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The Product Design and
Development Process
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- Concept Review and Needs Assessment
- Initial 2-D Concept Drawing
- 3-D Design Drawing
- Model/Rapid Prototyping
- Determine the Method of Manufacturing
- Sampling of Actual Product
- Production Tooling
- Manufacturing of Parts
- Packaging, Shipping, and Display
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Concept Review and Needs Assessment
The first step Milmour takes in product design
is to review what’s needed and the shape it’s going
to take. For OEM items, the needs are specific to the part
or component being designed. It “fits” into the
overall product as a component part. For this type of product
development, we move immediately to the 3D design phase.
For promotional and retail items, other issues play a big
part in this phase. Questions we ask cover issues like target
audience, safety age grading, material choices, amount of decoration
and/or assembly, weight and dimension limitations, budget,
time line, and methods of delivery, all need to be addressed.
A list of ideas that fit the overall parameters of the part
is the first step in the process, narrowing down the choices
to those that meet all the requirements. Once that list is
narrowed down to one or two solid solutions, the process moves
to the next phase.
Click
here to view a Needs Assessment flow chart
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Initial
2-D Concept Drawing
This phase allows you to see a rendering of how your new product
may look on a retail shelf, in a promotional display, or in actual
use. Size, shape, color, texture, and overall design are included
in the drawings that we provide to best represent the part as
it will actually appear once it’s manufactured.
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3-D Design
Drawings
This phase allows a further review of the actual design. Here
we determined how the part will be manufactured, what problems
might be encountered based on the design, and a good overall
method of reviewing the design in a 3D environment. It also aids
in the determination of where a part will ultimately be manufactured,
either here in the USA, or in another country like China, Mexico,
Canada, or some other part of the world.
The 3D drawings can be manipulated on the computer screen to
show the part in its actual size and shape. The drawing can be
rotated on all axis’ to view any angle, magnified or reduced,
and viewed in detail by cross section or zoomed on specific features
of interest.
To view a dynamic 3D drawing that you can manipulate, please
click
here. Please note
that it takes a minute or two to download and you may be prompted
to install the eDrawing browser plug-in. You can also download
this free plug-in directly from the SolidWorks website at http://www.solidworks.com/pages/products/edrawings/viewer.html.
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Model
/ Prototype
Today
there are many methods of model making or prototyping. Milmour
uses both traditional methods and computer-aided modeling to
produce a full-scale model of your part. For products that have
intricate details that can better be reproduced by an artist/sculptor,
more traditional methods of model making are used.
The more modern methods are also employed where appropriate,
like sterolithography (STL), 3D Printing, and other systems used
to create a model that is the exact size and shape of the new
part. These models are created from the actual 3D design drawings,
making them an exact duplicate of the part that’s been
created on the screen. To see a picture of a sterolythography
machine, please click
here.
This phase allows us to closely review the design to insure
that it meets all the requirements as set forth in phase 1. These
models are appropriate for photography and display, but are not
made of the actual production materials and will not perform
as the actual manufactured part.
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Determining
the Method of Manufacturing
There are many methods used to manufacture plastic parts. Milmour
determines which method of manufacturing is most appropriate
by the functional requirements the part must have. The main methods
include:
Extrusion - Molten plastic
is forced under high pressure through a nozzle to make
long lengths of special shapes like pipes, spouting and
wallboard joining strips. It is also used to make sheets
of plastic for fabrication. To see an extrusion process
diagram and production machine, please click
here.
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Injection Molding – Two
halves of a mold close together, after which molten plastic
is injected into a mold. Depending on the cavitation, a
number of parts are made simultaneously as the machine
cycles. They can be very small like a set of utensils,
or quite large like a side panel of a car. A significant
number of products are made using this method of manufacturing.
To see an injection molding process diagram and production
machine, please click
here.
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Blow Molding - A tube
of hot plastic is extended down the center of a mold. Once
the mold closes around the material, compressed air is
blown in the center of the material, forcing it out to
the sidewalls of the mold, thus forming the part. The plastic
swells out like a balloon until it fills up the whole mold.
Many bottles and beach toys are made this way. To see a
blow molding process diagram and production machine, please
click
here.
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Rotational Molding - Plastic
powder or liquid resin is poured into a mold, and then
the mold is heated as it’s rotated on all axes’.
As the mold rotates, the plastic coats the inside walls.
This method is used for making big hollow things like
water tanks and character action figures. To see a rotational
molding process diagram and production machine, please click
here.
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Compression Molding - This
method is used with thermoset resins like melamine. Dry
powder is put in a mold, which is heated under pressure
until the plastic is cured. This method is used for making
ashtrays, cups and plates, and some electrical switches.
To see a compression molding process diagram and production
machine, please click
here.
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Cold Cast Molding - Two
chemicals are mixed together and injected into a mold.
As the chemicals react together, they cure into a material
that can closely simulate actual production materials.
To see a cold cast molding process diagram and production
machine, please click
here.
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Vacuum Forming or Thermoforming
- A sheet of plastic is clamped in a frame and
heated until it is soft. Using a vacuum, the material
is then pulled either over or into a mold. After it cools,
the part is cut from the sheet with a trim-die. This
is how many retail display pieces are made. It is also
used to make a lot of packaging for cosmetics, chocolates,
cookies, yoghurt containers, and disposable stadium cups.
To see a vacuum forming process diagram and production
machine, please click
here.
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Fabrication - Some plastic
parts are fabricated like sheet metal. Sheets of plastic
are cut to shape. They can be folded by heating a narrow
line through the plastic. Sheets can be joined together
by gluing, heat-welding, or sonic welding. These fabrication
methods are used to make acrylic signs and displays. Thin
flexible plastic sheets are used for making folders, wallets,
swimming pool liners, inflatable toys and raincoats. The
seams are welded by ultrasonic vibration.
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Sampling of the Actual Part
Once the model is approved and “tweaked”, the next
phase is to produce a working sample of the part itself. This
is done in two different ways, depending on the number of parts
needed.
For relatively few parts (10 – 100), the model is “caste” in
a silicone rubber block. The block is cut open, the part removed,
and what remains is a perfect mold for casting using materials
that come close to simulating the actual materials used in production.
This method is perfect for sales samples, photography, or display.
It will give a close approximation as to functionality as well.
For a larger number of parts (150 and up), or to do actual
product analysis and safety testing, a second method of prototyping
is used. Here, a small single cavity mold is created which can
be run like the larger production tool. It uses the actual materials
and colorants, and is the exact duplication of the production
part. These small tools can be run to “fill the pipeline” with
actual parts while the larger production tools are being made,
and can also be used to make final revisions to the design prior
to creating the larger tools. These parts are also used to run
safety and age grade testing prior to large production runs.
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Production Tooling
A
steel or aluminum mold or tool (the terms are interchangeable)
is now created to actually manufacture the part. Although there
are several methods of manufacturing plastic items, most have
a production tool used as part of the process. To see a picture
of an injection mold, please click
here.
The total number of parts, required delivery date, and the budget,
(i.e., how many, how soon, how much) are all key factors in determining
the size of the production tool. The more parts molded at once
(cavitation), the lower the cost of each part, but the higher
the investment for the mold itself. A “breakeven” point
can be calculated to determine the optimal size of the production
tool that’s needed to match the above requirements.
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Manufacturing the Parts
This phase is the actual manufacture of the parts. The location
and method of manufacturing have all been considered in prior
phases of the development. The size of the tool (number of cavities)
will determine how quickly the parts are made.
Other factors that impact production are decoration, assembly,
and packaging. Often the parts can be made faster than they can
be decorated or packed for retail display or shipping, which
affects the ultimate daily output.
If safety and age-grade testing has not been preformed during
a sampling or prototyping phase, then those tests are preformed
at this time. There are a statistically significant number of
parts that are tested for a predetermined set of factors that
are appropriate for the target market for which the parts are
ultimately intended.
The location of manufacturing is also a consideration. Parts
that are highly decorated or assembled are typically made in
areas of the world where labor is available at much lower cost.
Countries like China, Taiwan, Mexico, or India are commonly used
for low cost labor, which produces high-quality products. To
see pictures inside an Asian manufacturing facility, please click
here.
Parts that are molded without a significant amount of decoration
or assembly can be made in the US at competitive prices. Often,
larger cavitation molds are used in the US to counteract the
effect of labor on the manufacturing of the parts.
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Packaging, Shipping, and Display
The final phase is packaging the parts, shipping them to their
destination, and if appropriate, some method of display. These
things are determined by the use of the product, the overall
budget, and the various methods of distribution.
Click here for examples of "Near Pack Displays".
In most cases, the products are packed as they are produced.
They are then shipped to their final destination via a predetermined
mode of transportation.
In other cases, parts are put into large containers and shipped
to a co-packer, who then puts the item into a display. These
retail displays also include other products, and can also be
configured as a stand-alone retail shipper-carton.
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