Tuesday 29 July 2008

Thin-Rim Low Volume Production by Martello Limited

Most RP materials are aiming to reproduce mechanical properties similar to ABS plastic or polycarbonate or polypropylene as these are commonly used by injection moulders to produce end products. However, injection moulding is an expensive investment with tooling costing thousands of pounds.

The investment is justified as long as the product is selling in high enough numbers to give a good return. Some products though are not suitable for injection moulding or their market is so niche and high end that they do not need to be produced in high numbers to produce a profit.

This can present a problem in getting the product manufactured and is where are own Thin-Rim® low volume production service has helped many products be produced with low investment costs for the customer.

Thin-Rim® combines vacuum casting, CNC machining and materials technology to produce injection moulded quality parts without the high cost. We can do this because our polyurethane materials have been developed to mimic traditional thermoplastics.

The nature of the process also means that parts are fully pigmented and have a superior surface finish. This all takes a lot of engineering know-how and expertise but means our customers benefit from being able to call of their products at low levels as and when required. Because the parts are produced from silicone rubber tools which only last for 30-35 parts we offer low volume production customers a one-off tooling fee so they only have to pay for the first suite of tools and thereafter we absorb the cost of replacement moulds. We can do this if we use CNC patterns for masters as this method makes the manufacture of the moulds much cheaper than using and reusing SLA models, which can distort over time and also break during tool making. CNC patterns stay accurate for years and using half patterns (core and cavity) means the tools are easier to make, as there is no taping required.
The mouldings we produce are typically caseworks, over moulds and housings and seals for electronic equipment. We do make other types of product though from toys to gardening equipment or consumer products.