LOW VOLUME PRODUCTION USING THIN-RIM®

Some products are difficult to produce cost effectively in low volumes. The tooling costs alone prohibit the use of injection moulding and there can be problems with sinkage marks for certain designs. Specialised products sold in small quantities in high-end markets are good investments if they can be economically produced. So what’s the solution?

Martello Limited, a small business in the south of the UK, have developed a process called Thin-Rim® which can provide a low cost answer for a wide range of products.

The process is a development of prototyping techniques and incorporates CNC and vacuum casting technology. Traditionally, SLA masters have been used to create silicone rubber mould tools to produce polyurethane resin pieceparts with the moulds only lasting for 30-35 parts off a tool.

However with the Thin-Rim® process, patterns are created using CNC data, which gives durable and more accurate masters to provide production quality pieceparts. The patterns are painted with the required surface finish, which is then replicated onto the parts by the silicone rubber moulds. The incorporation of the split surfaces into the core and cavity patterns means that the creation of the moulds is easier and more economic, and provides a significant cost saving for the customer, as Martello absorb the cost of repeat silicone rubber moulds. For low volume production work, where pieceparts are required regularly per annum, this has proved a viable route to market for many types of component parts and complete caseworks.