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Materials processing and testing
News Release from: Toolcraft Plastics (Swindon) | Subject: Tool manufacture
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 08 July 2002
Fast tools for plastics
Tool manufacture took a large part of the critical path to launch EDC's green drain pan pump, designed to empty 14 litres of water per hour from air conditioning equipment through small-bore tubes.
Tool manufacture took a large part of the critical path to launch EDC's green drain pan pump, designed to empty 14 litres of water per hour from air conditioning equipment through small-bore tubes Toolcraft Plastics of Swindon was fast to respond when approached by Gerry Hooper, Technical Director at EDC
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 21 Jul 2000 at 8.00am (UK)
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With the ever increasing pressures on both delivery times and costs, Toolcraft Plastics of Swindon have set out methods for the quick production of mould tooling using low cost materials.
The very simple idea of using the water level in the condensate tray to initiate the pump action required the unit to be submersible.
Interactive software played a major part in liaison on design details and early changes were quickly resolved.
The necessary high reliability depended on low-tolerance tooling and choice of compatible plastics for the housing and fill, to achieve a high integrity encapsulation, and colour matching.
Toolcraft chose hard aluminium to reduce tool-manufacturing time and commenced production quantities of mouldings in just a few weeks.
"Nobody wants to wait for tools", says Gerry Hooper, "but John Hemsworth's team quickly integrated with EDC.
We'll certainly use them again".
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