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Category: Thermoforming

You can have the greatest robot in the world being delivered, but if you don’t have the employees who want to embrace the technology, you will have a robot that is going to sit there and do nothing.
-Brian Ray, Plastics Machinery Magazine, July 2016

Unless you’re as obsessed about plastics manufacturing as we are, you might have missed Plastics Machinery Magazine’s interview with Brian Ray, Ray Products’ president.

But don’t worry—we’re always looking out for our non-plastics-manufacturing-obsessed friends.

The interview covers some of Ray Products’ history, the changes we’ve seen over six-plus decades in the plastics manufacturing industry, advances in materials and equipment and where we see the future of plastics manufacturing headed.

So what are you waiting for? Check it out!

 

 

Category: Thermoforming

Let’s be frank. To survive for 66 years in the plastics manufacturing industry, you have to pay close attention to quality. For us, a commitment to quality is nothing new. In fact, it’s a commitment we’ve had that’s pretty much unchanged over the past 66 years.

What has changed are some of the ways we demonstrate that commitment. In 1949, ISO 9001 quality certifications didn’t exist. But in 2009, they did, and that’s when we decided that ISO 9001:2008 certification was one more way we could demonstrate our commitment to quality. (more…)

Category: Thermoforming

This article originally appeared in the May 2015 issue of Design2Part magazine. You can download a PDF of the original here.

By Rebecca Carnes

Supplying heavy-gauge, large-part pressure forming at lower quantities has insulated Ray Products from having to face much overseas competition. The simple reason, according to Jason Middleton, the company’s vice president of sales and development, is that heavy-gauge, large-part pressure forming doesn’t outsource well. (more…)

Category: Thermoforming

This article originally appeared in the April, 2015 issue of Design2Part Magazine. You can download a PDF of the original here.

By Rebecca Carnes

Specializing in thermoformed plastic parts, Ray Products Co., Inc. understands the unique qualities needed for medical device enclosures, such as durability, aesthetics, and built-in, antimicrobial resistance. The Ontario, Calif.-based company has been manufacturing enclosures for more than 60 years, and focuses on translating that experience into high-quality medical devices. These devices include medical electronics housings; imaging (X-Ray, CT Scan, MRI) enclosures; sterile packaging; bins and trays; hospital room panels; hospital bed components; and stands and support equipment.

Medical device enclosures make up the bulk of Ray Products’ medical business, and pressure-formed and vacuum-formed enclosures can be found on surgical and diagnostic equipment in healthcare facilities across the country. (more…)

Category: Thermoforming

Say you’ve decided that pressure forming is the right process for your next plastic manufacturing project.  How do you choose the right company to pressure form with?

While we’re obviously not a neutral party in this situation, we do have some advice that will help you get on the right track.

Price Matters

It’s not a bad idea to get your first project quoted by multiple pressure formers.  If you’re not familiar with the industry and what things should cost, it can help to make sure that you’re not being taken advantage of.

But it’s important to make sure you’re considering more than just the total at the bottom of the quote sheet.

How much would it cost you if you didn’t meet your deadline?  What about the  cost of changing your mold because of unexpected problems?  Or the costs of production defects?

Look at price, but remember that the cheapest quote you get up front, might not offer the best value in the end.

(more…)

Category: Thermoforming

After we published the results of our 2014 thermoforming industry survey, Medical Design Briefs asked if we could share the results of the survey that are specific to the medical device industry.

We were more than happy to, and the result is an article in their February, 2015 edition.

Here are a few highlights:

  • Only 7% of Medical Device Manufacturers are Happy with Offshore Manufacturing and Have No Plans to Reshore
  • Medical Device Manufacturers Care About Quality Even More Than Customers In Other Industries
  • Thermoforming Accounts for 28% of Overall Plastics Manufacturing by Medical Device Manufacturers, and is Expected to Grow

Get the full details from the article.

Category: Thermoforming

It’s not always easy to tell which companies are using thermoforming, but the truth is that if you choose pressure forming or vacuum forming for your next project, you’re in good company.

We’ve put together a list of 17 companies who, we have it on good authority, use thermoforming. We could just give you the list, but instead we thought we’d make things a bit more fun with a crossword.

Get your puzzle on below, and find out which leading companies have chosen thermoforming as the right process for them.

Want to break out your pencil and go oldschool? Download this PDF and party like it’s 2005.

When you’re done (no cheating!) you can check out the answer key here.

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Category: Thermoforming

When it comes to manufacturing medical device enclosures, there are several processes to choose from. We know we’re a bit biased, but more often than not, pressure formed plastic really is the best option for medical device enclosures.

Here are 9 reasons why.

#1: Cost at Quantity

When you factor in both tooling and production costs, pressure forming quite often has the lowest total cost of any other process in volumes of the high-hundreds to mid-thousands. These are very common quantities in medical device enclosure manufacturing.

#2: Large Part Capability

Our pressure forming machines can create single pieces up to a full 10’x6’, with up to 40” of depth. That’s the type of size you need when you’re creating enclosures for things like MRI, CT and X-Ray machines, or ancillary equipment like beds and chairs.

#3: Huge Material Selection

When you’re pressure forming, you can choose from literally hundreds of materials. These materials can come with properties like excellent impact protection, V-0 flammability ratings and even built-in antimicrobial resistance. The same thermoplastic materials that are used for injection molding are commonly used in pressure forming. (more…)

Category: Thermoforming

3D printing is big news, and it’s no wonder. Just a few years ago, the idea of printing directly from a CAD file to a 3D physical object in a matter of minutes was preposterous. Today, it’s entirely possible.

With so much coverage in the press and popularity online, we’re sometimes asked, “Is 3D printing cutting into your business?” The very truthful answer is, not at all. In fact, it can be quite helpful.

You see, 3D printing is excellent at what it does, but what 3D printing does is quite different from what thermoforming does.

Thermoforming is a very cost-effective process once you’re planning to produce quantities of a few hundred parts up into the mid-thousands. When potential customers ask us to produce a single prototype, we usually refer them to 3D printing or other prototyping processes to help ensure manufacturability in thermoforming. This way, when they’re ready for that production run, there’s going to be no question which method is right for them. (more…)

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