Material selection, one of the most significant decisions in any project, impacts almost every aspect of a particular application. One of our clients recently experienced the challenges of poor material selection firsthand; when they began encountering problems with their stripper feeder machines, they approached the New Process Fibre team for a new material solution.
The Challenge
Our client was using fluoropolymer PTFE washers in their stripper feeder machines, which were used to sort letters and packages. The PTFE, however, needed constant replacement as it was wearing down due to the friction between the material and the machines’ metal parts.
To further the agency’s challenges, PTFE prices rose and became increasingly volatile as raw material prices fluctuated and stringent environmental guidelines impacted the market. Our client’s frequent PTFE replacements were leading to increased expenditures and downtime. They needed a reliable solution that would allow the stripper feeders to run continuously without fail.
The Solution
After evaluating the situation, the team at New Process Fibre recommended replacing the PTFE with nylon MDS, an extruded version of nylon 6/6 with the addition of fine particles of molybdenum disulphide (MDS, or MoS2). This material was particularly well suited to the clients’ sorting application, since MDS particles bolster the load bearing of nylon while still providing optimal impact resistance.
These particles also improve the lubricity and wear resistance of unfilled nylon, thereby extending its service life. With a self-lubrication level comparable to that of PTFE, nylon MDS was the ideal option for our client.
The Result
Thanks to its superior toughness and ideal self-lubricating properties, nylon MDS proved to be a much better option than PTFE for our client’s letter and package sorting machines. Requiring much less frequent replacements, nylon MDS helped our customer to save on costs and greatly decrease downtime.
Learn More
Since 1927, New Process Fibre has been providing industry-leading stamping, extrusion, and tool making services for a wide range of applications — from furniture and plumbing to military and automotive. With capabilities ranging from thermoplastic extrusion and slitting, to tool and die making to custom stamping, all of our processes are performed in-house.
To learn more about New Process Fibre’s past work, or to discuss how we can help with your next project, contact us today.
Since 1927, New Process Fibre has been committed to producing high performance, cost-effective products. By performing every step of our manufacturing process in-house rather than outsourcing, we maintain oversight of the entire project to eliminate discrepancies, ensure timely delivery, and provide customers with high quality finished products.
One of our customers, recently utilized our in-house non-metallic stamping services to improve the efficiency of their manufacturing process.
Customer Highlight
Based in MI, our customer manufactures medical foot orthotics for global distribution by healthcare professionals; the inserts are vital for people with medical problems related to the foot, ankle, knee, and back. One of our customer’s most popular products is specifically designed for athletes who need balance support when participating in physical activities.
To expedite and improve production of these athletic inserts, our customer needed a manufacturer who had experience working with sheets of acetal copolymer, the key material in their product. The New Process Fibre team was ready to assist.
Improving the Process
The athletic inserts required 24” sheets of acetal copolymer, but our extruders were designed to produce 38” sheets. To achieve the necessary size, we started the job by trimming the material twice: first from 38” to 36” sheets, and again from 36” to 24” pieces.
After producing a set of 24” acetal copolymer sheets using this method, our team discovered a more efficient technique beneficial to both companies; by updating the product design to use larger sheet dimensions, we could extrude the original 38” sheets and make just one cut to reduce them down to 36”. Because only one cut was required, this solution improved efficiency, yield, and cost-effectiveness for both companies. Even better, our customer now saves money on production costs and passes those savings directly to their customer through lower product pricing.
By constantly seeking opportunities to improve manufacturing processes for our customers, we were able to identify a cost-effective solution for our customer, while also avoiding excess material waste.
New Process Fibre: Ready to Help with Your Next Project
We are continuously updating and enhancing our in-house manufacturing capabilities to make it possible to save our customers time and money. Just as we did with this particular customer, we aim to help all of our customers become more efficient, increase yield, and eliminate unnecessary costs.
With an extensive inventory of equipment for use on virtually any job, our facility is well equipped to meet any company standard. Our quality management system is extensively documented with ISO registration.
To learn more about NPF, our capabilities, and our drive to go above and beyond on every project to better serve our customers, download our Company Overview.
New Process engineers and technicians received a call from a company in Texas with whom we had never worked. This company was in a tight spot and asked if we could deliver 100,000 specialized non-metallic washers – by the next morning.
The company manufactures compressors used in all of the major HVAC industry players’ products. They usually manufacture their washers in-house, but in this case they needed very tight tolerances that their equipment could not meet. The company asked us to manufacture PTFE washers with a 0.022” thickness and a +/- .002 tolerance.
Meeting the client’s request under such a tight deadline was a challenge, but was possible because of New Process’ material inventory and state-of-the-art machining capabilities. We had the right PTFE material on hand, but did not have the right die to meet the company’s dimensional requirements. We gathered our tooling department experts together and asked if they could stay late that night to build a new die based on the client’s specific needs.
Our experts rallied together to produce a new die in record time. With the right tooling in place, we were able to start the manufacturing process right away. As soon as the job was finished, we shipped them to the client and they received their custom-made washers the next day. Upon receiving the parts, we received a phone call from the client, telling us that they had not seen such a clean machining of washers in years, and they needed 10 million more!
Years later, New Process continues to work with this client, making 3 to 4 million parts for them annually.
New Process is here to help with your next project
New Process is a leading manufacturer of non-metallic stamped parts, specifically PTFE and Nylon washers. As this project demonstrates, our team goes above and beyond to get every job done no matter the product specifications or deadline requirements. Our clients value our expertise and work ethic, and consistently rely on us for follow-up projects.
Want to learn more?
Click here to contact us and to discuss how we can help you with your next project.
Material selection, one of the most significant decisions in any project, impacts almost every aspect of a particular application. One of our clients recently experienced the challenges of poor material selection firsthand; when they began encountering problems with their stripper feeder machines, they approached the New Process Fibre team for a new material solution.
Based in MI, our customer manufactures medical foot orthotics for global distribution by healthcare professionals; the inserts are vital for people with medical problems related to the foot, ankle, knee, and back. One of our customer’s most popular products is specifically designed for athletes who need balance support when participating in physical activities.
After producing a set of 24” acetal copolymer sheets using this method, our team discovered a more efficient technique beneficial to both companies; by updating the product design to use larger sheet dimensions, we could extrude the original 38” sheets and make just one cut to reduce them down to 36”. Because only one cut was required, this solution improved efficiency, yield, and cost-effectiveness for both companies. Even better, our customer now saves money on production costs and passes those savings directly to their customer through lower product pricing.
