By integrating plastic components into the vehicles that the transportation industry relies upon, companies have seen an uptick in savings and safety, spurring further innovations for plastic injection molding, and the transportation industry as a whole.

Reduced Freight and Shipping Costs

Plastics are durable and lightweight, making them an ideal choice for components in a variety of vehicular applications, including panels, dashboards, seat assemblies, bulkhead components, and a number of other uses. By adopting plastic parts and components in vehicles, the transportation industry is able to reap the benefits from the lighter material through greater fuel economy and improved mileage. This translates into savings on every shipment provided by a vehicle with plastic components.

The parts are also more customizable, allowing companies to mass manufacture plastic parts in complex shapes. These can often take the place of pieces that would otherwise need to be manufactured through more complex processes, thus saving time and increasing efficiency on each plastic injection molded component. Combined with the increased durability of plastics — and the natural corrosion resistance — utilizing these plastic parts can lead to additional financial savings over the lifetime of the part as well.

Safety Innovations and Improvements

The transportation industry must align with specific regulations outlined by the US Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration. Some of the most important regulations involve the flammability of materials used in components of vehicles. Namely, materials used in vehicle interiors need to meet a number of guidelines to reduce the severity and frequency of burn injuries while allowing for a heightened evacuation time of vehicular occupants.

Many of the plastics available for injection molding are unique in that they have high rates of non-flammability. This allows the plastic materials to be processed in a way that meets and exceeds the standards set for industry regulations, without drastic increases in cost for manufacturing with the material. By utilizing plastic pieces, then, vehicles are able to maintain high safety standards, and companies are able to manufacture parts in a budget friendly, cost-efficient manner.

Plastics provide the potential for many industries to solve unique and specific material challenges without blowing budgets, timelines, and part complexity. For the transportation industry, plastics have opened up a new world of possibility, allowing companies to continue offering safe, efficient modes of shipping and transportation, while exploring new investments and industry innovations.

Hansen Plastics is committed to providing a customer-centric injection molding process. For industries like transportation, which rely on pieces and components for precision, customization, regulatory compliance, and maximized safety, consistent high-quality parts produced efficiently is a necessity. And each part needs to be delivered at affordable, competitive rates.

The team at Hansen Plastics is dedicated to meeting their client’s level of expected quality and affordability — and exceeding their industry’s standards — by producing plastic injection parts with continuous innovation in the plastic injection molding process. If you are looking for a trusted partner with 50 years of experience as a quality plastic injection molder, reach out to HPC today, or visit HansenPlastics.com for a full view of Hansen Plastic’s capabilities.

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From Seed to Harvest, and Everything in-between   

The role of plastic part innovations in the agriculture industry has had a rich history over the past 90 years. Because plastics are durable and light-weight, their ability to be adapted for multiple tool and equipment applications throughout agricultural processes is unsurpassed. For instance, injection plastic molded parts do not suffer from the same rusting and weathering issues that metal parts have when exposed to the outdoor elements, or when in contact with a variety of materials, allowing plastic parts to boast a longer lifespan for certain applications.

For the agriculture industry in particular, the parts need to do more than just perform — they need to be compliant. Because the U.S. AG industry is responsible for supplying the nation, and the world, with the food necessary to nourish the globe’s citizens, this requires strict regulation to ensure food safety standards. To meet FDA standards, testing and monitoring needs to be accurate at every stage of cultivation, which is why injection molded parts are utilized in equipment to test the soil, remove debris from seeds prior to planting, place the seed at specific depths for optimal growth, and help provide exact irrigation flow control.  

Cost Effective Quality

Precision is excellence in injection molding. By controlling all stages of the molding process, Hansen Plastics is able to pass on additional savings to manufacturers while producing parts that meet and exceed the quality standards required by their customers, such as those in the agriculture sector.

Using a process known as Decoupled Molding^SM, HPC engineers utilize transducers within the mold to adjust aspects of the molding process. This allows for minute changes in pressure, temperature, and flow to be made in real-time while the mold is running, ensuring production runs are completed efficiently and accurately. By employing these advanced techniques, Hansen Plastics’ engineers can monitor progress while producing without flashing or variance, reducing potential waste and defects at the same time. This helps engineers guarantee the consistent production runs clients expect, at a more cost-effective price, and with greater guarantees for a quality finished product.

HPC is committed to providing a customer-centric injection molding process. For industries like agriculture, which rely on design perfect products for precision excellence, minimal variance, and maximum product yields, consistent high-quality parts produced efficiently are a requirement. And these parts need to be delivered at affordable, competitive rates. The team at Hansen Plastics is dedicated to meeting their client’s level of expected quality and affordability, and their compliance requirements, by producing plastic injection parts with continuous innovation in plastic injection molding process. If you are looking for a trusted, experienced plastic injection molder to handle your products, reach out to HPC today, or visit HansenPlastics.com for a full view of Hansen Plastic’s capabilities.

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