Industrial Review of TPM, Downtime Reduction, and Machine Reliability Improvement in Plastic Injection Molding Industries

Abstract

Plastic injection molding industries play a significant role in modern manufacturing by producing high-volume and high-precision components for automotive, packaging, electronics, medical, and consumer product applications. However, frequent machine breakdowns, excessive downtime, reduced equipment reliability, and maintenance-related losses adversely affect production efficiency and profitability. This review paper presents a comprehensive analysis of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), downtime reduction techniques, and machine reliability improvement strategies adopted in plastic injection molding industries. The study critically reviews published literature related to TPM implementation, Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), reliability assessment parameters such as MTBF and MTTR, preventive and predictive maintenance approaches, and industrial case studies. The findings indicate that TPM significantly improves equipment availability, productivity, product quality, and maintenance performance while reducing downtime and operational losses. Furthermore, recent advancements in Industry 4.0 technologies, including the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and Digital Twin systems, have enhanced maintenance decision-making and reliability management capabilities. The review also identifies existing research gaps and highlights future opportunities for developing intelligent and sustainable maintenance systems in injection molding industries. Overall, TPM remains a powerful strategy for achieving manufacturing excellence, reliability enhancement, and continuous productivity improvement.

Keywords