Posted by Chuck Keeley on | Comments Off on How Can OEMs Cut Costs and Optimize Their Supply Chain?
For original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), the stress of product design and manufacturing often overshadows the maintenance of a lean supply chain.
Supply chain optimization is an initiative that always seems attractive, but it can be difficult to pinpoint just where to start.
According to a recent TMG-IMG study, OEM supply chain management and optimization can deliver enormous benefits to cutting costs associated with sales, administration, and products. Delaying a supply chain overhaul could lead to years of needless spending that could have easily be spent slashing costs.
Luckily, there are several simple steps you can take one at a time to achieve a lean supply chain, each of which carry a significant impact.
Step 1: Inventory Management
A well-maintained inventory can improve your business in a number of ways, some of which include:
Vendor-Managed Inventory (VMI) is a software-automated process offered by manufacturers like CGR Products to streamline the supply chain. In a VMI system, customers send automatically generated product reports directly to the manufacturer via customized software.
The advanced software eliminates the time-consuming rounds employees make as they walk around a warehouse counting products, as well as the possibility of human error or miscounting that result in delays and rush orders. Your entire ordering process is streamlined so only a minimum number of people have to touch each order.
Step 2: Production & Assembly Optimization
Design automation strategies, facility layouts, and production areas can all be re-organized and optimized to maximize workflow and efficiency.
One commercial small engine builder, for example, received die-cut rubber gasket parts in bulk delivery boxes, which called for a time-consuming assembly line process that involved stacking piles of parts, assembling them with additional gaskets, and finally installing them.
By changing to a rubber-coated, metal-clad material and packaging the parts in pre-counted and banded stacks, the OEM drastically reduced these assembly line times and achieved a direct costs savings of $400,000. Opportunities for small changes and efficiencies like these can be found everywhere, as long as teams are committed to looking for them.
Posted by Mike Burris on | Comments Off on Die Cutting vs. Waterjet Cutting: Which One Should You Use for Your Project?
More cutting methods are available today than ever before. While friction sawing used to be the primary industrial material cutting option, there are now nearly a dozen viable choices.
Not all cutting methods are created equal — which isn’t to say that one is categorically better than another, but rather that they all have their own strengths. To ensure the accuracy, efficiency, and cost effectiveness of your next project, each designated cutting method specified for a particular part should be a major consideration starting in the design phase.
Two of the more common cutting methods that manufacturers offer today, die cutting and waterjet cutting, each have benefits that are suited to particular needs.
Waterjet Cutting
Waterjet cutting, exactly as its name implies, uses highly pressurized jets of water to cut through soft materials. When harder materials such as metals or plastics are needed, abrasive mineral can be added to the water to enable the waterjet to cut these materials as well. This method offers several benefits over die cutting and other cutting methods.
Clean Cuts
Primary among these benefits are the clean cuts that the process generates.
Many companies consider waterjet cuts to be “finish cuts,” aesthetically acceptable cuts that require no secondary finishing processes. This is important for applications where financial budgets or time constraints are a concern — finishing processes add both time and money to your project.
Low Heat
The second important benefit of waterjet cutting is that it generates little heat, and transfers even less to the material being cut. This is important for a number of reasons:
It allows for the use of waterjet cutting on meltable and flammable materials — such as plastics, laminates, acrylics, and more — that can’t be laser or plasma cut
It prevents the release of heat-generated toxins into the workplace
It doesn’t create heat affected zones on cut parts, thereby eliminating a secondary finishing process that laser or plasma cut parts often require
Tolerances
Waterjet cutters are able to maintain tighter tolerances in their cuts because the cutters are controlled by highly accurate computer software. Additionally, the process creates no mechanical stresses in the material being cut, eliminating the loss of tolerance caused by warping.
Die Cutting
Die cutting is a very common method of cutting, wherein sheets of material are stamped with a die in order to create the required part. Die cutting carries many benefits:
Speed
Most die cutting processes, including rotary die cutting and progressive die stamping, are continuous processes. In these processes, rolls of material are continually fed into the equipment and stamped parts are continually output.
Simple parts in particular can be produced at great rates. Simple flat cogs, as an example, can be completed in one second with a single stamp. More complicated parts can be quickly manufactured by utilizing a progressive die stamping process.
Uniformity
Particularly important for large volumes of identical components, die cutting creates parts with a high degree of uniformity. Punching a part out with one swift movement prevents variances that can occur in processes that cut a shape around the edges. Tool and die fatigue can occur, but a quality stamper will know his machines and replace affected equipment long before they can impact the quality of the parts.
Cost
Because of its ability to create very high volumes of parts with a high degree of uniformity, die cutting is a relatively inexpensive method of cutting. The high output reduces time and, therefore, labor costs, and uniform products reduce losses related to quality assurance.
Additionally, die cutting equipment is fairly standard — many companies perform die cutting, so competition keeps costs reasonable. Tool and die manufacturing can be costly, but high volume part orders can easily negate that one-time expense.
Cutting with CGR
Over the course of more than 50 years, CGR Products has developed expertise with a range of different cutting methods — not only die and waterjet cutting, but also knife cuttingand more. Not every method is the same, nor are they all suitable for any project.
Posted by Mike Burris on | Comments Off on Material of the Month: EPDM Rubber
Highly Resistant and Versatile: A Solution for Everyday and Specialty Applications
This blog post is the third installment of a new CGR Products content series called “Material of the Month.” The series spotlights some of the unique materials that CGR works with, as well as their common applications.
Material selection can make all the difference when bringing a simple design idea to life. From cross linked polyethylene (XLPE) to acrylic foam tapes, our Material of the Month series highlights the benefits of these unique materials. This week, we’re featuring EPDM rubber.
What is EPDM Rubber?
Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber, also known as synthetic rubber, is a smooth elastomer used in a wide variety of both specialty and general-purpose applications. It is resistant to heat, weather, and steam, and also functions as an excellent electrical insulator.
Benefits and Uses
EPDM rubber is exceptionally resistant to heat, oxidation, electricity, ozone, weather aging, and polar solvents such as alcohol, water, ketones, alkalines, and diluted acids. The water resistance and insulating qualities make EPDM rubber a popular choice for cable-jointing and other electrical applications.
EPDM rubber’s most frequent use is in seals for automotive vehicle windows, doors, and trunks, as well as cold-room doors, such as a refrigerator. The material’s strong insulating properties help to prevent water, heat, or cold from entering the sealed environment.
Other common uses of EPDM rubber include:
Automotive weather stripping
Tubing and hoses
Belts
Glass-run channels
Washers
Custom Fabrication at CGR
At CGR Products, we offer smooth, black commercial EPDM sheet rubber with thicknesses ranging from 1/16” to 1/2” and a PSI of 725. Our precision die cutting, knife cutting, and waterjet cutting services can trim synthetic rubber sheets to fit the exact shape and size required for your application.
Posted by Mike Burris on | Comments Off on Material of the Month: Cross Linked Polyethylene (XLPE)
Lightweight, Versatile, Durable: A High Performance Foam Solution
This blog is the second in a new CGR Products content series titled “Material of the Month.” The series will spotlight some of the unique materials and their applications that CGR works with.
High performance material choices can make all the difference in a project. From sheet rubber to open- and closed-cell foam to adhesive solutions, our Material of the Month series will spotlight some of these unique materials and their applications.
For this post, we’ll be featuring cross linked polyethylene. This flexible, closed-cell foam has low water absorption and excellent thermal insulation properties.
The foam material also makes it highly efficient for conversion into various shapes — including Christmas trees and snowflakes, as pictured in the photo!
What is Cross Linked Polyethylene?
XLPE is a smooth, fine-celled foam with exceptional consistency and gauge control. It presents superior physical and chemical properties, including low vapor transmission and water absorption. XLPE is available in many grades.
Benefits and Uses
Foam rubber has cushioning properties to lessen impact and smoothly fill voids and gaps between less flexible materials. Closed-cell foams such as XLPE are especially useful as seals, reducing the flow of gases and other liquids. XLPE is particularly effective in transportation industry watershields, healthcare devices, and industrial cap seals because of its low water absorption.
Other uses of XLPE include:
Instrument panels and door panels for the transportation industry
Medical tape and transdermal drug delivery
Industrial tape and specialized packaging
Appliance and vehicle gaskets
Construction
Military and defense
Sports paddings and new technology
Nontoxic and free of CFC, HCFC, and hydrocarbon blowing agents, XLPE is available for conversion from both seamless rolls and laminated sheets. Each grade of XLPE offers its own unique environmental and physical performance perks — consult one of our materials experts to find the best fit for your project.
Custom Fabrication at CGR
Foam materials are an ideal option for many industries and are a highly efficient material for cutting and conversion work at CGR. Our team can hold standard RMA tolerances to create foam rubber gaskets, sealants, and custom parts.
Our precision die cutting services, including both rotary and flatbed die cutting, as well as knife cutting and waterjet cutting, can deliver extremely precise, ready to use foam components.
For more information on applications using XLPE, or to discuss other industrial foam options for your next project, reach out to a member of our team today.
Posted by Mike Burris on | Comments Off on How Are Rubber Materials’ Tolerances Calculated?
Rubber parts are becoming more popular for manufacturing because of their ability to deliver flexibility in a wide range of temperatures and situations. Versatility is a top benefit, but only if materials are designed correctly.
To prevent failures of critical parts and processes, the Rubber Manufacturers Association (RMA) has developed a table of tolerances that can guide in design decisions. Tolerances rely on industry standards for a variety of processes, considering cure time, temperatures, compound registration, and more.
With help from the RMA designed table, you can easily address design questions, and not over or under design the part.
Importance of Adhering to Tolerances
Rubber tolerances allow engineers to design and create products that meet the design. Making known that you adhere to RMA-prescribed tolerances helps your customers know you are meeting their design criteria.
Understanding RMA Tolerances
RMA tolerances also give you a great place to initiate discussions with purchasers when they’re looking for specialty pieces. Rubbers at long lengths can stretch or compress easily during the manufacturing process, so tolerances for longer lengths give you a starting point so you can make arrangements for measurement techniques.
Tolerance schedules are extremely important to engineers. CGR Products’ RMA Tolerances Table shares length and width tolerance dimensions of die-cut sheets or strip, expanded, and closed cellular rubber.
You can rely on this guide to ensure adherence to RMA standards for drawing designation thicknesses of .030 inches to more than .50 inches. The guide will help assure that your parts and products meet requirements from standard through non-critical applications. It includes an example of how to calculate tolerances for a material.
Posted by Chuck Keeley on | Comments Off on Meet the New Knife Cutting Machine at CGR: Flashcut Flex HD
Knife cutting is one of the fastest and most precise methods for producing parts.
From prototypes to final products, no matter the shape or size of a design, knife cutting technology offers flawless production for a wide range of materials.
We’re excited to feature brand new technology to the CGR Fleet from ATOM. “Cutting”-edge tooling, increased versatility, and unrivaled precision are just the beginning.
The Future of Knife Cutting: Flashcut Flex HD
The Flashcut FLEX HD S Series, part of ATOM’s family of Dieless Knife Cutting Tables, delivers the ideal cutting surface for CGR’s range of flexible materials. The table’s static working surface is supported by a powerful 11kW vacuum pump to hold material in place, eliminating potential errors from movement and the need for sacrificial sealing.
A multi-tool cutting head on the Flashcut is able to total cut, score cut, and kiss cut with a single knife chuck, androtating punches that can handle small diameter holes
“Cutting” Costs, Increasing Yields
A robust structure, reliable performance, and high-level precision are bottom line in the Flashcut Flex’s operation. But that’s not all:
Automatic nesting with integrated software helps nest shapes within shapes, producing better yield and reducing waste and cost for everyone.
The reduction of dies and tooling offers a cost savings advantage.Part concavity is virtually eliminated as well.
The Flashcut offers an advantage over waterjet cutting as the dieless knife process does not have any issues with water/moisture contamination.
Less hand cutting and fewer steps are needed for every part.
Check out all of our available custom cutting services, from knife cutting to water jets, laminating services, and more.
Posted by Mike Burris on | Comments Off on Material of the Month: Acrylic Foam Tapes
VHB Tapes can replace mechanical fasteners, liquid adhesives and more
This blog is the first in a new CGR Products content series titled “Material of the Month.” The series will spotlight some of the unique materials and their applications that CGR works with.
Our first material on the list is acrylic foam tape.
What is acrylic foam tape?
CGR handles and converts a wide range of acrylic foam tapes manufactured by 3M. Very high bond (VHB) tapes can act as a fastener in place of mechanical fasteners, liquid adhesives, and more in certain scenarios.
The closed-cell foam is viscoelastic, utilizing energy-absorbing, and stress-relaxing properties. VHB can also conform to the irregularities of all rigid substrates, even when there might be a slight mismatch, while maintaining high internal strength.
Benefits and Uses
Acrylic foam provides outstanding strength and durability for even the most demanding applications. It offers an instant and permanent bond for both static and dynamic forces in exterior and extreme conditions. The material can absorb shock against wind, vibrations and other high performance stresses.
In tests, the VHB tapes yielded 92% retention of peel adhesion after the roll was aged for more than 5 years at 150°F. Initial tack and liner release properties were still excellent, proving VHB’s ability to tolerate long-term exposure to periodically elevated temperatures.
In addition, the all-acrylic construction of these tapes offers:
Resistance to extreme temperatures, UV light, moisture, and solvents
Sealing against environmental conditions
Prevention against bi-metallic corrosion
Elimination of pull-through, dimpling, and weld distortion
Custom Fabrication at CGR
As a 3M Preferred Converter, the CGR team has years of experience customizing acrylic foam tapes to fit specific shapes, sizes, and profiles for different projects. Our precision die cutting services, including rotary and flatbed die cutting, as well as die-less knife cutting can deliver custom kiss-cut parts on a continuous roll or pad, ready to use.
To access performance data and learn how 3M VHB tape can benefit your application, visit our library of technical data on acrylic foam tapes.
Posted by Chuck Keeley on | Comments Off on Cutting vs. Converting – What’s the Difference?
Don’t Get Tangled Up in Terminology
The CGR team gets a lot of requests for cutting, converting, and fabricating. Fortunately for our customers, we do it all. As far as we’re concerned, these terms refer to the same process — the process of transforming a raw material into a precision component for your part.
If you participated in Manufacturing Day this month, you may have gotten a chance to dig into some of the processes and services from manufacturers across the country. We’re happy to break down some of our cutting capabilities right here, right now.
We specialize in flexible, non-metallic materials at CGR Products —that means custom parts, shapes, sizes and forms for markets of all kinds, cut from an immense range of elastomer, rubber and related thermoplastic materials. Each and every material —and family of materials —comes with specific capabilities to accommodate all types of industries.
Cutting, Converting or Fabricating?
As we said above, we do it all. Some of the specific methods we use to cut and convert materials at CGR include:
Die Cutting: Both rotary die cutting and flatbed die cutting are optimal for high volumes and precise tolerances.
Kiss Cutting: This special type of cutting (or converting) transforms sheets of material into sheets of parts that can be removed individually from a backing or liner.
Knife Cutting: This is one of the fastest methods for producing a part. It’s great for prototypes.
Slitting and Splitting: A shearing process, slitting or splitting takes a large roll and trims it into narrower or thinner rolls or sheets.
Waterjet Cutting: The accuracy and precision of a water jet cutter is ideal for soft materials.
Don’t forget that we also offer custom manufacturing and fabrication for projects that demand molding, extrusion. laminating and beaded gaskets.
Check out all of our available services, or call the team to discuss your particular project today. We look forward to cutting, or converting, or fabricating with you!
Posted by CGR Products on | Comments Off on Case Studies Prove the Importance of Precision Converting
Introducing Real Examples of Customers’ Precision Cutting Solutions
The right material and the exact cut make all the difference. For tight-tolerance components like gaskets, pumps and seals, there is no room for error — and no detail is too minor.
For example, one of our customers, a large boat manufacturer, had overlooked the importance of the gasket adhesive used to seal to their fuel tank. Their selected adhesive did not seal well to the tank substrate, and the gasket began peeling off. When the customer approached us with the issue, we tested and evaluated the performance of a combination of adhesives and sponge that would resist moisture. We selected and converted a high-tack transfer adhesive that was robust and durable, with the addition of an HDPE film liner for added protection.
We’re no stranger to material issues like these — we’ve worked with a number of projects that had design and performance issues:
This project’s end user designed a gasket to be fitted with our customer’s molded plastic parts. The customer had particular needs and expectations in order to make the gasket work for the end product, but the design — over which they had no control — proved flawed in many ways.
Industry: Manufacturing; OEM Parts
Problem: Gasket design delivered with a series of production issues, including edge tolerances and material performance, that resulted in tearing, slow processing and high rejection rates
Solution: An altered manufacturing and delivery process, customized for the design’s needs
Extreme temperatures are a challenge in many industries — but they’re no match for custom CGR solutions. After a polar vortex took its toll on new fueling dispensers at stations throughout the northern United States and Canada, the manufacturer came to us to help stop the freezing.
Industry: Automotive; Gas and Oil
Problem: Failed insulation on fuel dispensers caused diesel exhaust fluid to freeze inside its pump, making it impossible to dispense
With over 100 pieces of specialized equipment and years of experience on projects like these, the CGR Team is dedicated to getting your job done. Visit the Case Studies page to find more on the projects above, as well as additional case studies.
Even the most challenging projects deserve straightforward, accessible solutions. CGR has delivered custom gaskets and seals with top-of-the-line solutions for over 50 years — but you don’t always have to take our word for it.
Posted by CGR Products on | Comments Off on Chemical Resistance 101: Ensure Your Component Can Resist the Chemicals It’s Exposed to
Prevent degradation to your application with a Chemical Compatibility Guide
Each and every elastomer material — and family of materials — comes with specific capabilities.
Elastomers demonstrate resistance to harmful chemicals and fluids, but they vary greatly in performance depending upon the material in question. It’s crucial to the success of a project to prevent failure or degradation from chemical exposure by choosing an elastomer with the right resistance properties.
For example, both Natural Rubber (NR) and Butyl are classed as General Purpose, Non-Oil-Resistant elastomers. But their performance is very different.
Natural Rubber is resistant to most moderate chemicals, wet or dry, including organic acids, alcohols, ketones and aldehydes. It is generally attacked by strong Acids, fats, oils, greases, and most hydrocarbons.
Butyl, however, resists animal and vegetable oils, greases, and strong and oxidizing chemicals. It is attacked by petroleum solvents, coal tar solvents, and aromatic hydrocarbons.
Having a Chemical Compatibility Guide like CGR’s on file is helpful for breaking out these particular traits so you can choose the proper elastomer more efficiently. The chart can be used to rule out any elastomers with undesirable vulnerabilities for your project, covering information such as:
Types of elastomers and their ASTM designations
The chemicals that each elastomer material resists
The chemicals that degrade the materials
And more
CGR Products specializes in cutting and fabricating flexible, non-metallic materials into custom parts, shapes, sizes and forms for markets of all kinds. We work with an immense range of materials, including acrylics, adhesives, nitrile, neoprene, polyurethane, and many more.
Download your copy of our Ultimate Chemical Compatibility Guide from our resource library today, or call the team to discuss your particular project.
Supply chain optimization is an initiative that always seems attractive, but it can be difficult to pinpoint just where to start.
