We all know that the eye gravitates toward curves versus boring straight lines! If money was no object - would you choose a Corvette or a Pinto? The challenge faced today by most product managers and designers is bringing a product to market within budget and justifying the external enclosure as 'curvy and swerve"y" ' vs. a ho-hum metal box. Some distinct projects come to mind where redesigns and upgrades have paid off for our clients! The two articles featured below review how to make the jump from metal to plastic.
When should a company consider making the Jump
to Plastic?
Redesigns from metal housings to plastic are easily justified by marketing and engineering teams. Curves along with creating a signature shape or look brand the product line and create buzz in the marketplace. Simply put: Buzz sells more product!
Is it more expensive to produce something in plastic or metal?
Short answer - yes! (If we are talking about easily bent sheet metal.) There are two choices - create curves with a tooling investment or keep the design angular and most likely boring with a basic sheet metal shape. An investment is needed - but with discussion and want lists - an upgraded look is easily achievable within budget!
If the company decides to make the jump, what costs will the company need to consider (design, materials, etc.?)
Companies have to consider their user, their market when working the budgets to analyze the overall cost of the enclosure. If you spend 10%-20% of the total product cost on the exterior enclosure - - the so-called first impression "view" will you sell 100% more product? Yes - we've seen product redesigns and branding efforts pay off immediately for clients. The ROI is amazing to witness!
When is it not a good idea to manufacture in metal?
- The product enclosure is an essential aesthetic design element.
- When the product design in metal is too complicated for the metal house to manufacture and drives cost.
- An angular simple box design makes the enclosure look flimsy and doesn't promote the sophisticated product line.
Case In Point
Justifying Plastic in a Product Redesign
ThermoFab current production of Spiral Biotech's Autoplate® Spiral Plating System has been full steam ahead since the initial product release in 2009. ThermoFab designed and manufactured a custom plastic enclosure that met sales requirements for an updated look and feel while reducing service efforts. The jump from metal to plastic in this enclosure design was an amazing process and a true team effort for the design work. Spiral Biotech, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Advanced Instruments (AI), Inc., which is a leader in a variety of laboratory disciplines in industries ranging from clinical chemistry to microbiology to food and dairy.
After extensive market research, Advanced Instruments developed a number of enhancements to its spiral plating technology. One of the objectives for this redesign was to move away from the metal housing used for previous versions and improve the accessibility of the instrument's components.
ThermoFab's reputation for quality, creativity, and timely turnaround was well known within Advanced Instruments. "The ThermoFab team was great at staying on top of things," stated Dave Valois, AI Senior Buyer. "The quality of their thermoforming was great, delivery went like clockwork, and they offered flexibility on order volumes."
"Our goal was to develop an enclosure that represented the company's brand while making access to the inner components easier for the service reps," said Tom King, Jr., president of ThermoFab. "We are able to do this easily because of our extensive knowledge of plastics, thermoforming, and enclosure design."
EMI shielding, a service ThermoFab provides in-house, was also used to protect the product's internal electronic components.
At the American Society of Microbiology Show, the new instrument received excellent reviews when it was showcased, and, according to National Sales Manager Anthony Pappas, "The new design met our goal of having the instrument standout in a crowd. We had positive responses from clients and enthusiasm from our sales team."
Thanks to hard work, attention to detail, and customer focus, ThermoFab has become the supplier of choice for Advanced Instruments.
Read more of our thermoforming case studies here.