In the automotive parts production domain, fulfilling customers' urgent needs for high - precision and high - performance products has always been a challenging task.
We share information, tips and things we've learned from our years in the rapid prototyping and plastic mold manufacturing industry.
In the automotive parts production domain, fulfilling customers' urgent needs for high - precision and high - performance products has always been a challenging task. The production of a batch of high - strength nylon (PA66) connector housings for automotive engine compartments presented particularly arduous challenges. The customer demanded products with excellent high - temperature and oil resistance to endure the complex and harsh engine compartment environment. Additionally, a strict standard for dimensional accuracy error, which had to be controlled within ≤0.02mm, was set. Moreover, a monthly production capacity of 100,000 pieces was expected, posing a significant test to traditional production models.
II. Project Requirements and Initial Hurdles
1. Product Performance Requirements
The high - strength nylon (PA66) connector housings needed to have outstanding high - temperature and oil resistance to function properly in the engine compartment.
Stringent dimensional accuracy requirements were imposed, with the error to be kept within ≤0.02mm.
A monthly production capacity of 100,000 pieces was expected.
2. Limitations of Conventional Production
Conventional injection molding processes struggled to ensure proper molding when using high - strength nylon (PA66) materials.
Simple mold manufacturing methods could not meet the strict dimensional accuracy standards.
Traditional production planning and scheduling were ill - equipped to achieve the required monthly production capacity of 100,000 pieces. The production cycle was long, and costs were high.
III. Solutions Implemented
1. Rapid Project Initiation
At the project's onset, we demonstrated remarkable efficiency. Cross - field professionals were quickly deployed, forming an elite team including material experts, mold engineers, and production planners.
The team completed a comprehensive and in - depth project investigation in just three days, compared to the two - week period typical of traditional production enterprises.
Through multiple rounds of detailed communication with the customer, key product requirements such as performance, accuracy, and production capacity were accurately grasped. A detailed and highly targeted preliminary production plan was then formulated.
Based on the plan, sufficient high - strength nylon (PA66) raw materials were pre - ordered in advance to prepare for swift production commencement.
2. Optimal Process and Material Selection
Our engineer team conducted numerous rigorous experiments and analyses.
For different product components, a differentiated optimal molding process was determined. For key parts ensuring connector connection stability, a special hot runner injection molding process was innovatively adopted. This process guaranteed full filling of high - strength nylon (PA66) materials during injection molding and accurately controlled the product shrinkage rate, crucial for dimensional accuracy control.
After multiple rounds of screening and performance testing, a high - performance high - strength nylon (PA66) material was selected. Its high - temperature and oil resistance indicators far surpassed the customer's requirements, ensuring product stability and reliability from the start.
3. Innovative Mold Design and Manufacturing
In the mold design and manufacturing process, we introduced bold innovations. For the main mold of the connector housing, the traditional integral design was abandoned. The traditional integral design, despite its integrity advantage, took a long time for processing complex structures with high - precision machine tools and made it difficult to ensure dimensional accuracy.
Instead, it was cleverly split into several key parts, which were designed and manufactured separately. An advanced high - precision splicing process was then used for assembly. This approach allowed multiple machine tools to operate simultaneously, significantly shortening the processing time.
The dimensional accuracy was successfully controlled within ±0.01mm, far exceeding the customer - set standard of ≤0.02mm while strictly maintaining quality.
The mold cooling system was optimized with an efficient cooling pipeline layout, reducing product cooling time and enhancing production efficiency. In the selection of mold steel, a balance between quality and cost was struck, and cost - effective materials were chosen, effectively reducing manufacturing costs while ensuring mold service life.
4. Establishment of an Intelligent Production System
To reach the monthly production capacity of 100,000 pieces, an intelligent and efficient production system was constructed.
Our self - developed production management system played a central role. It could accurately monitor production progress, equipment operation status, and product quality in real - time. Through intelligent algorithms, the production plan was reasonably arranged, enabling the production line to operate efficiently and uninterruptedly for 24 hours, greatly enhancing production efficiency.
A strict and comprehensive quality inspection system was established to conduct real - time inspections of every production process link, ensuring that product quality always met or exceeded the customer's strict standards.
IV. Outcome
We successfully overcame numerous difficulties and achieved the monthly production capacity of 100,000 pieces in a short time. The product quality fully met the customer's high - standard requirements. The customer could smoothly apply the products to the automotive engine compartment without waiting for the long traditional production cycle. Our outstanding performance won high praise from the customer. The customer not only fully affirmed the product performance and quality but also clearly expressed their intention to continue collaborating with us in subsequent projects to create more successful outcomes.