it’s not easy being clean - ptg...
TRANSCRIPT
it’s not easy being clean....
Brendan Cahill, with a long, deep resume in plastics manufacturing, is a careful man. So, when he decided it was time to start PTG Silicones, his
new business, he spent a year looking over the playing field. With the global competition in molding as tough as it is, what would be the best niche?
His choice: silicone rubber products for the medical industry—which meant he needed the best technology there was and a contamination-free “clean room” to mold in. But setting up a clean room from scratch can be tricky. For example, all the utilities are outside the room so if any changes need to be made—say, turn the molding machine 90 degrees—you have to break into the room and risk contamination, spoiling your competitive advantage. So, as soon as he had his building, the next step was to call UK’s Center for Manufacturing. “I’d heard about them from other industry folks I respect. UK has a great word-of-mouth reputation for experience and know-how.”At the Center, Bill Young suggested ways to maximize floor space and streamline the workflow, get equipment in and
Find out more.....specifically for engineering design, analysis, & consultation assistance www.mfg.uky.edu/tech/edac.htmlor phone Kim [email protected], ext. 401
out of the clean room and leave space to expand when the business grew. “Essentially, we customized the layout for his business,” Bill says. “It’s not easy….everything in the clean room—the utility drops, the robot arm—had to be placed just right.” With his careful planning and UK’s expert help, there were no ugly surprises in the installation. “I was joking with my electrician the other day,” Brendan says. “‘Gee, it looks like we knew what we were doing when we laid this all out!’ With a little help from our friends at UK.” Need help with your clean room or other manufacturing issue? Here at the center we can help with automation, process improvement, equipment design/selection, ergonomics, quality improvement, lean training, you name it.
www.mfg.uky.edu [email protected] or 1-800-227-6268
Produced by UK Center for Manufacturing Staff Bob Gregory, Dorothy Rapp, Bill Young CAD drawing by Matt Young Photography provided by PTG Silicones Published in UK Alumni Magazine, Vol. 78, No. 3 © 2007 University of Kentucky