Page 22 - Injection Molding Advanced Troubleshooting Guide

1.4 Troubleshooting Methodology 3

„ „1.3„ What Makes an Ineffective
Troubleshooter?

Many of the above characteristics help people to become effective troubleshooters.
There are also many traits that make people struggle when troubleshooting includ-
ing:

ƒ The “know it all”. People that believe they know everything about every aspect of
injection molding will one day be in for a rude awakening. Injection molding
problems tend to have a humbling effect on troubleshooters, and everyone has
something more to learn. Remember every mold, machine, and material combi-
nation can create a new opportunity.
ƒ The “this worked last time” syndrome. Many times people get caught in an ap-
proach that completely relies on what they have experienced, which in turn puts
blinders on them. First understand the problem before trying to implement what
worked last time.
ƒ The “Band-Aids and duct tape fixes everything” troubleshooter. This type of
person will always look for the simplest thing that can be done whether or not
they solve the problem. This mentality often happens in production where the
approach can be just “get me the parts I need to make shipment.” While a “duct
tape” type of fix may help to limp through a run, the root cause must be ad-
dressed and corrected. Putting “Band-Aids” on top of duct tape to keep a job
running will lead to scrap and downtime.
ƒ The “flavor of the month”. This often happens when a specific problem is identi-
fied and corrected on a given mold in the plant. Often since this solution solved
that problem people will try to implement that solution everywhere whether it
fits or not.
Overall many people that struggle to effectively troubleshoot are lacking either
the time or the tools to be successful. There is always only going to be 24 hours in
every day and customer demand for quality parts will persist. This book was writ-
ten to help provide some tools that can make troubleshooting more efficient and
hopefully help people wisely use their time spent troubleshooting.

„ „1.4„ Troubleshooting Methodology

As mentioned in Section 1.2, a good troubleshooter uses a systematic approach.
The following is a reminder to help with keeping a systematic approach to trouble-
shooting;