Experiment § Sheet foamed resin
NF321-6, NF519 Along with the lightweight era, the application of foam materials has become more common, such as plastic foam series PE, EVA, PU, EP, PVC, PP, rubber foam series CR, EPDM, NBR, SBR, RE. Everwide Chemical has also recently developed a series of epoxy resin sheet foam materials (EP for short, Figure 1): NF321-6 with impact resistance and stiffness and NF519 with a high expansion ratio. The use of EP sheet foam material has the following advantages: 1. The cutting weight and area are better controlled; 2. The staff is more comfortable to operate; 3. The sheet is heated quickly and expands more uniformly; 4. There will be no problem with the second-time foaming after hardening. As shown in Figure 2, many sheet-like foam materials form the carbon fiber badminton racket frame. The foaming material will expand during the baking process so that the carbon fiber prepreg is close to the mold, so the creative process matches these keys: 1. The baking temperature parameters can make the foaming material reach the extreme one, and the carbon fiber press on the mold without causing defects (marked by the red frame in Figure 3). 2. If only the amount of foaming material during molding is enough, it can be sufficient to fill the entire space (Figure 4). As shown in Figure 5, the right product results from simultaneous discussion and diligence between Everwide and its customers.
─ Author: Mr. Rong-Hsin, Lin.
Activity § Mid-year inventory activities
We will conduct an inventory in June and December each year, mainly to consistently control the material account and reduce the inventory discrepancy. Especially for some high-priced raw materials, the manufacturer adopts build-to-order production, lengthy lead time, so the precise inventory is essential. When implementing the 5S activities, the teacher proposed the stranded goods warehouse concept and asked us to gather the materials with little change in the stranded goods warehouse for storage. In the future, when requisitioning these materials, the requisition process of stranded goods may be used to reclaim these materials, which can reduce the burden of inventory personnel. For every activity, we have to make a little progress.
Knowledge § How to improve the whitening phenomenon of instant glue?
The whitening phenomenon of instant glue is caused by the volatilization of instant glue monomer and condensation near the glued position. Sometimes there is no whitening at the beginning of hardening, but after standing for a while, the internally incompletely reacted instant glue spreads to the surface, causing whitening. The whitening phenomenon affects the appearance of the product. The following methods can be used to improve: (1) Strengthen the effect of ventilation and reduce the sedimentation of the monomer on the surface; (2) Strictly control the amount of glue to remove excess glue; (3) Use the faster-speed reaction of instant glue reduces the time for the monomer to evaporate; (4) Use surface accelerators to increase the reaction rate of the colloid; (5) Use a monomer with a larger molecular weight to reduce the volatility of the colloid; (6) Avoid the application of instant glue inside of confined spaces’ components.
Living § Congratulations, passed the VDA6.3 process audit!
The development of new products always requires the R&D team to devote a lot of time and endurance. Even for products that are about to be mass-produced, they may need to pass the customer's process audit to obtain a stable cooperative relationship. The German Automobile Industry Association (German: Verband der Automobilindustrie e. V., VDA) had formulated a set of process audit standards for automobile manufacturers VDA6.3, for continuous monitoring and process improvement. When the customer proposed that we need to implement the VDA6.3 process audit, the entire team was nervous for preparing the battle. In addition to document preparation, R&D also continually confirms the manufacturing department's process and conducts independent process audits. Finally, at the end of June this year, it successfully passed the VDA6.3 audit and became an A-level qualified supplier.
Passing the VDA6.3 evaluation is undoubtedly a boost for the entire Everwide team. Not only proves that we meet international needs but more importantly, we can maintain a cooperative relationship with customers for up to five years. For senior R&D personnel, after three years of development projects, the time is not long, but it is unexpected that such results. Looking back on the road full of thorns, we are not complacent with it. We hope to continuously improve, maintain a higher and better quality, and let the world see Everwide.
─ Author: Miss. Rong-heng, Li
