Metal was always the traditional choice for heavy-duty, load-bearing, or high-temperature engineering components. That default has changed over the years…
For years, the playbook was simple: chase the lowest unit cost, wherever that took you. That calculation is shifting, and more UK manufacturers are asking a simple question: does it still make sense?
In product development, there is a significant gap between a concept that looks good a part that is viable to put into production…
We are proud to announce a significant new milestone: Skar is now ISO 13485:2016 certified…
In high-end manufacture, “precision” is more than just a measurement, it is a balanced equation between geometry, material behaviour, and process.
Cost is, understandably, a major factor in most engineering and production projects. However, for high-end industries, particularly those with stringent quality standards such as medical devices, aerospace, or critical engineering components…
Navigating the world of plastic injection moulding can be complex, and choosing the right material is arguably the most critical decision you’ll make.
For design engineers and product developers, the path from concept to commercial product is a familiar journey.
Artificial Intelligence is making its mark on manufacturing, and forward-thinking minds in the plastic injection moulding world are watching with interest…
In today’s competitive landscape, manufacturers of packaging materials for both food and non-food applications understand the critical role of safety and quality.
Skar Precision Mouldings has been a feature of the East Anglia business environment for over 50 years, growing organically and by acquisition to become the business that it is today.
Manufacturing medical equipment is one of the most technically demanding projects that injection moulders undertake.
Identifying when to replace injection moulding tooling can be tricky…
We are very pleased to congratulate Natasha Goldberg on her receipt of the first ever Suffolk New College Apprentice of the Year Award
Plastic injection moulding allows for mass production at speed, with a high level of precision and at a low cost.
The impact of Brexit has had far-reaching consequences. The UK manufacturing sector, which relies heavily on imports and exports…
The range of produced, or at least partly produced, plastic injection moulding techniques is vast.
Plastic injection moulding is a versatile and highly efficient manufacturing process.
If you’re looking to manufacture precision moulded components for your products in-house, it’s likely you’ll face a range of challenges
Although ubiquitous, effective and functional, plastic has currently got a bad name: environmental groups and the media have highlighted…
LEGO has been a staple of childrens’ playrooms all over the world for over 60 years and at the turn of the Millennium, was named toy of the century…
When producing a precision plastic moulding client needs and priorities vary from time to production, functionality, cost, reliability, and aesthetics…
Quite simply, Metrology is the scientific study of measurement. In relation to advanced manufacturing, Metrology is acknowledged to be the methodology and science behind quality control. Precision manufacturing In a high-volume, precision manufacturing business such as Skar, hundreds or thousands of intricate plastic parts are produced each week. Most of these parts are produced by…
Plastic injection moulding is an extremely versatile, highly efficient and reliable method of producing complex plastic parts and components. It is one of the most widely used manufacturing processes for mass producing plastic components. A versatile manufacturing process involves melting plastic pellets or powder and forcing the liquid plastic under pressure into a precision-engineered mould tool…
Process Optimisation is high on the agenda at plastic injection moulding company Skar. But what is Process Optimisation and why is it important? Quite simply, process optimisation is a technique used to help businesses improve their efficiency by improving and enhancing their processes. Performance and reliability With the design and manufacture of parts for injection…
Here at Skar Precision Mouldings Ltd we remain open to support our customers, including our various medical customers as they contribute toward the global effort against the Covid-19 virus. We are following government and medical advice and are operating on reduced staff so social distancing can be observed; and where possible we have staff working…
When designing a product or component, it is worth considering – what, why and how – a product or component will go through during its day-to-day use or operation, as this will affect its design, function, operation and longevity. When designing any plastic injection moulding product, especially one we want to last, we consider behavioural…
The concept of Design for Manufacture (DFM) is the process of designing parts, components or products in such a way that they are easier to manufacture. The DFM concept exists in almost all engineering disciplines, althoughimplementation differs widely depending on the manufacturing technology. The goal of DFM is to produce an effective, efficient product at…
Plastic shrinkage is an unfortunate consequence of the injection moulding process. Shrinkage is the contraction of a plastic moulded component as it begins to cool after the injection process. All plastics shrink as they cool from viscous liquids to solids, and every type of plastic shrinks in a slightly different way. Eliminating shrinkage is virtually…
A plastic moulding specialist is celebrating a golden anniversary after achieving 50 years in business. The management team at Skar Precision Moulding have said they are “incredibly proud” to have reached the milestone. The company, based on a 40,000 sq ft site in Lady Lane Industrial Estate, Hadleigh, specialise in the manufacture of injection moulded plastic…
To remain successful and competitive in a highly specialised industry it has become essential to safeguard employee skills, knowledge and experience. Why? As a specialised business, Skar needs to ensure that quality standards are maintained, productivity levels are managed and the business remains highly competitive in an increasingly challenging market place. Safeguarding valuable skills When…
A clean, clear finish on any product means the job in creating it has been well done. Cosmetic defects look unsightly and make the product appear second rate. The manufacturing process of injection mouldings has design guidelines and if they are followed the finished mouldings will be well made and free from defects. Understanding production guidelines will…
Achieving high recycling rates means thinking about recycling at the design stage. Here at Skar we are committed to producing parts in as environmentally friendly way as possible. This means that when we design a part, we consider not only its functionality but also how to minimise waste and how easy the part can be recycled…
When designing a part for manufacture, a crucial consideration is deciding how strong that part must be to carry out the job it will be asked to do. And with plastic parts in mind, the strength of a part can mean different things for different items. Ultimate strength For instance, if we are looking at…
When we design components or parts it is important that we consider the different types of stress that may impact their performance over time. Here are the major stress factors that can affect the behaviour of plastics: Fatigue Fatigue occurs in plastic when stress is repeatedly applied to an area. The load does not have to…
Every new job we carry out at Skar starts with a conversation to ascertain what the client wants and whether plastic injection moulding is the appropriate production method for their product. In the vast majority of cases plastic injection moulding is the right way to go, such is the range and versatility of the process. Hundreds…
The packaging industry is made up of a wide range of marketers, brand managers, designers, engineers and technologists whose job it is to react to trends, and to find improved and more cost effective ways to contain and present products. Millennials want different things from their packaging A key target market for the packaging sector…
One area of injection moulding we specialise in at Skar is the manufacture of medical components and equipment. This is a high precision and technically demanding area of work primarily because the manufacturing process has to be conducted to stringent specifications and under strict sterilisation conditions. Wide range of medical components We produce a wide…
Researchers from ExxonMobil have published details of a new process that could radically cut the level of greenhouse gas emissions linked to plastics production. Making the production of plastics and polymers more environmentally friendly has been a key focus of the industry for many years. Now researchers from oil and gas giant ExxonMobil say they…
Improved practices and new technologies are making plastic injection moulding more environmentally friendly. We are often asked whether precision plastic moulding is a ‘green’ procedure. Here are Skar we believe it can be an environmentally-friendly process – our position being that working with plastics is not in itself bad for the environment. Where the problems…
Check out the video below we made with the guys from Romi Machines UK, from whom we recently purchased a new plastic injection moulding machine. We like the fact that they are based in the UK, and their equipment is user-friendly, easy to control and reliable, with good service and support, all of which helps…
Good design considers the easiest way to make a product at minimum cost and maximum reliability. It’s an expression you hear all the time. From smartphones and juicers to cars and chairs, people are always pointing out examples of “great design.” We all respond to beautiful, well-formed and well-made objects – so much so that…
Here at Skar we live and breathe the plastic injection moulding process. But the uninitiated may not know how widespread the process is. Here are five everyday items that are made from precision moulding. Smartphones The smartphone has taken over the world with over a third of the global population predicted to own one by…
There are a number of key benefits to choosing the plastic injection moulding process for your product. Here’s our top five… Wide range of properties One of the key advantages of working with plastics is that they can have distinctive properties depending on what they are being used for – maybe a product needs to…
Here at Skar Precision Mouldings we manufacture a wide range of plastic injection moulded products and components for companies from numerous industry sectors. In particular, we produce engineering components, medical equipment components and point of sale display items. Plastics that are used for different purposes have distinctive properties – maybe a product needs to be…
The plastic injection moulding process is a refined procedure, which offers up a number of potential challenges that have to be overcome to ensure the finished product is perfect. One factor that has to be considered is the avoidance of sink marks in any part we produce. A sink mark is a small depression in…
A key process when injection moulding is drying the plastic prior to injection. The reason plastics have to be dried is because they contain moisture and if this moisture is not dried off, it may affect the quality of the finished product. Polymers such as polycarbonate, nylon, PBT, PET, ABS, acrylic, urethanes all have to…
Skar Precision Mouldings has worked with a leading manufacturer of high-quality kitchenware to enable it to return its production to the UK from China. Based near Colchester in Essex, Peta UK is a second-generation family business that makes Easi-Grip® garden tools, kitchen knives and other utensils. The company approached Skar to help it reshore the…
All plastic injection moulding presses are classified based on the tonnage, or more specifically, the clamping pressure or force they can exert. At Skar, we have more than 30 injection presses which can exert a range of pressures of between 25 and 450 tons. A machine rated for 25 tons can exert 25 tons of…
Although plastics are now indispensible in the modern world, one area where they have been slow to replace materials like metals is where there is a need for heat displacement. Plastics have traditionally not been appropriate for some components in machines where heat builds up, like computers, smartphones and cars, because they do not disperse…
Choosing the right material for an injection moulding project is a key factor in producing the right plastic part with all the right properties. Advances in polymer science mean there is now a wide selection of resins to choose from. At Skar we have the experience and know-how to help you decide what resin and…
There are a number of factors that can affect the quality of plastic injection mouldings. Here’s a short list of some of the key considerations together with details on how Skar works to ensure the highest quality of production is maintained. Mould tool design Tool design is a crucial part of the injection moulding process…
As a leading producer of plastic injection moulded parts and components we are always interested to hear about government policies that are aimed at boosting the manufacturing sector. With the general election on the horizon, it was good to hear that the All-Party Parliamentary Manufacturing Group (APMG) have launched a new manifesto calling on any…
According to recent figures, the number of young people starting engineering apprenticeships has declined in recent years. Industry accountancy firm, SJD Accountancy, reported that 63,240 people in the UK started engineering apprenticeships over the period 2013/2014, a decrease of more than 9 per cent from the 69,710 who enrolled on an engineering apprenticeship during 2011/2012. This…
A seven-figure investment has seen plastics manufacturer Skar Precision Mouldings complete the purchase of 20,000 square-foot premises. Established in 1969, the Suffolk firm has a turnover of nearly £6 million and employs 50 staff. With an 80 per cent UK customer base, the company manufactures injection moulded plastic parts and components ‒ including medical instruments, protective…
In the interest of supporting skilled staff in and for our business we at Skar Precision Mouldings have recently taken on an apprentice. Ryan joined us on a material processing engineering apprenticeship, spending 4 days a week in our factory and one day at Suffolk New College, this way he gets both classroom knowledge and…
When designing a product or component, it’s worth considering what it will go through on a day-to-day basis, as this will affect how long it will last. Here are a few things to keep in mind when starting a project: Creep Plastic materials tend to have a memory effect. This means that if a plastic…
Product wall thickness is a key consideration when designing products for plastic injection moulding. Thicker walls will offer more strength, but they are also more likely to suffer from warping as the plastic cools in the mould. Engineers and designers are usually more focussed on pushing the boundaries in the other direction, and using the…
Plastic Injection Moulding Lead Times There are many reasons for the global success of plastic injection moulding as a high volume manufacturing process, most notably speed of production and low unit costs. If plastic injection moulding does have an Achilles heel, then it would be the lead-time to production, and that is simply down to…
Skar Precision Moulding is an ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified injection moulding company. A large proportion of our business comes from the injection moulding of medical and engineering components. A requirement common to both of these industries is for accuracy, consistency and high levels of precision. This is why we have invested heavily over…
Skar is a plastic injection moulding company… or is that a plastic injection molding company? We had some fun with this topic when working with Andy and the Silver Monkey team when writing our new website. While both spellings of the word are technically correct, “injection moulding” is the older version that originates in Britain,…
Skar Precision Mouldings Ltd are very proud to have sponsored Daniel Gant to run in this year’s Virgin London Marathon which took part in April. This was the first time Daniel had taken part in running a marathon and following so closely to the Boston marathon’s bombing only added to his nervousness in taking part….
We are delighted to announce that Skar Precision Mouldings has signed up to sponsor U18 Ipswich Town FC goalkeeper Michael Rowe. Based in Hadleigh, Suffolk, Skar Precision Mouldings is a plastic injection moulding company, manufacturing a variety of products including engineering components, medical equipment components and point of sale display items. “We are delighted to…
Welcome to our new website! We hope you find it useful and informative. Many thanks to Andy and the team at Silver Monkey Web Design & Marketing. Keep in touch, as we will regularly be adding new content to the site about plastic injection moulding and component design, along with news updates and the occasional…
For further enquiries or more detailed information please call us on 01473 828000 or email us at sales@skar.co.uk