<<< Stage 4: Tooling manufacture
Sampling
The individual mouldings were inspected and an initial sample inspection report (ISIR) was completed by tecni-form. In this case the function of the part was deemed by the customer to be far more critical than adherence to some of the dimensional requirements and therefore instead of the usual sample submission a batch of mouldings was produced and sent for testing.
Testing centred on three main areas; performance (would it resist the load specified by the relevant product guideline), ease of assembly (how easy was it for their field engineers to install) and functionality (how easy was it for their end customers to use).
Performance tests showed that it significantly exceeded the guideline requirement by withstanding a 30% greater load for 5 times the required time. It was therefore decided that after more extended testing it may be possible to reduce the wall thickness of the mouldings to achieve a cost saving while still exceeding the guideline requirement.
Whilst the ease of assembly and installation met the initial design brief, feedback from tecni-form's installation engineers highlighted some areas that could be improved. Design changes were therefore discussed and agreed which required some changes to the post moulding trimming and some minor tool changes. These were implemented in-house by tecni-form to save both time and cost to the customer.
Functionality was determined to be significantly better than the product it replaced and therefore very acceptable.
After implementing the changes and re-sampling, a pre-production batch was produced which was checked by their engineering team and found to be acceptable and production approval was therefore given.
The product is now in full volume production.
Follow up
In most cases that would be the end of the story, however, tecni-form always look to provide ongoing design support to customers and in this particular case, at the time of writing, we are discussing some further enhancements. One is the incorporation of a feature to make pre-assembled transportation easier, another is for improving the method for attaching a piece of electronic equipment so that its position can be both easily adjusted and more easily removed for servicing.
A look around the tecni-form website The tecni-form website is designed to be a comprehensive resource for Industrial designers.
