials and additives increases the strength, flexibility, and customization options for medical devices and surgical instruments. This means greater capabilities, higher accuracy, and increased patient comfort. What more can you ask for?

REASON #2: IMPROVE PROCESSES

The right materials can improve your medical device’s performance and decrease the production time, getting it in your hands faster so you can get a feel for the size and how it works. Before the medical device launches, you’ll also be able to make changes to the design easier since certain additives offer greater prototype options. Once your product is approved, it can hit the market early.

REASON #3: MINIMIZE WASTE AND LOWER PRODUCTION COSTS

Sustainable non-invasive medical devices and surgical instruments are more durable. This means higher product lifecycles and fewer products in landfills. By pursuing sustainability, you can also help the environment, reduce production costs, and minimize waste. One of the major sustainability trends is biodegradable bioplastics, which a surgeon may find useful because the product will dissolve eventually without requiring surgery to remove.

At Precision Group, we always strive to be on the cutting edge of technology and deliverability.

Precision Group South 301 Industrial Way La Feria, TX 782559

La Feria Facility Expansion

We are enlarging our La Feria facility to accommodate new equipment and expand our services in South Texas even further. This renovation also creates an inviting office space for our staff and customers.

We are pleased to add these high tech machines:

U6 CNC Wire EDM — state-of-the-art machine provides an ideal mix of speed, accuracy, and surface finish capability with larger travels to tackle the most demanding applications
Hurco CNC Milling Machine — specifically to process electrodes from graphite
Additional U6 solid modeling software for both the La Feria & Reynosa locations

Creating Next-Generation Medical Devices And Instruments

At Precision Group, we are constantly meeting industry needs, supporting the automotive, aviation, medical, computer, electronic, oil & gas, aerospace, and consumer goods industries. On a daily basis, our team delivers molding and tooling solutions using high-tech software, equipment, and critical thinking.

In recent years, we have had the privilege of playing an important role in creating the components and parts for next-generation medical devices and instruments. Often when companies come to us for help they are under tight deadlines for product completion and are needing assistance with finding the right tooling solution to make their products work. Our clients count on us to provide sophisticated design, precision tooling, one-of-a-kind component creation, and rapid injection molding production.

Advanced Pharmacy, Alcon Surgical Inc., and Acelity are just a few of the companies we support. Kinetic Concepts, Inc. (KCI), a division of Acelity, came to us in January of 2017 with a unique challenge in the development of one of their more complex wound therapy Vacuum Assisted Closure (V.A.C) products – the V.A.C. Rx4™.

Our client was given the task, by the military, to design and develop a prototype of a multichannel negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) device that would enable the treatment of up to four wounds on a soldier. The objective was to reduce the size and weight of the device, make it portable, compatible with other KCI disposable wound canisters, and include four independently controlled NPWT channels.

Before the Rx4 even arrived at Precision Group, several years of design, testing, and user need considerations had already been dedicated to the advanced, wound treating device.

On our customer’s side, the original scope of their project was to include a four-channel device with 300-cc canisters, simple interfaces, and no display screens. After Acelity received feedback from future users, the design changed to include a more intricate assembly that would provide 500-cc (or 1000-cc) canisters and full-color display screens.

Precision Group’s Vice President of Operations, Domingo Auces, admits this project put his team to the test. He said, “The biggest challenge was that our customer needed a water-tight seal inside a unit that contained a lot of electronics and it was made of two different types of materials. We were working with a hard plastic and a softer, more elastic plastic within the same device. To manufacture something that is made of different polymers, is not an easy task.”

Acelity brought us a pre-production prototype that had already been developed in partnership with the US Air Force Air Mobility Command and Air Combat Command. Our job was to make it functional and reproducible. We had to find a way to successfully produce and assemble the high-tech wound treatment device which included three different types of printed wiring assemblies located in separate places inside the casing. Also, the power supply location, LCD display, battery pack placement, and the front membrane panels had to be considered when planning for final assembly.

Auces emphasized, “In the end, it was determined the Rx4™ would be produced in multiple pieces involving separate molding process runs. We had to design and build the tooling required to combine both processes in injection molding – not many companies have that expertise. Our approach to solve the problem was unorthodox and that’s what allowed us to get the job done.”

The V.A.C. Rx4™ is designed to be used in the battlefield, often administered to soldiers while in motion on a fixed-wing or rotary-winged aircraft in route to definitive care. These scenarios leave zero margin for error. There can be no leaks within this device as lives are at stake. This limb saving unit, used in trauma conditions, had to be durable, and easily grabbed from the front or the side, so it could be quickly thrown onto a plane or Humvee at a moment’s notice.

The Precision Group team worked diligently for 11 and a half months to bring the multichannel device over the finish line with final adjustments and improvements that allowed the mass production of a unit that would function reliably and consistently in moments of critical need.

Auces said clear and constant communication was the key to the success of this high-profile project. “There was a lot of collaboration between our tooling manufacturing and the engineering teams from both Precision and Acelity, as well as their research and development people. The value we bring is concurrent engineering which is the continual refinement of the products we manufacture. We are constantly adapting quickly and creatively until we get to the final solution.”

There is a growing trend among medical device companies requesting design and product improvements in numerous areas of medicine. We’re here to help design and build injection molds for the production of plastic components, help solve unique industry tooling problems, or assist with cutting costs and time to delivery. With the right design and resins many of the hurdles associated with dimensional accuracy, flatness, surface finish, and mold life can be resolved.

Today, the V.A.C. Rx4™ is saving lives and limbs in conflict situations for the military, and in the future, it will surely be used in civilian environments in medical centers and hospitals throughout the country. This advanced device can help treat multiple wounds on one person or can help upward of 4 patients at a time. Finding a way to successfully manufacture the Rx4 was truly a cause worth fighting for!