My first love of numbers and statistics started with baseball cards. Having to find ways to entertain myself in my youth, I created elaborate ways to have my baseball card “teams” play against each other. Based on a number of criteria, I would have batters face opposing pitchers comparing their stats found on the reverse side of the card. While most kids where tying to find cards based on their trade-in or beckett value, I was trying to find players with good statistics to improve my teams playing in my imaginary game.
It All Started With
Baseball Cards…
It wasn’t until much later in life that I learned of Stat-o-matic, a version similar to the game I created for myself.
After graduating from Ferris State University’s Plastic Engineering Technology program in 2003, I joined Johnson Controls Inc., whom I previously interned with.
In a theme consistent through my career, I was surrounded by exceptional talent at the Lakewood Plant, located in Holland, MI. This is where I first was introduced to six-sigma tools that began to transform my approach to injection molding. At JCI, I was given my first taste of innovation with the Advanced Manfacturing team, where we developed the Craftec process of combining coining with high-speed injection to mold directly onto vinyl and fabric.
In 2007, I joined Rain Bird Corp. in Tucson, AZ at their molding operation. With nearly 60 molding machines, this was my first opportunity apply some techniques on a larger scale that were quite successful.
In 2012, I exited molding for nearly 2 years and aided Rain Bird Corp. with the production of their pump stations both for commercial applications and golf courses. As quality and manufacturing manager, I was able to create a quality system to measure and improve systems that were highly custom in nature and to maximize the efficiency of all the work cells.
In 2014, and missing injection molding, I joined iMFLUX, in Hamilton, OH. iMFLUX brought a new processing philosophy, based on pressure-controlled filling, rather than the velocity-controlled approach typically utilized. iMFLUX was the perfect place for me to continue to develop and employ statistical tools both for process development and ROI valuation.
In addition to these achievements, I was able to experience a plethora of injection molding circumstances involving different product types and materials around the globe. Having had the opportunity to encounter so much has provided me the insight to create tools that will have a wide-ranging impact on the industry.
In summary, iMFLUX provided me the perfect environment to now only think about molding differently, but a new appreciation for the math that can be utilized to solve almost any problem. While at iMFLUX, I was part of 21 patent filings, 6 of which have been granted.
Injection molding is fascinating method of manufacturing, but it can be difficult. Each project combination of mold, material, and machine is driven by an incredible amount of variables. There are plenty of places to learn injection molding and process theory, and I will advise everyone to receive such training. However, with advancing machine control and data acquisition systems, it’s important for your team to maximize the potential that is harnessed from their data, this is where my services can help.
As industry 4.0 continues to change how machines work and interact, I can provide your team with the custom tools to understand and minimize your product cost and build flexibility into your facility.