Case Study: Helping a Germany Milk Bottle Vendor with Glass Thickness Problems

Background

A​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ German milk bottle vendor asked Minghang for help to fix the problem of inconsistent glass thickness in their custom milk bottles. The variations were causing some bottles to be too fragile and others to be too heavy, thus inefficient for shipping and not pleasing the end-users. The vendor was looking for a dependable way to not only standardize the glass thickness but also keep the custom design features intact.

Challenges

Inconsistent Wall Thickness

The walls of some bottles were so thin in the critical areas that the bottles broke during transportation, while other areas were unnecessarily thick, thus both production cost and shipping weight were increased.

Production Variability

The vendor's current molds and production line were incapable of maintaining consistent thickness from one batch to another. Small deviations accumulated in large orders, resulting in quality control problems.

Minghang Solutions

Mold Redesign

Minghang recreated the molds by accurately distributing the wall thickness and tightening the tolerances. The redesigned mold ensured that the glass thickness was uniform without the need of changing the bottle's look or its use.

Process Optimization

The precision of the temperature control and forming parameters was improved to eliminate the glass stress and to guarantee the glass would be evenly distributed. The quality of each batch was checked through automated measurement tools, thus the quality was always consistent.

Quality Assurance

Drop tests, weight checks, and visual inspections became the standard methods of ensuring that each bottle met the required standards of durability and consistency before being packed for shipment.

Results

The German milk bottle vendor was able to achieve uniform glass thickness in all their bottles, thus the breakage was reduced by 45% and the waste of material was also lowered. Customers reported the increased reliability of the vendor, who is now able to make production plans with a predictable level of quality and even expand his business.

Custom 200ml 250ml Round Little Glass Milk Bottles	Custom 100ml 240ml Square Mini Milk Bottles

Conclusion

Minghang aided the German milk bottle vendor in solving the problem of inconsistent glass thickness, thus the vendor could standardize the thickness of the glass, reduce the breakage rate, and supply consistent and durable milk bottles by the combination of mold redesign, process optimization, and stringent quality ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌control.