LINKING SERIOUS BUYERS TO THE BEST SUPPLIERS
Serving the UK & IE plastics industry
3D CAD data is the gateway to exciting and transformative technologies such as simulation, 3d printing and CNC machining.
Brexit has shaken up businesses across the country, and many companies are using this as an opportunity to re-evaluate the way they are conducting their manufacturing.
Plunkett Associates’ experience takes us from low volume into hundreds of thousands, or put another way, container loads! We would be the first to acknowledge that we lack a track record of dealing in millions, a specialist area in its own right!
Whilst many companies view low quantities as a nuisance, they represent our staple diet!
Prototyping, 3D printing, additive manufacture, whatever we choose to call it now offers a wide variety of options and importantly capabilities. Which one is ‘best’ depends on what you are trying to achieve.
Bridge Tooling can also be known as development tooling or rapid tooling, and defines a stage in development where there is a need for moulded parts but production tooling is unavailable. Its name coming from the fact that it forms a bridge between prototyping and production.
Extrusion is a process that is commonly used in production, where lengths of a constant cross section are required.
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Bringing a new product to market is challenging at the best of times. Generally the more technology involved, the more disciplines, the longer it can take. Hence sorting out the ‘box’ to house the device frequently gets pushed down the list as a “we’ll sort that out later” item!
This is a great process! The range of materials and colours is huge and there is no “abs like’ that we get in 3D Printing, its the real thing. Parts are repeatable and tight tolerance. The only potential downside is the tooling, but this is covered here, with options to suit most requirements.
Injection moulding is a great way to form thermoplastics into a range of shapes. These can be anything from a simple washer to a complicated electrical housing to a wheelie bin or car bumper.
Part Design is the key to success and our top tip is “KEEP IT SIMPLE”.
Plunkett Associates believe aluminium tooling offers significant benefits in the right applications.
You need a prototype, and are thinking Additive manufacturing, but just not sure whether to go Stereolithography (SLA) or Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)? Plunkett Associates’ simple to follow, light hearted step by step guide should help give you the basics…
Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) is one example of what are termed powder bed systems. These machines build your parts within a ‘cake’ of metallic powder that is subsequently recycled.
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