Why Thermoforming is a Good Fit for Medical Enclosures.
The following appeared in Plastic News on December 9th by Doug Smock. Why medical fits Medical is a good fit for thermoforming for a variety of reasons. For one, lower volumes favor thermoforming because tool costs (usually aluminum) are much lower. And because less pressure is used to form parts there is significantly less residual stress. Millions of cycles are possible. Sophisticated material combinations can be achieved through use of multiplayer layers of sheet. Doug Smock Plastics News December 9, 2011 For more information on thermoformed medical enclosures check our Medical Device Enclosures page.The Goal
We had the opportunity this past week to read The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox. Mayfield Plastics is a manufacturer of custom made parts that have an elegant look. The processes we use are thermoforming, vacuum forming, and pressure forming of heavy gauge plastic. We manufacture parts for medical devices, radomes, telecommunications and aerospace equipment, and for many other types of industries also. Our success is due in no small part to the processes we use to continuously improve our output. While The Goal was written first in 1984 about a manufacturing plant, we find that...MAYFIELD HONORED AS FAMILY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
Mayfield Plastics has been honored as a winner of the 2011 Family Business Awards presented by the Worcester Business Journal. Mayfield was one of three companies selected in the 25 to 99 employee category. The awards will be presented on Thursday June 23 at the Cyprian Keyes Golf Club in Boylston, Ma. S. Ralph Cross founded Mayfield‘s parent company in 1917 as a pattern making business, becoming the largest pattern making firm in New England during World War II. In the 1950’s S. Ralph’s sons, Stanley R. Cross and A. Gordon Cross joined the business and expanded it in the 1960’s...MAYFIELD PLASTICS: A PATTERN FOR SUCCESS
WORCESTER BUSINESS JOURNAL
Mayfield Plastics: A Pattern For Success
By Sarah Rolph
Special to the Worcester Business Journal
Today
Manufacturing is alive and well in Sutton, Massachusetts.
Mayfield Plastics manufactures custom-made plastic parts using a heat-driven process called thermoforming. Among its customers are medical equipment firms. Mayfield makes the sleek plastic housing for machines like CAT scanners as well as a variety of other parts.
As the medical equipment industry has grown, Mayfield has grown with it - medical firms now make up about 70 percent of Mayfield's customer base. In 2005, Mayfield outgrew its 25,000-square-foot facility in Worcester and...
Custom Thermoforming and Pressure Forming Explained
Pressure Forming is the method used to produce injection mold quality, high definition plastic component parts, housings and containers without the huge expense of tooling. It involves positive pressure to force the heated plastic into the mold cavity. This is called pressure thermoforming or blow forming.
Pressure Forming Working Operation:
The highly versatile pressure forming process utilizes air pressure, from 20 to 150 psi, to force the heated sheet into a temperature controlled mold cavity. Vent holes are provided in the mold to exhaust the trapped air. The final part features sharp definition of intricate contours and...
Where Is Manufacturing Headed Today?
I am excited about the future of manufacturing in the United States. In a recent article in the New York Times by Paul Downs, founder of Paul Downs Cabinetmakers outside of Philadelphia, Paul astutely comments that it is easy to get the impression that American factory jobs are about to disappear, but according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are actually two million more factory workers today than in 1939. Paul goes on to mention that total manufacturing output has more than doubled since 1975.
What has changed according to Paul is that technology has changed...
THERMOFORMING EXPLAINED
Custom Thermoforming and Pressure Forming Explained
Pressure Forming is the method used to produce injection mold quality, high definition plastic component parts, housings and containers without the huge expense of tooling. It involves positive pressure to force the heated plastic into the mold cavity. This is called pressure thermoforming or blow forming.
Pressure Forming Working Operation:
The highly versatile pressure forming process utilizes air pressure, from 20 to 150 psi, to force the heated sheet into a temperature controlled mold cavity. Vent holes are provided in the mold to exhaust the trapped air. The final part features sharp definition of intricate contours and...
THE QUEST FOR QUALITY
Manufacturers around the globe grapple with the quest for quality. Companies who buy products from these manufacturers are demanding higher quality and greater adherence to industry standards like ISO and compliance with the requirements demanded by their customers. It is not uncommon for a company that buys parts for their medical devices to have the quality of those products mandated by governmental agencies, consumer agencies and organizations. In turn, companies demand zealous quality control from the manufacturers who produce parts for their products. These new standards cause manufacturers to reexamine their quality control methodology in order to improve the quality their...PLASTIC–A TOXIC LOVE STORY
Here is an excellent review of Susan Freinkel's book, Plastic - A Toxic Love Story. If you have ever wondered about the controversy over the benefits vs. the downside of plastic, you will enjoy this article. Here's the...THE $25,000.00 IDEA
Did you ever hear of the single idea for which a man was paid $25,000? And it was worth every penny of it. The story goes that the president of a big steel company, Charles Schwab of Bethlehem Steel, had granted an interview to an efficiency expert named Ivy Lee. Lee was telling his prospective client how he could help him do a better job of managing the company, when the president broke in to say something to the effect that he wasn't at present managing as well as he knew how. He went on to tell Ivy Lee that...WHERE IS MANUFACTURING HEADED TODAY?
Where Is Manufacturing Headed Today?
I am excited about the future of manufacturing in the United States. In a recent article in the New York Times by Paul Downs, founder of Paul Downs Cabinetmakers outside of Philadelphia, Paul astutely comments that it is easy to get the impression that American factory jobs are about to disappear, but according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are actually two million more factory workers today than in 1939. Paul goes on to mention that total manufacturing output has more than doubled since 1975.
What has changed according to Paul is that technology has changed...