Product category:
Materials processing and testing
News Release from: Moulddesigner | Subject: Alloy moulds
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 18 September 2001
Better moulds in less time
"What used to be fast is now just business as usual" says MDL after a recent two-week contract to create moulds for a new server front panel project
Antefacto's Sentinel I is the first server management appliance to integrate firewall, load balancing, monitoring and remote management features into a sleek appliance AnteFacto were in the final stages of developing the product and securing a significant customer contract was dependant on developing a plastic front control panel for a ten unit trial build within a two-week timeframe
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 1 Nov 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Faced with a potentially huge rapid prototyping bill, Moulddesigner (MDL) stepped in and offered Antefacto a suite of injection moulds capable of meeting full production demand complete with the required ten sets of control panel mouldings within the two weeks.
MDL director Kieran Fegan said, 'We use the latest in virtual 3D CAD design technology and are able to design three-dimensional injection moulds capable of producing low-medium volumes of plastic components in hours as opposed to the traditional weeks, the CAD data is used to seamlessly produce the mould via computer aided manufacture.
Until now, there has never really been a viable option for companies wanting to produce more than what the vacuum casting process allows and less than what can be attained from high investment hardened steel moulds.
Achieving the end goal of better moulds in less time takes a total change in mindset, away from the idea that this is fast, to the idea that what used to be fast is now just business as usual.
There is a growing demand to build moulds in weeks, not lots of weeks, but few weeks, like one! These aren't your old-fashioned aluminum prototype moulds, but high-quality alloy moulds capable of producing millions of parts.
In growing proportion, the difference between prototype and hard mould is simply the number of cavities and the amount of automation.
There is now little difference in the quality of the plastic part produced." In reference to the Antefacto contract Kieran said "We had total confidence in our own abilities and knew that we could come through in the required timeframe." MDL worked in partnership with Design Partners, which carried out the product design on the panel in an equally impressive two weeks.
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