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Will Your Tradeshow Product be a Superstar or a Fright? Think "Touchy Feely" Bottom line? Your prospects need to see and touch a real product--one that can withstand bending and prodding and holding. Because of this, avoid stereolithography (SLA). But why, you might ask, considering SLA models can be created from CAD files in a matter of hours? Sure, you might have a "real" three-dimensional object in hand, but problems with SLA models exist. They're costly (the liquid photopolymer used in the SLA machine can cost upwards of $800/gallon), and the process (which involves the layering of the liquid photopolymer) is not always structurally sound. Imagine having an SLA model at a tradeshow and it doesn't bend or flex the way it's supposed to or worse--it breaks in a prospective customer's hands. Wouldn't it be better to have the actual part instead of a raw piece? Even if you attend a tradeshow with a prototype, it should be made from materials similar to those that will be used in the final product, and it should have a production finish. Show and Sell Well, not so fast. Think about it. In today's hectic world and crowded marketplace, a person has only so many chances to engage a prospective customer. The beauty of tradeshows is that they're filled with captive audiences. People attend for a reason, such as a vested interest in a particular industry. Many of these people are looking for products--perhaps products like yours. Where else besides a brick and mortar storefront will you have the opportunity to speak with a hot prospect face-to-face while showing your wares? When you look at it like this, suddenly those products displayed at tradeshow booths take on new meaning. This is your opportunity to show and sell. Don't skimp.
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Ahhh Yes - Summer and The Email Inbox
We know how it goes: emails overwhelm your inbox and the next thing you know, you're deleting at will. Problem is, you know you might be missing some good stuff! That's the purpose - and only purpose - of this blog entry...to provide you with links to some of the resources that you might have missed. We want to arm you with benchmarks you should use when evaluating companies like ThermoFab so that you can select the best company to manufacture your product:
And please know that we'd love the opportunity to "wow" you with our thermoforming process. Contact us today to schedule a call to discuss your product's needs, or, better yet, set up a time to tour our plant. Telephone Lisa King or Michael Wahl at 888-494-9777. We truly enjoy showing clients and prospective clients around our Massachusetts office and manufacturing facility.
Details, Details, Details
Design Services Designed Around Your Needs 
Design Services which concentrate on the details of your custom plastic enclosures. We're excited to announce an increased investment in ThermoFab's in-house design services. This investment will further ensure that our customers continue to receive the highest quality parts from a company that truly is a one-stop shop in the engineering, design, and manufacturing of thermoformed plastic enclosures.
Whether you already have a designer or a design or you need a designer to turn that concept into reality, ThermoFab can help in both scenarios.
If you already have a designer or a design, we'd be happy to do the following:
If you need a designer, we'd be happy to do the following:
We invite you to read about some of the design and manufacturing challenges we've solved for our customers.
Design: It's in the Details 
Sometimes what is hidden behind a product - it's interior details - are the most crucial in the design process! These interior photos from a medical device highlight sophisticated attachment details and intricate design. Contact us today to learn more about our Custom Plastic Enclosures and Revolutionary Processes
You've labored over your product: its design, its function, its manufacturing. But keep this in mind: it doesn't--and shouldn't--stop there. In fact, we're willing to say that product finishing is just as important (and maybe even more so, at least initially) as design, function, and manufacturing.
Why?
Simple. Your product's finishing touches are what prospective customers are going to see first. If your product doesn't garner attention (and quickly), it won't matter how innovative or how useful your product is because the prospect will have already walked on by.
Don't let that happen. Take the time to understand how to reach the product "finish line" in style.
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Reach the Finish Line in Style
 When it comes to product finishing, you need to focus on three things: color, min/max chips, and logo artwork and design.Color Me Brilliant: We've talked about color psychology in past issues, but it bears repeating. The color you choose speaks to consumers on a subliminal level. White says "clean," bold purple suggests "fun," and soft blues and sea greens have calming effects. Think about what you want your product to say and what impression you want it to leave on people's minds. Don't randomly select a color. Make sure you have a reason (and a good one) for selecting it. Of course, choosing the right color is only the first step. What comes next? Working with a thermoformer that makes certain your color translates well onto the product. At ThermoFab, we perform all painting in-house because this gives us maximum control over color, gloss, and texture. For the exterior color, we can color-match using your color sample chip or specification. To ensure the right color is applied every time, we use Dupont Spectramaster. Which brings us to our next important point. Ensuring Color Consistency with Min/Max Chips Think of it like this: min/max paint chips keep everyone "honest" because they provide the all-important color/texture/gloss level criteria. How does it work? We can only speak to our own process here at ThermoFab:
Everything about your product should reflect and reinforce your existing brand. Branding is not something that you should be thinking about after the product is designed and manufactured. It needs to be part of the custom thermoforming process. Questions to ask:
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Finished Product. "Wow" Result.
Read how ThermoFab helped transform this industrial box housing into a sleek platform, complete with product finishing that really makes the product "pop." (Note: link opens a PDF.) Then browse through our complete list of thermoforming case studies here. |
Justifying the Jump from Metal to Plastic
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!
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?
Did you find this information helpful? Great! You should download our free Design Guide, because these are the sort of quality tips and explanations we provide.
Picture this scenario: you and your company have been laboring over a new product concept. You've done the market research, and you know demand exists. You've designed the product, and you've collaborated with a thermoforming company to manufacture the plastic enclosure. You've priced the product to sell right out of the gate. You've created buzz, and you've worked tirelessly on the marketing plan, the social media plan, and the PR plan. All you're waiting for now are the actual thermoformed parts.
You wait. And you wait, only to find out there's an issue with the design. And then the materials. And-oh wait-the company that's manufacturing the parts is behind schedule. There's nothing you can do (well, unless you want to sink more money into starting all over with another manufacturer).
While this might seem like an extreme example, it's not. Your time to market (TTM) is determined by the length of each stage of a product's development, one of the most crucial of which is the actual manufacturing of your thermoformed parts.
This is why it's important to keep in mind that not all thermoforming companies are alike. You must select carefully. At the same time, choosing a thermoformer doesn't need to be a stressful process, if you know what to look for-and what to avoid. And that's where this white paper comes in.
We've outlined the key questions to ask and factors to consider when making your decision. Your product is an investment. Take the time to speak to several thermoformers to understand how each one approaches the manufacturing process.
Here's something to note before you continue reading:
Understanding the difference between thin- and heavy-gauge thermoforming is essential when researching a thermoforming company's expertise. Knowing up front what type of thermoforming you need will help save you time during the initial contact phase.
There's no sense in contacting a heavy-gauge thermoformer when what you need is a thin gauge one. Most packaging-think of the plastic that holds a wireless headset-is thin-gauge thermoforming. Heavy-gauge thermoforming involves a plastic part that in essence "becomes" the product. For example, think of your computer or a medical device at the hospital. The plastic enclosure not only covers and protects the delicate electrical components on the inside, but also makes the product look better.
While you can use most of the considerations that we discuss below for evaluating either thin- or heavy-gauge thermoforming companies, it's important to know that this paper was written with heavy-gauge thermoforming in mind.
Below is the link to our whitepaper:
http://www.thermofab.com/thought-papers-articles/choosing-thermoforming-company/
Interior Detail
