Assuring quality is a vital part of many kinds of manufacturing, and the realm of plastic injection molding is no exception. Within injection molding for any industry, both quality control and quality assurance are important subjects – and come with several major areas of value that need to be considered.
At EnviroTech Custom Injection Molders, we provide a huge range of plastic injection molding products for varying industries, from chemical processing to defense, marine applications, medical sectors and much more. Quality control and assurance are vital parts of our operations that we constantly update and pay attention to, and we’re happy to detail these specifics to any client wondering about our services. Here’s a rundown on how quality control and quality assurance vary as processes in the plastic injection molding world, plus how both are important and some simple ways companies like ours go about ensuring them at all times.
Comparing Quality Control and Quality Assurance
While some entities or even industries lump these two terms together into one large category, they’re important to separate in a field like plastic injection molding. Here’s a simple definition of each:
- Quality assurance: A set of directives or processes within manufacturing that are meant to ensure that quality standards are consistently met. Quality assurance is about preventing issues from occurring in the first place, and often involves training, inspections and other protocols.
- Quality Control: On the flip side, quality control is a set of processes or directives meant to identify flaws in products or components during and after production. It involves inspections, testing, and other evaluation processes where finished products are put through thorough scrutiny.
At EnviroTech Custom Injection Molders, we understand that both quality control and quality assurance are important in order to produce high-quality plastic injection molding products for our clients.
Role of Both in Plastic Injection Molding
There are several ways that having both quality assurance and quality control provides major value in an industry like injection molding:
- Limiting defect risks: First and foremost, quality assurance helps reduce the risks of product defects by ensuring that established standards are met and maintained. Quality control helps to identify any issues during production or with finished products, so that adjustments can be made if needed.
- Increasing customer satisfaction: Both quality assurance and quality control also help us provide consistent results for our customers, which in turn leads to greater customer satisfaction and repeat business.
- Reducing production costs: Additionally, quality assurance helps reduce the costs of production by offering guidelines that help streamline processes and eliminate mistakes from occurring in the first place. Quality control also helps identify any areas where costs can be lowered or improved.
- Helps further optimize future processes: When done correctly, quality assurance and quality control also helps to improve processes for future production runs. This can include helping to identify better products, materials or updated equipment, among other areas.
Common Quality Practices Taken by Plastic Injection Molders
Here are some of the ways that our injection molders approach quality assurance and quality control for varying clients:
- Regular inspections: At the foundation of the entire quality process are inspections – both during and after production. Verifying quality is a vital part of the process, and we pay attention to every detail throughout all stages of production.
- Testing and analysis: After finished products have been inspected, testing and analysis can also be done to ensure that any requirements or specifications are met. This helps us verify that the product meets our exacting standards for each client’s project.
- Use of automation: One major way that we ensure quality is by leveraging automation for certain tasks. We use automated processes to help reduce the chance of human error and increase accuracy, eliminating potential issues before they arise.
- Tracing production: We are also able to trace production from start to finish, ensuring that any part or component is tracked and accounted for throughout the entire process. This helps us identify any potential issues with ease.
At EnviroTech Custom Injection Molders, we know that quality assurance and quality control are essential components of successful plastic injection molding – and we strive to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations every time. With our wide range of services, we are confident that we can provide the perfect solution for any project. Contact us today to learn more!
