Do you need parts manufactured that fit your precise needs and requirements?  Thogus can help you!

With our custom plastic injection molding expertise, Thogus' engineers are able to validate if your part is manufacturable from part files and drawings they receive.  Determining exact material and tooling requirements, based on estimated annual usage, we then acquire a tooling quote from outside sources.  After the tooling is ordered and delivered to Thogus, we are able to begin sampling your part with the appropriate material.  In order to assure the parts meet all specified requirements, the samples head to quality control for inspection.  Upon approval, Thogus is able to proceed in production.

In today's world, companies need to broaden their definition of "customers" outside of the traditional one. For example, your employees are your internal customers. Are you treating them as such? What about your suppliers and vendors? Are you partnering with them as an extension of your own team?

Thogus was recently featured in Fresh Water, a weekly e-magazine and website that reports Cleveland technology, innovation, diversity, local food and entrepreneurship.

Read what we said about why Thogus isn't your traditional manufacturer.

We must be doing something right to earn this testimonial from James Doster, president of SPI Industries.
 

When an international leader in the food machines and research industry needed functional parts to test its designs, it turned to Thogus for our rapid prototyping capabilities. We have several Stratasys Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) machines that create parts in as little as 24 hours to a few days. Parts are built in layers, providing a real, durable and functional thermoplastic component on demand.  

FDM is the additive technology that produces the most durable and precise thermoplastic parts. Our clients benefit from:

• functional prototypes
• reduced design time
• lowered total cost

The process we used exceeded our customer’s expectations because we were able to assemble the parts into complete product prototypes and test them.

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is often used by companies attempting to achieve the same customer and product benefits. While SLS has qualities that fit certain projects, Thogus uses real thermoplastics, which creates truly bonded parts that don’t crumble like some created by SLS. In addition, by applying a smoothing process, our parts are stronger, watertight and better looking.

To compare the various methods of rapid prototyping technology, view our comparison chart.

Thogus first invested in robotics for the plastic injection molding process in 2009 and we continue to see many customer and company benefits, such as:

• reduction in unnecessary labor
• improved quality control
• enhanced accuracy and speed
• increased flexibility

Labor Efficiencies in Plastic Injection Molding
Our three-axis servo robots reduce or eliminate unnecessary labor by easily performing secondary operations before the injection molded product reaches a conveyor (i.e., Sprue Picker vs. floor person sorting). These robots also achieve industry standard repeatability in the part handling stage of production. In addition, cavities producing defective parts can be isolated from the remaining functioning cavities, ensuring that these parts do not intermingle with good product.

The flexibility and reliability of our robotic equipment also produces more consistent cycle times and aids in process optimization.

Customer Benefits
Our customers experience direct benefits through the utilization of robotics during the manufacturing process by receiving a more accurate and repeatable product. Molding machines running with consistent cycle times greatly reduce the opportunity for material temperature variation or degradation.

Along with keeping the molding machine running at an optimal pace, the robots ensure that product does not become contaminated or otherwise defective by dropping haphazardly out of the mold.

Competitive Advantages
The use of robotics at Thogus helps to differentiate us from competitors whose product is uncontrolled after the molding process. This is a critical step towards quality improvement and continuously meeting customers’ expectations.

In addition, the amount of labor allocated to secondary operations is greatly reduced as the robots/end- of-arm tooling is able to de-gate, sort and prepare product for packaging. This labor can be reassigned elsewhere, which boosts the facility’s overall output.

Human Expertise Still Critical
While human contact with our product is minimized with the use of robotics, these robots still require programming, driven by decisions made by our team. The user is able to envision the most efficient method for a production cell to operate and manipulates the robot to allow for this operation.

Whether our customers are in the Consumer Products, Healthcare, Industrial, Food & Beverage, Lawn & Garden, Electronics or Plumbing industries, our commitment to the most advanced technology and top-notch team of people makes Thogus a trusted source for plastic injection molding and medical device development.

It is the beginning of 2011 and along with a new year, we here at Thogus now have a new website so why not a new blog? To give you a quick history of who we are, Thogus was founded in 1950 as a mold and die shop here in Northeast Ohio and has developed over the past 60 years into a custom-plastic injection molding company. What makes us stand out is not only the ability to offer small volume capabilities but also our focus on product development. We have added a staff of 15 engineers in 2010 to help meet the needs of our customers. With a focus on innovation, our engineers cover the following disciplines: 

• biomedical
• industrial
• mechanical
• chemical
• civil engineering 

So whatever plastic or engineering solutions you might need, we can offer them. That said, what you will be able to find here in the blog are updates of what is going on in the plant, news about Thogus and industry information. You will find topics such as, do we have a new machine in, is there a new product we are rolling out or have we done something to aid in the efficiency of the plant processes (which in turns saves our customers money)?  

Our mission is, “You think it, we can make it…” So what does that mean? We, and especially our engineers, thrive on challenges. If you have an idea, we’ll find a way to produce the part.  

We want to be as accessible as possible, keeping the lines of communication open no matter which form you prefer.  Feel free to leave comments on our blog, find us on Twitter, call, email or send us snail mail. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. And we always invite customers to come out and take a tour and see what we are about!