Posted by Mike Burris on | Comments Off on Benefits of Using a Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) System
Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) can be an effective strategy for companies looking for cost savings and a more stable supply chain. In this post, we will outline the benefits of VMI as well as the services that CGR Products provides with these programs.
What is VMI?
VMI is a program where the supplier manages your inventory for you. These programs helped make some of the largest retailers the giants they are today. After seeing these successes, manufacturing caught on as a way to move toward lean practices and to become a demand-driven supply chain.
Traditional method
With traditional purchasing and stocking methods, sales are predicted and inventory is ordered based on the forecast. This method comes with risks of buying too much or too little. In the event of too little inventory, a risk may be present if the supplier cannot meet the higher than expected demand and lost sales may occur. Too much inventory will tie up money and can cause warehousing (cashflow) issues.
VMI method
With VMI, the goal is for the customer to only buy what they are moving. Using VMI requires a very close relationship between the customer and the supplier. Using technology to maintain constant contact between both parties, the customer can purchase in smaller batches and avoid emergency orders. Using this data allows both parties to work off of much more accurate forecasts.
CGR Products & VMI
CGR Products has been providing VMI services to our customers for many years. Based on great relationships and communications with our customers, we keep properly maintained inventories based on actual usages and forecasts. Our VMI programs give us more control so we can manage raw materials and be more efficient.
CGR Products can offer many different configurations of VMI. Working with our customers to find the VMI system that works best for them is the key.
One common aspect of the program is a bin system that is serviced by our own delivery driver. Highlights of this system are:
Bins are set up at the customers’ location where they are physically needed.
The driver counts the inventory on hand.
Determines the appropriate re-order quantity based on recent usage and predetermined stocking levels.
Enters the quantity consumed and the quantity to be re-ordered.
Electronically scans the provided barcode label on each bin to assure accurate capturing of the item details.
Orders are electronically transmitted directly into CGR’s manufacturing system via our proprietary inventory technology.
On the next visit, stock is rotated, new stock is scanned into inventory, and the bins are refilled to the acceptable level.
VMI runs on a revolving weekly schedule, with deliveries occurring once per week or multiple times per week depending on customer requirements.
Other Programs CGR Products currently works with include EDI and Portals. CGR Products works directly within customer portals to maintain inventory and execute orders. Orders are electronically placed directly into our manufacturing system from the portal. These types of systems allow for more accurate order fulfillment with fewer errors and often include electronic shipping notices, invoicing, and payments.
Benefits
With an effective VMI system, the benefits are shared for both parties. Some of these benefits include:
Ensuring the necessary parts are ready and available when needed.
Smaller orders allowing for lower inventory costs.
Better inventory turnover rate.
Reduced administrative costs.
More stable supply chain.
Close communications and partnerships between customers and suppliers.
Posted by Chuck Keeley on | Comments Off on Running an Effective Meeting
Do you want your credibility to skyrocket? Learn how to run great meetings!
I was recently attending a social gathering and a gentleman that served on a committee where I was the chair over 10 plus years ago came up to me and introduced me to his wife as the guy who ran the best meetings he has ever participated in. He went on to tell her that he was quite sure that I ran a solid business simply because of the way I ran the committee meetings. It was a pretty funny and interesting interaction especially because I did not know him that well and I certainly did not and don’t know him well enough for him to know whether our business is solid or not. The point is that he drew that conclusion simply because of how I ran meetings.
Insights
With most jobs you go about your normal daily functions by yourself or with small informal interactions with your peers. Formally scheduled meetings are relatively infrequent and the ones you personally organize are even more infrequent. In any group setting regardless of whether it is work-related or not, the people involved are always forming opinions of everyone else. A meeting is no different. It is a human instinct when you are in a group setting to assess everyone else and form judgments of the other people. It comes from our survival instinct. People need to know if anyone in the group poses a threat to their safety. Now, let’s consider a meeting scenario. All participants will be analyzed by all the other participants. It stands to reason that if you are the organizer of a meeting, you are probably going to be assessed at least as much as anyone else and probably more. This gives you the chance to enhance your credibility, and in turn, you have the chance to hurt it.
The funny thing is that it is not hard to run an efficient, organized, and productive meeting. Let’s dig into some simple guidelines that, if followed, can make you look like an all-star.
Preparation
First, and by far, the most important part of any meeting happens before it even starts. From an importance standpoint, 75 percent of the success of a meeting depends on the pre-meeting preparation. Send an agenda well in advance of the meeting with the following information: the time, start and finish, the place, the invitees, the objective, all necessary information, and who is responsible for what. If there is any necessary information needed by any of the participants to prepare for the meeting, make sure they get it in plenty of time to fully digest it. Let everyone know they need to have read and understood all the pre-meeting information because you will not read it over in the meeting. I can’t stress this enough. So many people expect to be “babysat” if they are not the meeting organizer. Don’t let that happen, they have a responsibility to be prepared as a participant as well. I have seen too many meetings drag on because you must review information that should have been read and understood before the meeting ever started.
Stay on Time
Next comes the meeting. Always start on time. If anyone comes in late don’t backtrack to catch them up. It wastes everyone else’s time and they will realize that in the future they better be on time for your meetings. I have said before to a late participant that “their time must be more important than anyone else’s”. I say it jokingly, but it definitely gets the point across. At the start of the meeting outline the objective(s) of the meeting. Then start through the agenda. Make sure everyone participates and is given the opportunity to contribute. That said, make sure you keep the meeting on task. We all know how much time can be wasted on topics that have nothing to do with the original objective(s). It is critical to refocus the group if the meeting heads off course. If there are topics that come up that need to be addressed but are not part of this agenda, assign an action item to that topic to be addressed at another time. Occasionally, as the meeting organizer, you must use your judgment to decide how far to let a topic “wander”. Sometimes straying a bit off topic can be very beneficial and allow the group to discover a new idea or concept. That judgment is the art of running a meeting, but be careful, that can quickly be the downfall of a meeting.
Finally, make sure you end the meeting on time. People’s schedules are tight, and they appreciate it when you get them out when you said you would. If there are topics that were not covered, schedule another meeting to complete those topics. When a meeting is set to end at a certain time, people subconsciously prepare themselves mentally for that time. If you go past, you lose them. At the end of a meeting always summarize the progress made toward the objective(s) and assign actions items to people including expected completion dates. Thank your team and adjourn.
After the Meeting
The final part of any meeting is the aftermath. Send out meeting notes that include the objective(s), any notes on progress toward the objective(s), and the assigned action items with a due date. These notes need to be sent in a timely manner after the completion of the meeting. I would suggest no more than 24 hours. Put tasks in your personal task list to follow up on the assigned action items on the due date if they have not been completed. Doing this holds everyone accountable.
Running great meetings will increase your personal credibility and make the organization better. Who knows, maybe one day someone will come up to you at a social gathering and introduce you to their wife or husband by telling them how well you run a meeting. Good luck and I look forward to participating in your next meeting.
Posted by Mike Burris on | Comments Off on To Fuji or not to Fuji Test your Gaskets, That is the Question
Many variables can affect gasket sealing such as internal pressure, temperature, gasket design, and flange load. Sometimes it is necessary to dig a little deeper into the actual sealing picture when a difficult or critical sealing situation is encountered. In this article, we will explore a process we call “Fuji Testing”.
How Fuji Testing Works
Fujifilm Prescale is a polyester based film that contains a layer of tiny microcapsules. The application of force upon the film causes the microcapsules to rupture, producing an instantaneous and permanent high resolution “topographical” image of pressure variation across the contact area. The use of this tactile sensor film is one method CGR Products uses to help customers see a “Static” picture of how the gasket is sealing in the current application.
We place the Fuji film between any two surfaces that touch, mate or impact. Apply pressure, remove it, and immediately the film reveals the pressure distribution profile that occurred between the two surfaces. Like litmus paper, the color intensity of the film is directly related to the amount of pressure applied to it. The greater the pressure, the more intense the color.
Analyzing the Fuji Data
The principle way in which CGR Products uses Fuji film is to determine if the current gasket design is producing an acceptable seal to satisfy the customers’ requirements. In our example below, you are looking at a currently designed gasket where its highest pressure points are at the bolt holes. The bolt pressure points left a softer area in the middle of the flange.
Making Recommendations
If it is determined that the sealing pressure revealed by the Fuji film is not acceptable, CGR Products can use the film data to determine a possible revised gasket design. These tests can also reveal that a material change is all that is needed to satisfy the sealing requirements. Using the same example, this is CGR Products proposed design and material change after Fuji analysis.
Learn More
To answer the question as to whether a Fuji analysis is right for you, Ask yourself if the potential warranty cost to your company is worth the time and effort. Let CGR Products help with your sealing issues so we can work together to solve potential warranty problems before they occur. Feel free to contact us with questions or dig deeper into our capabilities by clicking on our website.
Posted by Mike Burris on | Comments Off on Material of the Month: Felt
CGR Products stocks a large variety of materials for a wide range of applications. Flexible rubber sheeting, adhesive solutions, and fiber materials are just a few of our specialty options.
Our Material of the Month series spotlights some of our favorite materials and their unique applications. This month, we’re discussing Felt.
What is Felt?
Felt is a very versatile and resilient industrial fabric that is manufactured using different processes.
Needle Punch Process:
A fiber such as polyester is interlocked using a machine with thousands of needles moving in an up and down motion. Heat is then applied using a calendar roll to make a smoother surface and remove fuzziness from the felt. Calendaring can also be used to produce a firmer sheet. A binder can be added to felt that needs to be thermo-formable.
Woven:
Wool or wool blended with other yarn are woven into cloth and then felted using steam and pressure to interlock the fibers.
Pressed:
Wool fibers or wool blended with other fibers are pressed together with steam and pressure that allows the fibers to naturally interlock.
Material Terminology
Denier: weight in grams of one single thread of fiber 9,000 meters long.
Loft = thickness
Hand: the feel of the felt.
Weight: ounces per square foot or grams per square meter.
Vibration dampening gaskets, noise reduction, and lint and air seals.
General Industrial Applications
Industrial sander backing pads, floor protection pads, and oiler pads for slitting and friction applications.
Using Felt for Your Application
As flexible material specialists, the CGR team offers years of experience in converting felt into components to fit specialty projects. Our in-house precision cutting services include rotary and flatbed die cutting, kiss cutting, slitting, splitting, knife cutting, and more.
For more information about applications and fabrication possibilities, visit our Materials Page. To discuss any Felt options for your next project, please reach out to our team today.
Posted by Chuck Keeley on | Comments Off on Making a Decision
Over my career, I have had the opportunity to experience many decisions being made, a nice way to say I’m getting old. I have seen good ones and bad ones and I have made good ones and bad ones. Ultimately, over 90% of the value any person is to any organization is directly related to their decision-making ability. Any decision is, at its core, a risk assessment. You must assess two or more potential directions and then choose the best one. There are always pros and cons to those directions. Making a decision may seem easy enough, but there are many skills and factors that are part of that process.
Emotional Strength
There are several personal skills necessary for good decision making. By far the most important quality and the one that is the hardest to find in people is having the emotional strength to do it. The biggest issue I have seen that holds most people back in their respective career is having the emotional strength to shoulder the responsibility for a decision as the risk increases. In other words, as the emotional or financial risks increase many people shy away from making a decision. It is one thing to decide whether to go left or right at a stop sign, it is completely different to decide if a person is in the right job or if you should spend a million dollars with no guarantee of success and 100 people’s income is affected by that decision. So many people either don’t want that burden or the stress of that burden is too much for them to handle.
Understanding Data
Having the ability to understand all the information involved in a decision is another skill that is necessary to make good decisions. Information comes in many forms. For example, there is empirical data, concepts, emotions, and situational considerations to name a few. Typically, people have their strengths and weaknesses depending on the type of information that they are assessing. I do not understand quantum physics and for me to understand it, I would have to spend so much time learning it that it would not be worthwhile. To put yourself in the best situation to make good decisions you should honestly assess yourself and seek input when you are dealing with information that is difficult for you. One of the best businessmen I know has a tough time understanding the emotional impacts his decisions have on his team. He knows that about himself and does a tremendous job seeking input from other people that understand those impacts better than he does. From a big picture perspective directing your career so you are dealing with information that you know well helps you be a more effective decision maker. However, no matter what career field you chose, you should always continue to learn and improve on your strengths and weaknesses, so you can make more effective decisions.
Filtering Data
Once you understand the information, you need to be able to filter the information. If you struggle to filter what is important to the decision at hand, that information is useless. In almost every scenario, regardless of how risky the decision, there are 2 or 3 main factors that will determine the outcome of that decision. Too many times people are overwhelmed with the amount of data they must synthesize. You must be able to identify the most important factors and eliminate everything else. The inability to weed out all the noise will paralyze a person’s ability to decide.
Timeframes
Another criterion for effective decision making is being able to decide in a productive time frame. If it takes you 5 years to make a decision, you will not make many of them over your lifetime. There is an efficient period to make any decision. The riskier the decision, the longer it usually takes, but there is a limit. You have heard the term “paralysis of analysis”. Time is money and taking too much time to make decisions costs money. On the other side of the coin, you can make decisions too fast. In that case, you do not give yourself enough time to consider all the options. Sometimes people are so focused on getting another item off their “To do” list that the driving force to make the decision is that instead of the driving force being to make a good decision.
Culture & Personalities
There are also decision-making considerations that have nothing to do with you. They are external. Things like the culture of the organization that you are working in, the constituents that are judging your decisions, and the process.
Every organization has a culture that is unique. No matter what decision-making skills you have, you must consider the culture of that organization for your decisions to succeed. Some organizations will not accept a decision if it is made too quickly. Others look at the speed of a decision as being the most critical factor for success. If you work at a fire station, quick decisions are very important, while quick decisions in a pharmaceutical company are not. Be aware of the decision-making culture in your environment to give your decisions the best chance for success and in turn giving your career the best chance to progress.
Just like organizations have different cultures, people have different behavior types. Very few decisions are made that do not impact other people, the people you report to, your peers, the people that report to you, family members, friends, basically your constituents. The success of your decisions will be directly influenced by the people impacted. You must consider your constituents as a direction is chosen. How will they react? What actions will they take? How will this affect them emotionally? Your constituents will judge your decisions and your long-term success will depend on those judgments.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “there is a right way and a wrong way to do something?” That is true in the decision-making process as well. Your decision-making process can make or break your decisions. As I explained above, organizations have a culture and people have different behavior types. If those entities inherently respect the process you use to make a decision, your decisions will be more successful and your value to the organization will increase.
Decision Evaluation
Finally, don’t spend time regretting or gloating over a past decision. That is not productive, but assessing a decision with the intent to learn is. Set a realistic assessment time in the future and do a postmortem review to evaluate how the decision was made, was the outcome good or bad, should you continue in the chosen direction, and what would you have done differently if you had to do it again. The intent is not to beat yourself up or pat yourself on the back. At the time a direction is chosen, do everything you can to make the chosen direction work. Every bad decision I have made has helped me make better decisions in the future. Bad decisions are opportunities to learn and if that is your mindset, you will get better at decision making, and in turn, help advance your career. At the end of the day (my kids love it when I use that phrase) you must understand the information, filter out what is critical to the decision, assess the risk, and understand your constituency. There are tools you can use to improve your decision-making abilities, but for now, work on one thing; developing the internal fortitude necessary to shoulder the responsibility of making a decision and then “JUST MAKE THE DECISION” Good luck.
Learn More
For more than 50 years, CGR Products has been a leading supplier of reliable, high-quality products. To read more from CGR Products, visit our Blogs page or feel free to click around on our website.
Posted by Mike Burris on | Comments Off on UL Materials | Closed Cell Sponge Rubber
Many users of sponge rubber products for sealing are unaware that UL guidelines dictate that when adhesive is applied to sponge rubber the chemistry has been changed. Essentially, this creates a new product which must pass specific tests to be added to a list of approved UL materials.
To help solve this issue, CGR Products has three UL listed closed cell sponge and adhesive combinations that are listed to UL JMLU2 standards and are suitable for UL50E applications.
In this guide, we will break down our three combinations to help you identify the best solution for your application.
8002/702P
8002/702P is considered our “high-end” combination utilizing greater temperature ratings and high-performance adhesive. 8002 sponge is pure EPDM sponge. It has 2A2 ASTM designation with a density of 9 +/-2. The 702P adhesive is a heavy mass 7mil (liner side) double coated acrylic tape.
5031/9824
5031/9824 is considered our “mid-grade”. 5031 sponge is a blend of EPDM/CR/SBR. It has 2A1 ASTM designation with a density of 6 +/-2. The 9824 adhesive is 3mil (liner side) high strength double coated acrylic tape.
DK1111/9816
DK1111/9816 is considered our “general purpose” combination and also utilizes a rubber based adhesive. DK1111 sponge is a blend of EPDM and Neoprene. It has 2C1 ASTM designation with a density of 5. The 9816 adhesive is 3.5mil (liner side) double coated high tack rubber-based tape.
UL Materials from CGR Products
These UL listed closed cell sponge with adhesive combinations are commonly used for sealing and gaskets in electrical enclosures, control panels, appliances, and many other applications. CGR Products offers lamination, slit to width, sheeting, and die cutting for all of your converting needs. Our UL listed Products are labeled and shipped with the Recognized Component Mark,
For a further in-depth look at our UL listed Products, download our latest eBook by clicking here.
Posted by Mike Burris on | Comments Off on Material of the Month: Rogers Corporation PORON
Here at CGR, we stock a wide variety of specialty materials, from unique adhesive solutions and flexible rubbers to custom-engineered fibers. During our Material of the Month blog series, we’ve been showcasing some of our favorite, most popular materials, outlining their unique features and exploring common applications.
CGR Products is a Rogers Corporation preferred converter. At CGR Products we stock many grades of PORON® and several thicknesses. CGR commonly adds adhesive then fabricates finished parts by means of die cutting, waterjet cutting, knife cutting, rotary cutting, and slitting.
Adding adhesive to PORON® makes for great kiss cut applications. Other methods to note; if larger window frame gaskets can be dovetailed or foldout, this will allow a much greater utilization of material and substantially reduce cost.
Using PORON for Your Application
As flexible material specialists, the CGR team offers years of experience in converting PORON® into gaskets and components. Our in-house precision cutting services include rotary and flatbed die cutting, kiss cutting, slitting, splitting, knife cutting, and more.
PORON® 4 piece dovetailed gasket. This eliminates the center waste if this was cut as a 1 piece gasket.
Three dimensional tray made from multiple plies of PORON® to be used as a shock mount for heavy equipment touchscreen displays.
For more information about PORON®’s unique applications and fabrication possibilities, visit our PORON material page.
Posted by CGR Products on | Comments Off on Working with Flexible Material? Avoid These Design Mistakes!
CGR Products was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1963. We started out cutting precision gaskets for the textile industry, but we’ve come a long way — and seen a lot of mistakes — since then. Every day, our team cuts, slits, laminates, skives, and molds materials into precision components to serve clients in numerous facets of the industrial OEM market.
We work with designers to bring their projects and tools to life, and do everything we can to make that process efficient, affordable and successful. Our operators use over 100 pieces of quality equipment to handle daily work, and they dedicate their energy to executing designs with precision and efficiency.
Over time, our team has encountered many common, simple design mistakes that are easily avoided. That means savings — in both time and money — for everyone, especially engineers.
Mistake #1: Tolerances are too tight for flexible materials
Custom fabricated parts can come from dozens upon dozens of materials — PVC, graphite, fiberglass, Mylar, Plexiglass, polycarbonate, urethane, PTFE, rubber, PEEK and neoprene are just a few examples. Even soft, flexible non-metallic materials such as adhesives can be cut to precise shapes and dimensions with state of the art methods from the CGR team.
Custom Cutting Processes
Die Cutting: Rotary die cutting and flatbed die cutting are easy, cost-effective and ideal for high volume orders. They provide for easy hole and web removal and are very precise, optimal for producing parts with the tightest tolerances.
Kiss Cutting: This process cuts material without penetrating its backing liner. This is excellent for producing parts in sheets, like a roll of stamps. The parts can be removed one at a time, with absolute precision.
Knife Cutting: Fast and accurate, knife cutting produces a smooth, clean edge on manufactured parts with a serrated blade. Best for paper, fiber, rubber and foam gaskets, and ideal for running prototype parts due to optimal material yield (and thus a lower cost).
Slitting/Splitting: An excellent method for converting adhesive tape into precision roles of all sizes. The industry-standard method will produce a roll cut to exact engineered dimensions.
Waterjet Cutting: Using a high-pressure water stream, this method is best for soft materials. It can accommodate extremely tight tolerances and produces clean, smooth edges in materials up to 9” thick without a cupping effect. Another recommended method for prototype parts with good material yield.
Despite the high quality and precision of these methods, all materials have certain limitations. Most design engineers work regularly with rigid materials, and request accordingly tight tolerances. However, flexible materials don’t need such tight tolerances — especially when undergoing precision cutting processes.
We recommend that any design attempt to remain as pure and straightforward as possible, while minimizing hazardous elements and potential error. Designs that offer more forgiveness and flexibility — especially in materials that are inherently flexible — have greater chances for success.
The engineers at CGR work intimately with this range of materials, and can offer insight from the very beginning of a project’s design. Tighter tolerances raise both costs and risk for mistakes; CGR engineers can help answer questions as you consider the softness of material resources in the flexibility of your design.
Mistake #2: Material research is important — don’t over-engineer
It’s easy to be overwhelmed at the wide variety of available materials for your project. Everyone wants a top-of-the-line result, but that doesn’t always mean spending the most money. Our clients often ask for an expensive brand that really isn’t necessary — there are plenty of cheaper, highly capable materials that will often serve the same purpose just as well.
For example, three of the polymers from the low-cost range at CGR Products display impressive capabilities.
Neoprene: This general purpose industrial gasket material is resistant to non-aromatic petroleum oils and greases with a standard smooth finish, 500 psi tensile strength, and temperature range of -20 to +170 F.
Nitrile Rubber: Oil, grease and solvent resistant, this is an ideal material for industrial service. 640 – 700 psi tensile strength, 300% elongation, and temperature range of 0 F to +170 F (exception 566 Nitrile, White, FDA, temperature range -25 F to +180 F).
Butyl Sheet: A quality rubber sheet that’s ideal for airtight rubber applications, Butyl has excellent resistance to ketones, paint or ink dryers, and ozones. Also performs well in saturated or inorganic salt solutions; 1200-1300 psi tensile strength and temperature range of -40 F to +180 F.
The full inventory of materials at CGR Products is nothing short of vast, and our team works with every one of them. An early consultation with a materials professional can save engineers time and money in final designs.
Mistake #3: Discounting the properties — final performance is fundamentally based on material choice
Manufacturers don’t simply supply a range of materials in order to offer flexible rates. Regardless of cost, every material has a unique set of properties and performs differently according to temperature, chemical exposure and so on. When an engineer doesn’t carefully consider a material’s specific performance ranges, the final product often doesn’t live up to expectations in appearance, function and overall results.
In temperature range alone, the CGR portfolio offers materials performing from -150 F to 500 F, and for every range in-between.
These are just a few of the materials from the CGR inventory — find the rest in our Resource Library or contact a specialist with your desired performance requests. They’ll be sure to have recommendations for your design needs.
Mistake #4: Neglected edge clearances result in ripping
Our engineers at CGR Products frequently experience errors in flange width, specifically in hole placement. While cutting processes are precise enough to create these holes, all materials have limitations.
Holes that have been designed too close together, regardless of the precision of manufacturing, will still rip in the final product. This is a disappointment for everyone, and can be easily avoided with early consideration and collaboration between designers and our engineering team.
The position of bolt holes in a flange are of particular importance, both for the finished piece and the CGR components.
The Centerline Rule for Flanges
All bolt holes should straddle the centerlines of the overall piece.
A vertical flange face should be designed with bolt holes on the vertical and horizontal centerlines. The centerline should cut through the diameter of the holes.
A horizontal flange face needs holes oriented on the Plant North centerlines. This horizontal reference point can be derived from the geographical references in a given plant situation.
Remember to take extra consideration for the material in your design! Depending upon the liquids to be handled in the final flange project, your gasket may demand different chemical or physical traits. Our team of specialists (not to mention our deep selection of in-stock choices) can help you select a material that strikes the balance between physical fit for your design’s bolt holes and chemical performance for the final project.
Mistake #5: Forgetting the packaging — it’s not just for presentation
CGR Engineers work with complex orders every day, and their insight can inform every step of the process, all the way to delivery. We want you to receive your parts in the easiest, most efficient way. Considering packaging choices from the start of a project is a great way to preempt potential confusion or worse, a mess, at delivery.
As mentioned previously in this guide, kiss cutting is one of our specialties at CGR. This very particular type of cut produces a sheet of matching parts with a backing sheet, much like stickers or stamps. The parts are crafted on a roll, ready to be removed one by one for application.
If an engineer has chosen the kiss cut method for production but requests for the finished materials to be removed from the roll before they’re in hand, the resulting package will be very difficult to handle. Think about how you’ll need to use your parts, or how you plan to receive or store them. The CGR team offers samples, recommendations and packaging insight for jobs of all sizes.
What Can CGR Do For You?
Readying a new design for production requires much more than five easy tips. The full CGR Resource Library and team of experts are available to clients with specifications, cost charts, comparative material information on temperature and chemical resistance and more. Our design team works with automotive, marine, appliance, plastic molding, power tool, electrical, small engine and countless other clients. We provide solutions to OEMs, tier suppliers, and military and government contractors.
Our in-house tool and die capabilities mean maximum problem solving with minimal lead times, and an extensive inventory of raw materials supports projects of all kinds. Safety stocks are in place with our inventory of finished goods, and consultation with our experienced staff is always available to get you started. Request a quote or e-mail us at info@cgrproducts.com to learn more today.
Posted by Mike Burris on | Comments Off on Three Capabilities You Might Not Have Known About CGR Products
Here at CGR Products, we use a variety of cutting and fabricating capabilities on a daily basis. However, we do some fabricating that might seem “out of the norm” from our core manufacturing. In this article, we will highlight three things you might not have known about CGR Products capabilities.
Metal Fabrication Capabilities
All three CGR Products facilities have the ability to fabricate high volume metal parts. Each location has die cutting presses capable of cutting thinner gauge metals, typically in roll or sheet form. In addition, our Waukesha, WI plant has 2 abrasive waterjet machines capable of cutting many types of thicker metals. We produce specialty gaskets including head gaskets with fire rings, and metal encapsulated gaskets. Watch our video below of a high volume metal composite being die cut.
Displays and Lettering
CGR Products has the unique capability of fabricating foam lettering and displays in high volumes. These items can be plain, adhesive backed, or magnetic backed. We can cut foam up to 9.00″ thick in a variety of colors and densities. We work directly with the retail store design firms to meet their specific display goals. Examples of our work can be found in Grocery Stores and retail shops in the Southeast. Visit our Open and Closed Cell Foam Materials page for examples of the types of foams we work with.
Foam Perforation
CGR Products has the specialized capability of wide format foam perforation. Foam perforation is typically found as underlayment in sporting fields to allow for water drainage. Our perforation process can cut material up to 60″ wide and run roll to roll. Our unique process allows the slugs to be removed while cutting, saving time for the end user. Once perforated, the rolls are plastic wrapped and labeled. Rolls are typically shipped in truckload quantities ready for the end user to install.
Learn More
With over 140,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space and over 100 top-quality machines, CGR serves a diverse range of clients. To learn more about our capabilities, click around our website or visit our Sample Gallery to view a portfolio encompassing many of the industries we serve.
