Why Do Plastic Parts Fail?

The primary mode, or cause, of failure for plastic parts can be directly attributed to one or more of the following, including Material, Design, Process, and/or Service Use.

Additionally, we classify the method, or type, of failure(s) as Mechanical, Thermal, Chemical, and/or Environmental. This intention of our plastic expert's work is to establish the most probable cause for failure of the Weight Adjust Lever, by identifying the Mode, or “Why”, and the Method, or “How”, for the same.

After a comprehensive Visual and Stereo-Microscopic examination, our plastic experts can commission material and mechanical testing and analysis, in accordance with applicable Industry and ASTM Test Methods, CPC's plastic experts can provide your client with an expert opinion based on our findings coupled with our in-depth plastic industry knowledge and expertise with similar designs, applications, and plastic resins.

Plastic Manufacturing Machinery and Process

CPC's Plastic Experts have worked for a number of Global Plastic Machinery Manufacturers in an engineering capacity, proving machine installation, process development, process troubleshooting, machine troubleshooting, machine repair, machine control programming, machine robotics and automation, and training for both in-house and client employees.

In addition to our work directly for the plastic machinery manufacturers, CPC's plastic experts have decades of hands-on work with all types of plastic manufacturing machinery, from vertical to horizontal, injection thru extrusion, and liquid to metal injection processes, we truly have the experience and knowledge of working on a vast array of plastics machinery. In fact, our plastic experts have worked on the smallest and largest plastic machines in the world and CPC Plastics, Inc. maintains a plastic manufacturing facility in West Warwick, RI to support our clients needs.

Having an intimate understanding of plastic manufacturing machinery and CPC's plastic experts work everyday on troubleshooting manufacturing processes for a wide variety of plastic products and work directly with our clients to improve the same. From Design of Experiments (DOE), Quality Control (QC), Testing and Analysis, to Machine Procurement, CPC Plastic has the scope of knowledge and experience that you would expect from a plastic expert.

Plastic Industry Standards and Practices

Often times litigation surrounding plastic product design, manufacturing, machinery, quality control, testing, mold construction, etc. calls into attention and/or questions ones conformity to Plastic Industry Standards and Practices as it pertains to the case at hand. CPC's plastic experts have extensive experience in identifying applicable standards and practices, using our comprehensive library and references coupled with our in-depth plastic industry experience.

Furthermore, CPC's plastic experts are highly experienced with and work everyday to provide our clients with ASTM, ISO, SPI, ANSI, MilSpec and other applicable Plastic Industry Standards that apply to their specific needs and fall within the scope of the project.

Plastic Design Standards and Practices

As a primary mode of plastic failure, product design standards and practices are in place and have been developed based on years of testing and analysis data associated with wide array of product applications and plastic resins. Often times, product design engineers are not familiar with plastics and the unique differences that must be accounted for in the design  between plastic and steel, aluminum, and other metals products and assemblies.

Most often unknowing design engineers will leave sharp corners, which tend to localize stress and cause cracking and leading to failure on plastic parts, are not of any significant concern to most metal applications. Another common mistake made by product design engineers is to not allow for sufficient wall-thickness, which is predicated by the material being used and the [mechanical] loads being applied, only to realize that the part was not strong enough for the job it was intended.

Other common pitfalls include neglecting to conduct proper testing and analysis on a product design, using the specified materials, and in full view of the intended manufacturing process. Finite Element Analysis or FEA is a method and process of analyzing and solving complex elasticity and structural design problems, allowing the designer to strengthen the part by discovering weaknesses, while also allow for reducing weight, materials, cost, etc. In fact, there are many items on the design checklist to address before a product designer has fulfilled his or her duties, thereby increasing the potential for failure.

CPC's plastic experts are highly experienced with and work everyday to provide our clients with ASTM, ISO, SPI, ANSI, MilSpec and other applicable Plastic Industry Standards that apply to their specific needs and fall within the scope of the project

Plastic Materials ASTM Testing and Analysis

CPC's plastic experts day to day work includes either recommending, testing, or researching applicable ASTM Test Methods and Techniques required by our clients in the manufacture of plastic products and assemblies. The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) was originally formed over a century ago to address  frequent rail breaks in the railroad industry. Today, ASTM works to develop Standards for Testing and Materials needs to support a global marketplace.

Additionally, CPC Plastics experts daily work includes specifying plastic materials and making recommendations based material test data obtained thru studies commissioned by CPC, and applicable test data obtained thru studies conducted by educational and research facilities engaged in the same. Furthermore, thru our extensive work with Plastic Failure Analysis, a significant amount of material testing and research is performed on a regular basis.

CPC's plastic experts are highly experienced with and work to provide our clients with ASTM, ISO, SPI, ANSI, MilSpec and other applicable Plastic Industry Standards that apply to their specific needs and fall within the scope of the project.

Plastic Manufacturing Safety, Injury, and Standards

Plastic injection molding safety standards are defined and enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, herein OSHA (www.osha.gov), the American National Standards Institute, herein ANSI (www.ansi.org) and approved State Occupational Safety and Health Plans, such as Michigan’s OSHP.

Plastic manufacturing employers must conform to OSHA’s general industry standard 29 CFR 1919 , which applies to the major percentage of plastics processors operating under SIC code 3089.

ANSI, a private non-profit organization (501(c)3) administers and coordinates the U.S. voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system . As with most industries, organizations such as ANSI have developed standards primarily through relationships with the injection molding machinery manufacturers.

The ten (10) most frequently cited standards for plastic injection molders^* were:

1910.147 The control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout)
1910.212 General requirements for all machines
1910.1200 Hazard Communication
1910.305 Electrical, Wiring Methods, Components, and Equipment
1910.134 Respiratory Protection.
1910.178 Powered Industrial Trucks
1910.303 Electrical Systems Design, General Requirements
1910.219 Mechanical Power-Transmission Apparatus
1910.215 Abrasive Wheel Machinery
1910.95 Occupational Noise Exposure

*During the period of 10.02 through 09.02