A local Product Design Agency had developed a new medical device for their customer. They contacted us to supply a range of precision plastic prototype parts which would be used for field trials. The assembled device consisted of 5 injection moulded parts, one of which featured an overmoulded seal and printed surface. Some electronic components needed to be installed by the client prior to shipping to the end-user.
CAD of the assembly was supplied and subsequently reviewed with the client at our office. As part of the DFM process, a series of changes were proposed to improve manufacturability and assembly – these were accepted by the client. T1 parts were moulded and then delivered by hand to the client 2 weeks later, this allowed us to participate in the initial assessment of the components and gain a greater understanding of the customers’ requirements and part performance.
Initial testing was completed by the end user a few days later and approval to manufacture 1500pcs of each part was received. The first stage of this project was delivered to the client within 3 weeks of contacting us, the prototype parts were used for design and product verification purposes. Additional parts were requested a few months later for longer-term testing requirements, this time 5000pcs of each part were ordered.
Using steel for our prototype moulds means that we are able to guarantee up to 50,000 shots, this provides clients with the security that these tools can even be used for pre-production runs or bridge tooling if necessary without the need for re-tooling which would be required if aluminium was chosen.