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As the saying goes, "the devil is in the details." The
same holds true when manufacturing your custom
plastic enclosures. Never underestimate the
importance of (and relationship between) design and
tooling.
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Best Practices in Successful Tooling
Solid CAD Files Lead to Solid Tooling.
If your design looks great on screen but won't work
under real-world conditions, then what's the point?
We've received CAD files with details that would have
been impossible to manufacture or too costly to do so.
This is why it's essential to involve the thermoforming
company in the design and engineering process. At
ThermoFab, we're happy to work with outside
designers and engineers like yourself so that you
have the information you need to ensure that your CAD
designs not only look great, but also work and make
sense for the product. Since your CAD files need to be
in excellent order before the tooling process begins,
it's critical that you don't miss this step.
Prototyping vs. Production Tooling.
Instead of building prototypes, it makes more sense
to go right to production tooling. Why? In this
technological age, you can look at the complete CAD
assembly and you'll know-and see-how everything
fits. So, for example, if you have a tooling budget of
20K, you won't need to spend 7K to prototype for one
piece that isn't shippable (which is what had to be
done in pre-computer days). At ThermoFab, we might
make 10, 20, or 100 parts to start (we can do larger-
volume runs as well). If we need to change something
once the part has been released, it's easy and
economical to do so-we simply modify the tool. (This
only works, of course, if the CAD file is created
properly.)
Always Think Aluminum.
Aluminum tooling is the way to go because of its
longevity and ease of change. Actual tool modification
will only take a few days with an updated 3D file. With
other materials, you're likely to encounter problems.
For example, if you opt for a cast process, such as
cast epoxy or cast aluminum, you may encounter
porosity and shrinkage issues. And keep in mind,
wood is a four-letter word! From season-to-season, it
doesn't hold up. Plus, you can't pressurize into wood
because it just compresses. If you're putting all this
machine time (and money) into a material, it's not
worth putting into a sub-standard material.
Here are Some Other Requirements of
Successful Tooling:
- A skilled craftsman who considers the plastic,
shrink, and aluminum tooling necessary to create the
desired parts from your 3D files.
- A talented team of engineers and designers to
move the project along seamlessly and with precision
and to keep everyone on track for a quality outcome.
- Thorough inspection of every tool by a demanding
team of tooling and engineering professionals.
- The ability to make necessary changes and
refinements quickly so your project stays on deadline
and your product performs as intended.
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Case in Point--Successful Tooling at Work
At ThermoFab, one of the keys to our proprietary
process is that we're creating a core that creates a
part that's better than anything in the world because
we're putting as much detail as we can in both the tool
side and core side. Our proprietary process allows for
an extra 40 to 50 percent more detail than traditional
thermoforming. In fact, the details are so precise, our
thermoformed plastic enclosures look injection
molded. Here's an example that illustrates our strong
commitment to the tooling process.
We just finished a project for Essential
Telecommunications Corp. (ETC), which was trying to
update the look
of a three-part set that resembles a speaker box. At
ThermoFab, we improved the renderings, created the
3D file, and tooled it in aluminum. We shipped them
10 units. ETC is going to make a few small changes,
which we can do easily and economically in the
aluminum. Because we can make these changes so
fast, we're probably saving the company a couple of
months to market. ETC isn't sure if it will need 20
units or 20,000, but with our process, we can do low-
or high-volume runs.
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People Who Make ThermoFab Fabulous--Meet Birch Amoako!
Craftsman, toolmaker, pursuer of the American
dream, devoted family man-these words describe
Birch Amoako. Originally from Ghana, Birch has lived
in the U.S. for fifteen years and has been a toolmaker
at ThermoFab for seven years. But he was a
craftsman and machinist long before he came to our
country.
Birch often goes home to Ghana and continues his
craft there-something he's known for-by helping to
build homes in his small town. On a recent visit, Birch
hired some fellow townsmen, and they spent a whole
day cutting down a tree-the trunk's width was the
same height as Birch. He and the workers spent a
couple weeks splitting the tree and trimming it into
planks before carrying the wood for four miles to its
final destination. While the wood isn't suitable for
furniture, it will make a fine roof for the five-bedroom
house that Birch and his townspeople are building.
Whether building a home from scratch in a faraway
land or crafting tools at ThermoFab, craftsmanship,
artistry, and attention to detail are essential elements.
Birch embraces and practices these every day. We're
happy he's part of the ThermoFab team.
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ThermoFab is committed to being the leader in
custom plastic enclosures. Contact us today to
learn how we can take you from files to finished
product in just 4-6 weeks!
Sincerely,
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