The unheard of technologies that help manufacture many everyday items

Invention of the steam engine, harnessing of electricity, improved knowledge about physics and chemistry, electronics, microelectronics – a large number of discoveries and inventions have contributed to the ease and convenience of the modern lifestyle. Ironically, most consumers are unaware of the modern manufacturing technologies involved in the production process.

Advanced modern manufacturing technologies

Plastic – the outer shell of a ballpoint pen, a foam bed, and containers used in a kitchen, your car’s dashboard – many different types of plastic surround the modern consumer. Made out of hard material that is resistant to impact, scratches, moisture, as well as heat, plastic products are created primarily through the combination of injection molding technology and metal molds.

Melted plastic is injected into molds of different shapes and sizes to form the finished product. CNC designing and cutting combined with extremely sharp cutting tools cut hard metals into different shapes and sizes. From the ornate metal coin attached to the clasp of your purse to your office chair’s metal frame, nothing would have been possible without modern manufacturing technologies. All commonly used manufacturing technologies work together to make something as ordinary as a plastic container.

A sneak peek into the manufacturing of some household products

The pencil is probably the most reliable writing tool in the world. It is a simple tool that even a child can use without any difficulty. Its manufacturing process involves injection molding of the graphite-clay mixture, computer-aided cutting and shaping of the wooden slats, and use of compression technologies that fuse the two components together.

Something as ordinary as corrugated cardboard boxes involves cooking wood chips in chemicals under high pressure to convert the wood into a fluffy fiber. When pressure is released, the chips explode in a manner that can only be compared to the popping of corn in a popcorn machine. Other technologies used to make the final product include steam rollers, CNC printers and printer-folder-gluer machines.

The manufacturing process of the polystyrene cup that is so commonly available involves suspension polymerization of ethylene and benzene for the creation of polystyrene beads, washing of the beads, expansion through heating and aging before the finished product is made with the help of molds.

The future of manufacturing

Now that more advanced methods involving lasers, robot workers, computer-powered production, and 3D printers are becoming cheaper and more available, the process of manufacturing the large number of products and objects used on a daily basis is going to become cheaper and easier.

The use of advanced technologies has revolutionized the manufacturing process of complex machines such as automobiles. Components made by Transducer Techniques and other manufacturers function with more precision, last longer, and prevent deviation from optimum performance parameters. Mass production of such high-quality components has become possible only through improvements in manufacturing technologies.

There was a time when manufacturing a product was a boring affair involving lots of sweat, dirt, and grime. Today, modern technologies work upon numerous raw materials and combine them together to create the finished product in an interesting and magic-like process. It is only through the improvements in technologies that so many useful and functional products are available for mass consumption to consumers all over the world.