1. Issue: Screw recovery – inefficient setting caused excessive component wear
    • Expectations: improve cycle time AND eliminate premature component wear
    • What we did: upsized 100mm screw to 125mm
    • Results: cut cycle time by 1/3 while enabling recovery at a lower RPM
    • ROI: $150,000 annual savings – $50/hour machine bill rate; three-shift operation
  2. Issue: Defects – several PC jobs
    • Expectations: reduce or eliminate defect occurrence
    • What we did: implemented custom screw design to correctly process PC resin
    • Results: 20% reduction in scrap rate and 25% increase in output
    • ROI: $250,000 annual savings – $250/hour machine bill rate; two-shift operation
  3. Issue: Loss of cycle time and inconsistent feeding – premature screw wear
    • Expectations: eliminate recovery anomalies to increase throughput
    • What we did: custom formulation to withstand corrosion; improved feeding on 25mm screw
    • Results: 20% reduction in scrap rate and 25% increase in output
    • ROI: $60,000 annual savings – $50/hour machine bill rate; three-shift operation
  4. Issue: Excessive splay – PC blend job; rework required an additional operator
    • Expectations: eliminate extra operator through reduced defects
    • What we did: implemented low inventory screw design [downsizing not appropriate]
    • Results: reduced residence time which eliminated defects and the need for extra operator
    • ROI: $80,000 annual savings – burdened labor cost
  5. Issue: Unwanted black specks – color ABS part
    • Expectations: eliminate or significantly reduce defect due to black specks
    • What we did: downsized 115mm screw to 80mm; residence time reduced from 11 to 4 minutes
    • Results: speck issue eliminated; scrap rate reduced by 10%
    • ROI: $35,200 annual savings – $80/hour machine bill rate; two-shift operation