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Essay / Taguchi method used in plastic injection molding optimization
In each of the products, 70% of the elements of the consumer product are represented by mold manufacturing. This is essential in any industry [4]. Obstacles in mold manufacturing are increasing demand for high dimensionality, rapid design changes, shorter construction and production lead times [34]. This process is difficult and requires a mold maker with the skills and qualifications [4]. Today, injection molding is one of the crucial polymer processing procedures in the plastics industry[35]. It is a highly valued process in the manufacturing industry due to its ability to generate complex-shaped plastic parts with high dimensional accuracy and shorter cycle times [36]. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay. For example, case and case products, like machine parts such as laptops, have a complicated shape. These products are likely to become more complicated, thinner or smaller due to the increase in technology which tends to produce more powerful but smaller or agile products. Thus, the product component must be arranged in a smaller sized package. Thus, in order to place the component in a small area of the housing part, the wall thickness can be reduced. However, the difficulty of the injection molding process increases as the wall thickness of the plastic part shrinks [37]. It is very likely that a serious deformation defect appeared during this process. This issue required a testing procedure for the factor causing the serious defect. TAGUCHI METHOD Throughout this year, various manufacturing process optimization methods have been developed and applied, such as build-test-fix, one factor at a time and design experiment. Among three methods, the widely used method for product development is design of experiments (DOE). DOE is a statistical method used to analyze complex processes containing various variable processes using few trials. The DOE can be divided into two: the full factorial design and the Taguchi method. Dr. Genichi Taguchi developed a method to identify the best combination used during the manufacturing process [9]. The Taguchi method is a very effective tool used to design and improve the high quality system. Industries are able to significantly reduce product development time without adding costs by applying this method [12]. The figure below is illustrated for a better understanding of the Taguchi method.