Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Understanding Tyre Wear Patterns

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

🛞 Understanding Tyre Wear Patterns – What Your Tyres Are Trying to Tell You

Tyre wear isn’t just about age — it’s a story your vehicle tells about its alignment, suspension, and driving habits. Recognizing these wear patterns early can save you money and keep you safer on the road.

Here are the most common types of tyre wear and what they mean 👇

🔹 Toe Wear

If you notice one edge of the tyre ribs wearing faster than the other, it’s often a sign of incorrect wheel alignment. This uneven contact means your tyres aren’t meeting the road evenly. A proper alignment can restore balance and even out wear.

🔹 Camber Wear

When one side of the tyre (inner or outer) is more worn, that’s camber wear — often caused by misaligned suspension or excessive cornering. It reduces stability, especially at high speeds or turns. Alignment and balancing usually fix this issue.

🔹 Center Wear

If the middle of your tyre tread is wearing faster than the edges, your tyres are likely overinflated. Too much air pressure causes the centre to bulge, reducing contact with the road edges. Check and adjust pressure to manufacturer specifications.

🔹 Edge Wear

The opposite of centre wear — this happens when tyres are underinflated, causing the edges to carry more load and wear out quickly. Underinflation also increases rolling resistance and fuel consumption.

🔹 Patch Wear

Uneven patches of smooth and rough tread usually mean tyre imbalance. The tyre may be bouncing slightly instead of maintaining consistent contact with the road. Get your tyres rebalanced, especially after new installations.

🔹 Cup Wear (Scalloping)

This looks like a series of dips or “cups” along the tread. It’s a serious sign that your suspension components are worn or damaged, causing uneven pressure on the tyres. Fixing the underlying suspension issue is essential before replacing the tyres.

💡 Pro Tip: Regular tyre inspection, rotation, and alignment checks not only extend tyre life but also improve handling, fuel economy, and overall safety.

Activate to view larger image.

source : Farhan Khan

Syensqo’s bio-based carbon fibre used in Mercedes-AMG’s W16 race car

Syensqo’s bio-based registered trademark MTM 49-3 epoxy prepreg was incorporated in the rear brake duct wheel shields of Mercedes-AMG’s W16 race car, which competed in Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku in September, driven by British pilot George Russell. #Syensqo’s resin, which was launched in early 2024, includes 30% bio-based materials. A few weeks ago, the bio-based MTM 49-3 was awarded the Green Tech Award at the Race Tech World Motorsport Symposium.

The #epoxyprepreg, which has been developed with 30% bio-sourced monomers, maintains the same mechanical strength, glass-transition temperature (190°C) and processability as its conventional counterpart. Compared with metals, it offers up to 40% weight savings.

This is the first time that the team has used sustainable #carbonfibre composites on a technically performant component in race conditions.

The new MTM 49-3 product variant incorporates bio-based content yet performs to the exacting standards of the motorsport industry, demonstrating that advanced materials can help the racing world move toward lower fossil use while keeping its competitive edge.

Alice Ashpitel, Head of Sustainability at Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One team, said: “We are proud to be powering sustainable innovation within Formula One, introducing sustainable carbon fibre composites on a technically performant component.

“This project with Syensqo highlights our commitment to reduce our environmental impact while maintaining the highest standards of performance.

“By integrating bio-based resin within a carbon fibre composite material, we are setting a new benchmark for the future of motorsport and beyond.

“The fact that these materials have been derived from by-products associated with the creation of bio-diesel is an added benefit and indicates the power of advanced sustaina

photo : Mercedes-AMG

source : Jeccomposites

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : What Are Flow Lines in Injection Molding

 Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

🔹 What Are Flow Lines in Injection Molding — and Why Should You Care?

Flow lines are one of the most common (and frustrating) surface defects in plastic parts.

They appear as:

➖ Wavy streaks

➖ Discoloration

➖ Directional lines following the melt flow

These cosmetic issues don’t always affect function—but for customer-facing parts, they can ruin product aesthetics and perceived quality.

🔍 What causes flow lines?

🌡️ Material cooling too quickly in thin sections

🧊 Inconsistent mold temperatures

🌀 Flow hesitation around corners, holes, or sudden thickness changes

🐢 Injection speed too low or poor gate design

💡 How to reduce flow lines

✅ Optimize gate size & position

✅ Increase injection speed & pressure

✅ Improve mold temperature control

✅ Design smooth, even wall thickness transitions

source : SCSplastic

THE “BENT KEY PRINCIPLE”

 🔑 THE “BENT KEY PRINCIPLE”

How a Tiny Mistake Inside Toyota’s Factory Created One of the Most Powerful Ideas in Modern Business

In the early 1970s, Toyota’s assembly line stopped unexpectedly.

Machines were silent.

Workers froze.

Supervisors rushed in.

The entire line … capable of producing hundreds of cars a day…was shut down because of one tiny problem:

A machine operator found a bent key inside a control panel.

It was small.

Barely noticeable.

Harmless-looking.

But the operator did something unusual:

He pulled a cord above his station …the andon cord…which immediately stopped the entire factory.

Managers panicked.

Stopping the line cost thousands of dollars per minute.

Engineers ran diagnostics.

Maintenance teams checked panels.

Finally, the confused supervisor asked:

“Why did you stop production for something this small?”

The operator held up the bent key and said:

“If something this small is in the machine…

something bigger is coming.”

That one sentence changed the philosophy of Toyota forever.

Instead of punishing workers for stopping the line, Toyota rewarded them.

They made the andon cord a standard.

They encouraged every employee to pause production the moment something felt “off.”

Toyota began catching problems early…long before they became disasters.

Quality skyrocketed.

Costs dropped.

Efficiency became legendary.

Toyota didn’t become the world’s most reliable car company because they built faster.

They became the best because they built smarter.

All thanks to a bent key nobody else would’ve noticed.

💡 THE MARKETING LESSON

Most businesses don’t collapse because of big issues.

They collapse because of the small ones they ignore.

• A slightly confusing webpage

• A tiny delay in onboarding

• A slow email reply

• A confusing offer

• A broken link no one checks

• A frustrated customer who doesn’t complain

Small problems become big failures when multiplied.

Don’t fix what’s exploding.

Fix what’s whispering.

🧠 THE NERDY TAKEAWAY

The “Bent Key Principle” teaches this:

Your business doesn’t need more speed.

It needs more awareness.

The problems that threaten your growth rarely walk in loudly.

They slip in quietly.

Catch the bent key early…

and you prevent the broken machine later.

source : Ian George

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : How impartant mold temperature in Injection molding

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

You really understand how important mold temperature is in Injection Molding ?

When molding semi-crystalline materials, a higher mold temperature will accelerate crystallization and possibly reduce (Yes, REDUCE) cycle time (see top right kinetic curve), while producing a stiffer part.

When molding amorphous polymers, the degree of Physical Aging induced by a higher mold temperature will lead to a higher Yield Stress (left graph) and serious consequences on mechanical response. Creep performance and Impact will change by orders of magnitude, in opposite directions.

Many erroneously interpret these effects as being due to residual stresses.

source : Vito leo