The website www.plasticsnews.com reports that a new moulding method which allows threaded inserts has become a reality, thanks to an ingenious company called Little star Plastics Inc. and its IndiCert product. Previously, it was a real technical challenge to ensure that either moulded or mechanically inserted threaded plastic parts were able to be constructed using conventional injection moulding techniques and most industries and especially the automotive companies, increasingly went down the road of using adhesives instead of hard fasteners when requiring such manufacturing solutions.

Little star Plastics have begun to sell the new device through a specialised website –www.indicert.com– and are aiming mainly for the aerospace market, for which the part was initially created. There are 25 different thread sizes to choose from and the IndiCert simply hand screws into the threaded insert opening without the use of tools or external machinery. The device will fall out if the insert is not present and for helical inserts, such as Heli-Coil, the IndiCert cannot be installed if the ‘driving tang’ is in situ. Due to the device being easy to recognise and brightly coloured, it is easy to see at a glance whether it is in place or not.

The product was initially designed for the company’s own in-house use and has been such a success that the Company President, Phil Preston, decided to market the simple, affordable solution to improve manufacturing turnaround time and reduce supply chain failures. A lot of the company’s customers manufacture to very tight time deadlines and such an innovative solution not only helps them improve their workflow, it also allows them to reduce delays that can inevitably lead to large costs, which is not good for the supplier or the customer.