/r/manufacturing
A subreddit for anyone in the manufacturing industry. Content is very diverse: you'll find videos, articles and self posts just to name a few.
The subreddit for the manufacturing industry.
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/r/manufacturing
Hey there so I started work at a bottling plant. There are several positions and I usually start at pallet assembly. After an hour we switch. By the time I get to packaging. Putting the product in the boxes I am in a brain fog from all the running around I'm doing and the lack of lunch (my beliefs don't allow me to eat until 7-8) so I'm low energy. The problem is that when I'm in this 'fog I mess up loading the boxes and without realizing it I load only half a box of product when it should be full. I don't even realize that I'm doing this until my trainer [who is very pissed] points.out my mess up. I feel like an idiot for doing this and he can't think of anything to help me. Do you guys have any advice for packing or techniques that you use? I know it sounds stupid but I coule use the help
I'm 18 I've been working at the same shop for a little over a year and a half I run the saw department I'm incharge of operating 2 saws, one manual one automatic keeping inventory (digitally), verifying stock before orders, discussing game plans with other departments and general maintenance on the machine as well as working in other departments when nessicary Because I'm the youngest guy there I'm always the first to get put on a shit job weather it's fixing equipment or cleaning or climbing or something dirty or fixing a fuck up it's almost always me this isn't necessarily bad but it's such a balancing act to keep up with the work that my department has while also running around like a Chicken with its head cut off doing shit nobody else would I'm making decent money (18$ rural Massachusetts) but Im constantly coming home pissed off and wishing I didn't have so much responsibility
I get a ton of cardboard every week and I almost don't ever have to buy any when I need to ship materials (from small packages to crates) out as I reuse the boxes or use them for protection and packing of goods. Any ideas on the best way to store all this left over cardboard? I get all shapes and sizes, even 4 x 8 sheets. Thanks in advance!
I work at a company that develops and manufactures complex products. One product in particular has over 10 sub-assembly and probably 1k components, constant BOM revision changes, parts, changes etc. Product takes around 14 hrs to build one unit. Other products we make are simpler and more mature, never were so complex so planning and scheduling production was never an issue (I'm also new at this company). We are planning to ramp up production to 100 units a month of this product soon but our ERP system is not there yet, I find it hard to do any scheduling through it (Odoo).
We are looking into shifting to another ERP system but you all know how long it takes. Currently I use mostly Excel to try to manage the builds but when we get to 100 units it won't work that great. Two questions:
do you guys have any recommendation of ERP system for, as a said, a company that develops advanced technology, where products have multiple sub-assemblies, constantly changing revisions, pretty much building as parts arrive from suppliers, and so on?
any recommendation of a simple tool/system I could use to manage production in the meantime that we don't have another ERP system (or permanently if I can make it work simultaneously). I think I would be happy to use it as I'm doing in Excel right now, input the sub-assemblies in the system, how long it takes to build it, last part ETA and play around as a Gantt chart.
I’m thinking about building a form that connects to excel with dependent drop downs that will automate manual entry in factories, the data then being sent to the manufacturers google sheets, smart sheets whatever. Such as if an employee made a specific mold, they could quickly filter down to the inventory in the form, record it and the data would get stored.
Is this something that people would want? Debating spending time on it. Thanks.
An example:
An example would be if a company makes 10000 parts all with different IDs, colors, sizes, cycle times. Instead of writing it in excel after completion they would have a form on a computer in the factory that would connect to the database with the parts information and they would use the form instead of writing it down or typing it in excel.
Forgive me if this question is incredible basic or far too complex to ask/answer here—I'm still in university, so I'm not very well versed in industry terminology and processes.
As you can see, the mesh is incredibly fine/thin, and the finish on it is quite smooth. The closest thing I could think of in my mind was sieve mesh (for kitchen sieves), but even that feels a bit far-fetched. Even if it was that, I can't really find any info on how that's made.
I'm also very curious about the finish, which can be scratched away with metal revealing the shiny wire underneath. How is it so smooth and even at such a small scale? Could it be dipped?
Some important context: this hair dryer cost $20 on Amazon. So part of what I wonder is if this type of filter readily available for use in manufacturing (pre-prepared) or if it's something that has to be made by the hair dryer maker itself.
For the assembly question, you can get an idea that the ABS/injection molded part is basically melted *through* the filter piece due to the plastic deposition on the filter piece. But is this done through ultrasonic welding? Some sort of hot plate? Is there any way to tell?
Here's a photo of the part it's \"melted\" into.
Thanks in advance for any help/insight you might have on this. I've been scratching my head about this for the past week or so.
Hi Everyone, I'm working on my dissertation on Designing Commercial Steel Structures for Disassembly and Reuse in a Circular Economy. Could you please take 2 minutes to fill out this quick questionnaire? Your insights would be really helpful! https://forms.gle/AWHnqiio6K9CUB3EA Thanks so much!
Does anyone have any experience with inspection systems to measure cold stretching pearlescence vs. haze from over-heating crystallization during the blow molding process?
I think potentially vision (infrared/polarized) / thermal systems could help dial in process? Maybe even with a live feedback loop.
So yeah. In my facility (we've been open for a few months now) we got one of our metal detectors as a safeline. we also have fortress and TDI packsys. the fortress and TDI work wonderful. now the safeline on the other hand, whether you adjust the phase or the angle, it likes to kick off with ANYTHING that even has the slightest amount of moisture in it. another one we have, it kicks off if it has too much product going through it at once, too much as in 2 bags of diced onions in a row that are only 2 pounds each.. lol. these are a PAIN to work with. no matter what we do, it's too sensitive.
We have $4M in orders to give a manufacturer. Products are aluminum windows and doors. Prefer a company with 3-5 locations across the country. Whom do you recommend?
I am having a heck of a time finding a company that can make thin (<1mm) protective plastic "windows". I have a device with a digital display, and I want to put a thin polycarb or PETG clear protective window over it. I see these plastic windows on loads of electronic device housing but I cannot find anyone willing to make it. Any suggestions? Ideally I would want adhesive on the back and a logo printed on the front.
Working in a plant in which material with small particulate imperfections can be rejected both for size and/or color of the particle. We use Tappi charts for size measurement, they're very convenient and effective for our needs. Is there any company that makes comparable charts for color comparison / any recommendations for other quick low-cost ways to inspect for color?
So, it seems a bit strange, but I'll do my best to explain. I've been asked to write work instructions not based on how the product will actually be built on the assembly floor, but according to how the product would ideally be assembled in a vacuum. I've been informed I'll be expected to do this for each new product before it begins production.
But there is zero existing documentation from our R&D/design department to outline this "ideal assembly sequence," so I'm being told I have to derive this imaginary ideal sequence myself, using only a SolidWorks layout which does not include any wiring or hardware, plus the bill of materials.
To retain anonymity, I don't want to be too specific about the industry, but we make machines that weigh hundreds of pounds, fit one product box per pallet when packaged, and have low five-digit part counts.
Anyway, this "ideal build order" they want documented seems to me like something that should be derived by an engineer. Am I right to suspect that this is outside of the normal realm of a process writer, or is this a typical process writing thing?
Any videos, books, pdfs or links are greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
Hi
What is a small budget idea to take an existing flip-flop, make a specific change in the design, and Manufacture flip flops with changed design?
Thanks.
Hey all. I’m going on an ADHD fueled research spree on internal combustion engines. I’ve found most engine blocks and heads are made from sand casting, and then machining out controlled tolerance areas. At least for low volumes, wouldn’t powder bed fusion 3D printing be better? Afaik parts made with powder bed fusion have better tensile strength compared to castings, and would produce a cleaner finish in areas such as coolant pathways where machining isn’t possible. You could make a slightly smaller and slightly lighter engine, which would be beneficial for performance engines. The main downside I can think of is you don’t have the benefit of volume production like you get in casting, but for applications where PBF would be beneficial probably don’t require mass manufacturing on the same scale as casted parts. What do y’all think?
I have a commercial product in development after several successful deployments of prototypes on little sports broadcast projects like FIFA World Cups and the NFL Super Bowl. The updated engineering drawings for the main component molds are nearing completion. Drawings for a few supporting molded products will be complete soon. All drawings are in Solidworks by someone who does that for a living, and isn't me. And I expect that a good mold maker/manufacturer will have required and suggested modifications to the work we’ve done so far. I'm curious if there is one point of manufacture for these varied components in the Ohio valley or upper Midwest.
Main product:
I'm looking for an injection mold maker and manufacturer for five (5) HDPE components that are similar to products currently on the plastic pallet market. Each piece is roughly 30"x40"x6". I'm looking for a closed cell type of HDPE that is almost like a structural foam. Similar to ULine's Heavy duty nestable pallets and storage bins.
Supporting products:
Part A: Small rubber silicone rings approximately 3.5" ID and 1/2" thick, so 4" OD. I feel like this should be relatively easy to source, but I’d like to understand if it's possible to purposefully achieve different elastomeric properties from rings with the same dimensions. In an ideal scenario I'd like the ability to model the deflection properties of the different rings and their elastomeric values as a shock absorber for different loads and velocities. Good stuff to know about one's product, but in the end is probably just eye candy for customers.
Part B: HDPE with carbon fiber additive for married bracket pair. Approximately, the married pair is 3/4"x3/4"x12" when joined. I would like to consider getting 4 married pairs per molding, so 8 cavities. Probably also safe to consider using the same closed cell HDPE material referenced in the main product as an alternative to my suggestion for HDPE with a carbon fiber additive.
For context, I can see the outcome clearly in my mind's eye but I work with power, transmission, communications, and on-air technical systems in my day job. I have no personal manufacturing or mold making experience to draw from. The finished product is intended for data center and military deployments as well as the broadcast, AV, trade show, and data center co-lo markets. The whole product systems and these supporting molded products (and others components in this project) are currently housed under 4 pending patents, and PCTs.
I’m posting this in r/manufacturing and r/InjectionMolding for thoughts, advice, solicitation of services in the Ohio valley and upper Midwest. And I'm looking for questions I haven’t asked myself yet.
like how can they make different color products?
Dear manufacturers in Reddit, I am currently researching about synergies between AI and carbon emission. Manufacturers are welcomed to join a short qualitative interview and post shop floor application demo in Odoo framework.
Thanks in advanced.
Can someone in manufacturing explain why they don’t round the contents to an even weight.
I need a small rubber component manufacturing from Viton (or similar). Approx 100 pcs. Images to show what Im looking for:
Its relatively complex and quite small - 3.5 mm outer diameter (0.3 mm passthrough hole) I feel like the only way to do it is with an injection process which is not really cost effective at such a low volume.
I will probably need to make concessions to the design but I'm at a total loss where to start with this. Any suggestions welcome.
Hello, I am manufacturing balms. All the processes are quite manual. But we are wanting to scale through Meta ads meaning the production capacity need to increase. It means we need a machinery that can cook more products. Does anybody has suggestions on where I can get more information on production of bams and automation. To add to that, I am planning to go to Pack Expo in Chicago, would that event be useful to go to based on my current objectives