Page 21 - Injection Molding Advanced Troubleshooting Guide
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2 1 Troubleshooting Methodology
Troubleshooting is a skill that can be learned and this book is intended to help
convey some of the knowledge that the authors have learned through many years
of troubleshooting. Some of the key things that will help anyone improve at trou-
bleshooting include:
Willingness to listen to others. Anyone can provide the crucial piece of informa-
tion that helps solve a problem. A good troubleshooter will listen to people.
Being observant. A good troubleshooter will always be looking for what might
have changed. Good observation skills are critical to troubleshooting. Good
troubleshooters live by the motto “show me” rather than trusting that things
have been set up correctly. Anyone who has spent time troubleshooting will tell
you that there are plenty of cases where they were told that the material was dry
or the mold was clean but verification showed otherwise.
Willingness to learn. Many times when working on a problem a troubleshooter
will have to dig deep into a subject to learn what the root cause really is. Be open
to learning and use all resources available to become better at troubleshooting.
There is always more to learn.
Perseverance. This is critical to being a good troubleshooter. There are many
times when standing at a molding machine for hours gets very tiring. A good
troubleshooter is willing to put the time and effort in to ensure the problem is
corrected. This also means that they will check back on the problem to ensure
that it is corrected.
Willingness to try things. If a troubleshooter is afraid to try something out of fear
of a negative result they will struggle to reach the solution of the problem. A
perfect example is a processor who is afraid to open up vents on a mold because
of flash. If you do not try to fix the problem it will not be resolved.
Taking a systematic approach. A good troubleshooter works through a problem
using a systematic methodology. Change one thing at a time in an organized
fashion and give the change a chance to stabilize.
Being data driven. Good troubleshooters utilize data to make decisions, and do
not rely on assumptions or opinions. If a change is made the data should provide
feedback on the whether or not there was an improvement.
Patience. This may be one of the hardest parts of troubleshooting. Often times a
change is made but the troubleshooter is not patient enough to determine the
effect and immediately makes another change. Allow processes to stabilize
during troubleshooting to determine the ultimate impact.
