When a local automotive manufacturer was preparing to launch a new generation of vehicles, they needed a specific fixture to provide support during installation. Thanks to the excellent relationship our Piedmont Plastics Nashville branch had with this manufacturer, we were able to communicate directly with the team doing the design work to explore options and achieve form and function of the parts.
This new part needed to be dimensionally and geometrically precise, have adequate load bearing capabilities and exhibit excellent toughness. They had 3D printed various test versions of the fixture using glass filled nylon (at a very high cost) and were thinking that they would be able to get the actual quantity they needed for production at a low cost. Machining the parts was certainly possible, but the yield was poor and machining all the features in a stable configuration was difficult – not to mention very time intensive and costly. However, the shape geometry of the part was a good fit for near net nylon casting.
There was also an additional component to the fixture that needed to be created. We had them made at a local shop, and they did a good job delivering parts that met the criteria. The parts used in production are working well, and reports from other engineers and technicians that were not involved in this project have seen these parts and expressed interest in exploring this process for making other fixtures in the plant.
This success story wouldn’t have been possible without the exceptional teamwork between our Nashville branch and the Industrial Specialist team.
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