Ironing Out the Kinks

Technical support eases pain of product development

By Jeff Armour

Senior Technical Manager

Advanced Polymer Alloys

When design engineers begin the product development process, significant time is often spent weighing material options. Is rubber better than plastic? If so, which is a better fit: traditional vulcanized rubber, melt-processable rubber (MPR), or a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE)? What are the performance and cost considerations? One important question that decision-makers don't ask often enough is: who are the suppliers of the various alternatives and what kind of technical support do they provide?

Technical support should not be confused with the relatively narrow perception of technical service. By definition, technical support is a concept that can encompass everything from preliminary design consultation, to assistance with pre-production prototyping, to on-site assistance with production startup. Typically, support includes providing guidance in the selection of proper material grades, as well as offering assistance in the selection of the appropriate fabrication equipment, equipment setup, and optimal operating conditions. This level of support may also involve recommendations for die design, injection molding tool design, as well as advice in other areas, such as coloring and selection of protective additives. Technical service differs from technical support in that service is dispatched to solve specific problems with established production processes, while technical support is an ongoing start-to-finish benefit.

In virtually every new project, problems arise that require technical support. Things like knit lines, unbalanced molds or extrusion dies, inadequate flow rates, meeting part dimensional specifications and tolerances, and scrap-rate targets, etc., can impede the commercial launch of a new product. Engineers become frustrated as timelines cannot be maintained and product launch deadlines are missed. The collective result is production delays and a subsequent rise in development costs.

One simple step to reduce product introduction delays is to select reliable material suppliers and get their technical support staff involved early. The earlier consultation is sought, the greater the impact, regardless of whether you are a first-time user or a long-standing customer. Fast, reliable support from a company's technical staff can minimize materials problems, while helping to produce a better product.

Creating the Comfortable Iron

Black & Decker used this technique while developing a new iron for home use. The company's research determined that an iron was in use in the average household about six hours every week. Armed with that knowledge, Black & Decker engineers looked for ways to improve the handle of the iron to provide more comfort and lower fatigue during long ironing sessions. They decided to overmold the handle with a soft, non-slip material that would reduce fatigue by providing good control, with lower hand-gripping force. The grip would also need to be resistant to skin oils, withstand normal wear-and-tear, and remain comfortable to use for the life of the iron.

After evaluating many candidate materials, Black & Decker engineers narrowed the choice to two. One of these was Alcryn MPR, manufactured by Advanced Polymer Alloys (APA) of Wilmington, Delaware, the other was a TPE. Black & Decker requested that the two suppliers participate in a side-by-side trial during the pre-production process to refine the final design and material selection for the new irons soft-grip feature.

The inevitable problems surfaced, leaving Black & Decker in the position to observe firsthand the quality of technical support from each company. APA won the project, in part, because of the ability of its technical support personnel to quickly identify the difficulties, which included gating and temperature of the mold, and then to offer the proper remedies. Black & Decker was also able to claim a victory because the new iron has helped the company more than double its market share to 45 percent.

With initial commercial applications employing emerging materials like MPR, engineers understand that they must learn how to properly process the material under the guidance of the people who know the material best. That is exactly why technical support from resin manufacturers is vital to developing and maintaining an efficient production process.

James Carroll, Sr., president of Engineered Plastics, Inc. (EPC), a plastics engineering firm in Philadelphia, PA, understands how to work with MPR. He has been a frequent user of Alcryn MPR since DuPont developed it in the late 1980s. Since then, MPR has become the material of choice for EPC engineers. Even EPC, however, experiences production problems from time to time that require guidance from the resin manufacturer. When those instances do occur, EPC depends on the technical experts at APA to find the answers to their questions, help solve the problem, and quickly get them back online.

Shining a New Light

In one example, EPC was developing a flashlight casing made of MPR. The MPR part would sometimes stick in the mold, causing the ejection pins to damage the part. Carroll asked APA for help. The company responded by suggesting a change in the MPR formulation. The result was a more rigid part, able to withstand the force of the ejection pins. It was a customized solution that only the resin manufacturer's technical support staff could have developed.

The decision on what material to use: MPR, soft thermoplastic elastomers, or something else, should not be based solely on comparisons of published performance and processing data. The availability of knowledgeable and competent technical support from the resin manufacturer will contribute substantially to timely and successful product development. Beyond product launch, the availability of equally competent technical service from the supplier is important for production problem solving and will help ensure that your new product continues to contribute the maximum to your bottom line.