"I'll Tumble For Ya" was a popular song, in the early 80's by The Culture Club.  I'm sure you've heard it before.  You might even be humming that catchy tune to yourself as you read this.  Did you know that Davies Molding will tumble for you???  Not quite the same way as described in The Culture Club's song!  Here at Davies, we do shot blasting, where parts tumble in our Wheelabrator machine.

We do an extensive amount of compression molding and no matter the design of the mold, parts will have "flash" on them after they have been molded.  Flash is the excess plastic that is typically found along the parting line or in molded holes on parts.  To remove flash, we perform shot blasting.  This is where we tumble for you!

Shot blasting is a technique that blasts an abrasive material at a part as it moves around to remove the flash.  Sand is the most common abrasive material used for metal parts.  We're manufacturing plastic parts, so we use walnut and pecan shells.  Other organic materials used include, cherry and olive pits.

Compression molded parts are added to our Wheelabrator machines and walnut shells  are blasted at them as they move around the machine.  The average cycle time is 90-120 seconds.  When the cycle is complete, the flash has been removed.  The machine has a dust collection system that collects the particles of plastic that have been removed, along with the walnut shells used for the blasting.  The parts come out of the Wheelabrator flash-free and looking great.

To learn more about our molding process and the post-molding operations we do, please visit www.daviesmolding.com or call us at 800-554-9208.

In today's marketplace, many customer have a demand for products that offer high levels of personalization.  Davies Molding understands that need and offers pad printing (also called tampography) to our customers.  Whether it's your company logo, lettering or symbols you want added to your product, we can do that for you.

The pad printing process starts with creating an engraved plate (also referred to as a cliche) that is used to transfer the design onto the product.  The plate is inked and a silicone pad is pressed on the surface to transfer the ink onto the product.  The unique properties of the silicone pad allow it to pick up the image from the plate and transfer it to the product surface.

Pad printing has many advantages over other printing processes.

• Almost any material can be printed on
• Better resolution than screen printing
• Possibility to apply multiple prints without intermediate drying
• Low set up cost and short tooling times

If you need a quote or additional information on pad printing, please contact our team to assist you further info@daviesmolding.com

Davies Molding is known for compression, thermoset and injection molding, but did you know that we offer a wide variety of secondary operations in our finishing department? Whether your part needs set screw installation, pad printing or special packaging, we have you covered.

Not familiar with what finishing operations entail? They are secondary processes that need to be done to various parts to make them customized for specific needs. Below are the processes that we do in house.

• Drilling
• Tapping
• Reaming
• Counter Bore
• Counter Sink
• Hot Stamping
• Pad Printing
• Engraving
• Laser Engraving
• Sand, Buff, Polish
• Set Screw Installation
• Inlay Installation
• Special Packing
• Assembly

If you need additional information about these services, please contact a Davies team member to assist you further info@daviesmolding.com. We can help you get to the finish line with a great product!

 Hydrographics, also known as immersion printing or water transfer imaging, is a process of applying a printed design to a three-dimensional surface. The process can be done on a variety of materials including plastic.

The process begins with a large tank of water. A printed poly vinyl alcohol film (the pattern of your choice) is floated on the surface of the water. After soaking, an activator chemical is sprayed onto the film. This dissolves the film into a liquid. The desired part is then lowered into the tank, either manually or robotically, and the floating pattern covers the part completely adhering to it. A clear coat is then applied to protect the design.

Hydrographic printing results in 360 degree coverage and is ideal for customizing parts with endless designs.

Contact Davies Molding to learn how we can custom finish your knob, handle, electronic enclosure or custom molded part with hydrographic printing 800-554-9208.