Rapid tooling on show in Birmingham

A Protoform product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Aug 24, 2005

Bavarian based Protoform will be showing off its Space Puzzle Molding technology at the Time Compression Technologies Show (4th to 6th October 2005, UK NEC, Birmingham).

Bavarian based Protoform, creator of the unique tooling system for series-identical prototype and production injection mouldings known as Space Puzzle Molding, will be exhibiting at TCT in Hall 4 Stand 130.

Relatively new to UK clients, Space Puzzle Molding (or SPM) uses CNC and five-axis machining to create perfect aluminium or steel cavities forming complex mouldings from 2g to 2.2kg shot weight and dimensions up to 800 x 400 x 200mm.

SPM differs from full production tooling by an absence of complex ejector systems resulting in faster time to market and a cost typically 50% less than fully automated tooling.

A combination of clever design techniques, built up over many years of experience (Protoform completes a new mould, on average, every working day of the year) and a highly skilled production workforce, results in rapid prototypes in design-intent material with the major plus factor of professional medium volume production in quantities up to several thousand items from the same tooling.

Clients with high value/low volume markets such as medical and scientific instruments often look no further than Space Puzzle Molding as production tooling for the life of the product.

Until SPM they had no choice but to commission expensive, fully automated tooling as most other plastics moulding techniques would mean a compromise on materials.

A wealth of examples will be on show at TCT including two-component shots, heat resistant grades, insert/outsert, and gas assisted mouldings.

A typical mould and a series of illustrations will highlight why the term Space Puzzle Molding (Golden Euromould Award winner 2002) is so appropriate for this unique system.

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