16% faster cycles in 2 workshop days. No PPAP. No tooling changes.
Door module, Tier 2 in Chicago. Tier 1 sponsored. Target: 16% savings.
A door-module supplier running an older 610-ton Toshiba hydraulic press, panel-design tool. The Tier 1 sponsored the workshop with a target of 16% supplier savings — without ANY tooling modifications, ANY material change, or ANY PPAP requalification.
2 days. Disassemble manifold, install insulation, step temperature down, measure.
Disassemble manifold
Pull the manifold out of the tool to prepare for mold insulation. Quarantine the mold area. Document baseline temps and cycle.
Install military-grade insulation
Apply thermal barrier between manifold and tool. Wrap key zones. Validate fit. No tooling modifications required.
Reassemble & warm up
Reinstall manifold. Bring the press up to baseline temperature. Press is ready for the Day 2 optimization run.
Hot runner temp dropped 6 steps from 465°F to 380°F.
The press was running 85°F hotter than melt temp before insulation. After insulation, we stepped the temperature down progressively, verifying part quality at each step. Cool time dropped from 19.4s to 13.3s.
Result.
16% cycle time reduction (32.4s → 27.4s). 18.3% temperature drop. Part quality verified by the supplier’s quality team — visually and dimensionally — vs. the pre-insulation parts. Process and parts approved for production. No PPAP. No tooling change. Zero capital required.