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Product category: Engineering Exhibitions and Events
News Release from: Smithers Rapra
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial Team on 04 February 2005

Full range of services on show at PMD in
Telford

Rapra Technology's full range of services will be on show at the Plastics Design and Moulding exhibition in Telford, between 12th and 14th April 2005.

Rapra Technology's year on year growth in plastics product design consultancy is running in excess of 35%, and its full range of services will be on show at the Plastics Design and Moulding (PDM) exhibition in Telford, between 12th and 14th April 2005 Rapra Technology provides a number of essential services to aid in the design and development of medical devices

In the areas of plastics and rubber material selection Rapra has the information and experience required to specify the correct material for an application based on long-term performance in the operating environment.

Many new product designs can potentially fail because the long term properties of the plastic in the operating environment have not been taken into account.

Effects such as environmental stress cracking and degradation from sterilisation can be minimised through proper material choice.

Rapra services help the client select the best plastics at the lowest total cost (incorporating end of life costs if needed) from the 90 different generic commercial materials and their 50,000 available grades.

Rapra has a wealth of experience of designing with plastics and can advise on features that suit both materials and manufacture.

Rapra also interfaces with a number of leading design houses and can advise on sources for aesthetic input.

A key part of Rapra?s work is validation of designs using finite element stress analysis.

Thermal stress analysis can also be used to determine stress levels induced during operation at elevated temperature.

Most of Rapra?s clients at some point require 3D injection moulding simulation using 3D-Sigma software.

This gives very accurate predictions of final part dimensions and residual stress due to the injection moulding process.

Filling of parts can be seen in three dimensions, thus allowing issues such as weld-lines, sink marks and local density to be assessed.

At PMD 05, Rapra will be showcasing the latest version of 3D-Sigma, version 4.3, which offers several new features, including: greatly increased processing speed; new packing phase simulation giving increased accuracy in stress and distortion results; and the ability to export the final distorted geometry STL format for CAD analysis or prototype manufacture (eg closeness of fit).

Now Rapra has added Sigmetrix Cetol 6-sigma software - supplied by Rand Worldwide ? to compliment its FEA and SigmaSoft injection moulding simulation services for product design.

Cetol 6-sigma allows users to model, analyse and allocate tolerances based on product performance requirements while considering manufacturing process capabilities.

The result is faster development of higher quality products, at a lower cost.

Cetol 6-sigma is the key software component for implementing design for manufacture, concurrent engineering and six sigma methodologies.

When combined with actual distortion predictions from 3D-Sigmasoft injection moulding simulations Cetol can give a very accurate picture of how a plastic assembly will behave and identify regions which are most sensitive to dimensional change.

The ability to analyse an entire assembly and build in functional tolerances based on accurate injection moulding simulations will be of massive benefit to any design engineer working with plastics.

In recent months, all of these services have been busy as never before.

Leading OEMs, design houses, and processors are all anxious to ensure that their materials and products perform as stated - from development right through to fault-free production.

Rapra's work for regional programmes has seen over one hundred client interventions processed in the West Midlands alone - and a good number of these were involved with new product design and development.

Recent Rapra plastics design consultancy projects have included: moulding recycling bins for truck usage; new materials for the door hardware sector; materials selection and processing for an underwater bicycle; plastics food packaging disposal routes; bulletproof vest design and development; plastics substitution for surgical instruments; new tool and moulding assistance for coat hanger production; materials and moulding advice for sink plinths and bathroom fittings; biocide materials testing and validation; and metal packaging materials substitution with plastics.

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