Mayfield Plastics Breaks the Mold
The following article appeared in the Worcester Business Journal. Click here for the original article. Mayfield Plastics Breaks The Mold; Adopts Lean Manufacturing With Profitable Results Sutton-based Mayfield Plastics is in the midst of a transformation. It’s ramping up its sales efforts, customer service and lean manufacturing. And with an 7.5-percent increase in growth this past year — despite a sluggish economy — efforts are paying off for Mayfield and its customers. “We have almost a half-century of plastic manufacturing wisdom coupled with cutting-edge processes and technology that is fueling our growth,” said Harrison Greene, vice president of growth and development, Mayfield Plastics. He says this long-standing family business is building on its trusted reputation...Thermoforming Today… Advances and Advantages
The OEM market offers sizeable opportunities for thermoformed parts but toolmakers and thermoformers must be capable of embracing high-tech mold designs and forming techniques. Manufacturers may be persuaded that the benefits of thermoforming for large-part design and fabrication are very cost effective. Thermoforming can be used to produce large parts quickly and at a fraction of the tooling cost for an injection molded part. Recent advancements in tool design as well as advances in mold materials such as aluminum make it possible to thermoform highly complex parts with dimensional tolerances near those of injection molding. As components become more complex both technically and aesthetically, the companies that win contracts will...
Engineers and Designers Are Often Conflicted About…
We often hear that designers and engineers find themselves in a quagmire trying to decide how to find inexpensive tooling for low volume part production. They have researched the injection molding process and find the high cost of tooling does not amortize well with low volume runs. Thermoforming is often the solution because the cost of tooling is about one third the cost of injection molding tooling. Since the engineer wants to produce a lower volume of parts, thermoforming tooling savings pays off even though per part price might be higher than injection molding. So, if you are an engineer or designer...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...
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...