Powerful interactions affect the performance of many rubber and plastics processes. Unfortunately, these critical effects cannot be revealed by the traditional scientific method, which dictates changing one factor at a time (OFAT). This case study provides inspiration to overcome the limitations of OFAT via a very simple design of experiment (DOE) called a two-level factorial.1 By employing a multifactor approach, the technical staff at a custom rubber molder uncovered a combination of material selection and manufacturing protocol that created unacceptable results. Armed with this process knowledge, they achieved a breakthrough in quality improvements.
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