Week 1

Week 1


In the first week I was introduced to the staff members of MicroTech Southwest and the facility. My on-site adviser, Andy Clark, explained to me the operations at their facility. MicroTech manufactures battery seals for multiple corporations and plastic parts of medical equipment. My work mainly focuses on production of plastic battery seals that prevent batteries from exploding.

The seals are produced through the process of injection molding, in which melted plastic is injected into molds under specific pressures and temperatures. These seals are then soaked in hot water for five hours to hydrate plastic material.

One of the crucial processes in the production of these battery components is quality control. Using statistical analysis, technicians are able to determine errors in production and the specification in the adjustment of the machines that produces optimal results. To obtain the data for statistical analysis, samples shots are taken and the dimensions, weight, and moisture level of each of the 32 seals in the shot are measured.