For David Mills, who runs the
design agency Haughton Design, getting involved at the early stages is critical
for everybody concerned.
"Very early in the process, we talk to the toolmaker, the moulder and even the automation people," he says.
This close collaboration can lead to more creative solutions to product problems. He cites a recent example, for a part that demanded a consistent moulding with no warpage or internal stress.
"We got an additives supplier involved and added a blowing agent to the material," he says.
When the material was injected, the mould fill was slightly short - but the blowing agent helped to expand the material, which completed the filling.
"We lost some aesthetics, but this wasn't important," he says. "The customer wanted function over final finish. The idea for the blowing agent came through the collaboration."
Getting everybody around the table at an early stage builds mutual trust, fosters the sharing of ideas and ensures that clashes between design and manufacture are avoided.
"Industrial designers can get very possessive if a project stays in the design phase for too long," he says. "If they're constantly talking to the moulder, they are more willing to change the design at this early stage - which makes it easier to mould at the end."
This is not to say that designs should deliberately be simplified for the sake of manufacturing. Mills is different to most design agency bosses, in that his background is in manufacturing rather than design. But he says that the designer's flair and creativity must be balanced with practicality.
"Manufacturers sometimes ask for designs that are dead simple to mould,This is a really pretty round stonemosaic votive that has been covered with vintage china . so they can knock out parts like they're shelling peas," he says. "But you need a balance,Ekahau rtls is the only Wi-Fi based real time location system solution that operates on any brand or generation of Wi-Fi network. otherwise you get boring products with no style or aesthetic appeal."
An example might be to avoid using a mould with side cores,Bathroom floortiles at Great Prices from Topps Tiles. which would add cost and complexity to a project. But, says Mills,TBC help you confidently buymosaic from factories in China.Rubiks cubepuzzle. the effects of a side core mould can be reproduced by taking a pragmatic approach to cost.
Instead of designing a mould with side cores, he suggests using a simple mould with manual inserts. This is more time consuming, but can slash costs.
"In many ways, it can also be more flexible," he says.
Other post-processing operations - traditionally shunned because they are "too expensive" – can also make sense. Drilling holes in a part may sound like a return to the dark ages, but it can be cheaper and more effective than a sophisticated mould that puts the holes in from the start.
In a high volume project, the cost of the mould is minimal next to that of the automation needed for assembly; but for a low volume project, the mould cost is brought into sharp focus - so a simplified mould is often the answer.
"People are becoming more open to using plastics for lower volumes," he says.
He cites a recent example: Terrafix, which was using steel casings for its medical touch screens, did not believe that plastic mouldings were feasible for runs of below 500. Haughton helped it to switch to plastics, which saved around 90% in costs and added plenty of aesthetic appeal.
"The soft aluminium mould was paid off in the first run," says Mills.
This project followed Haughton's usual principles of getting everybody involved. But a failure to communicate has actually benefited the company, because it recently launched a 'design rescue' service.
"We'd been getting quite a lot of work, asking us to help out with designs that were not working," says Mills. "It was usually at the point where a toolmaker let out a scream of horror when they saw what they were being asked to produce."
Pain-free injections sound like a fantastic idea, and it's one that designer Oliver Blackwell has gone some way to solving. In collaboration with David Berger, a former GP, he has designed a device that delivers a tiny shot of anaesthetic before the main injection.
"Very early in the process, we talk to the toolmaker, the moulder and even the automation people," he says.
This close collaboration can lead to more creative solutions to product problems. He cites a recent example, for a part that demanded a consistent moulding with no warpage or internal stress.
"We got an additives supplier involved and added a blowing agent to the material," he says.
When the material was injected, the mould fill was slightly short - but the blowing agent helped to expand the material, which completed the filling.
"We lost some aesthetics, but this wasn't important," he says. "The customer wanted function over final finish. The idea for the blowing agent came through the collaboration."
Getting everybody around the table at an early stage builds mutual trust, fosters the sharing of ideas and ensures that clashes between design and manufacture are avoided.
"Industrial designers can get very possessive if a project stays in the design phase for too long," he says. "If they're constantly talking to the moulder, they are more willing to change the design at this early stage - which makes it easier to mould at the end."
This is not to say that designs should deliberately be simplified for the sake of manufacturing. Mills is different to most design agency bosses, in that his background is in manufacturing rather than design. But he says that the designer's flair and creativity must be balanced with practicality.
"Manufacturers sometimes ask for designs that are dead simple to mould,This is a really pretty round stonemosaic votive that has been covered with vintage china . so they can knock out parts like they're shelling peas," he says. "But you need a balance,Ekahau rtls is the only Wi-Fi based real time location system solution that operates on any brand or generation of Wi-Fi network. otherwise you get boring products with no style or aesthetic appeal."
An example might be to avoid using a mould with side cores,Bathroom floortiles at Great Prices from Topps Tiles. which would add cost and complexity to a project. But, says Mills,TBC help you confidently buymosaic from factories in China.Rubiks cubepuzzle. the effects of a side core mould can be reproduced by taking a pragmatic approach to cost.
Instead of designing a mould with side cores, he suggests using a simple mould with manual inserts. This is more time consuming, but can slash costs.
"In many ways, it can also be more flexible," he says.
Other post-processing operations - traditionally shunned because they are "too expensive" – can also make sense. Drilling holes in a part may sound like a return to the dark ages, but it can be cheaper and more effective than a sophisticated mould that puts the holes in from the start.
In a high volume project, the cost of the mould is minimal next to that of the automation needed for assembly; but for a low volume project, the mould cost is brought into sharp focus - so a simplified mould is often the answer.
"People are becoming more open to using plastics for lower volumes," he says.
He cites a recent example: Terrafix, which was using steel casings for its medical touch screens, did not believe that plastic mouldings were feasible for runs of below 500. Haughton helped it to switch to plastics, which saved around 90% in costs and added plenty of aesthetic appeal.
"The soft aluminium mould was paid off in the first run," says Mills.
This project followed Haughton's usual principles of getting everybody involved. But a failure to communicate has actually benefited the company, because it recently launched a 'design rescue' service.
"We'd been getting quite a lot of work, asking us to help out with designs that were not working," says Mills. "It was usually at the point where a toolmaker let out a scream of horror when they saw what they were being asked to produce."
Pain-free injections sound like a fantastic idea, and it's one that designer Oliver Blackwell has gone some way to solving. In collaboration with David Berger, a former GP, he has designed a device that delivers a tiny shot of anaesthetic before the main injection.
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