Improved Time To Market And Manufacturing Efficiencies
 According to MR&P, these new “Design/Test/Refine” capabilities bring insight into the detailed behavior of a complex assembly. By understanding both behavior and interaction of materials and conditions early in the design process, it allows faster refinement of concepts for a new design. |
Products requiring complex assemblies of many rubber and plastic molded components are designed, tested and refined quickly at Minnesota Rubber and Plastics (MR&P) utilizing its new computerized simulation capabilities.
Eliminating the need for “build it and break it” prototyping, the new software goes beyond traditional finite element analysis (FEA) software.
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It allows MR&P to partner with customers over the entire process of design through manufacturing of a complex product with a deeper understanding and greater control of design outcomes. Major benefits include greatly enhanced time to market and manufacturing efficiencies.
According to MR&P, these new “Design/Test/Refine” capabilities bring insight into the detailed behavior of a complex assembly. By understanding both behavior and interaction of materials and conditions early in the design process, it allows faster refinement of concepts for a new design.
For example, it allows evaluation of MR&P’s new elastomeric and plastic material formulations and the interactions between parts of different materials. It even allows simulating a discrete manufacturing process involving mold design, molding presses and automated assembly and packaging systems.
“These new FEA simulation capabilities are especially helpful when working with a portion of the components in an assembly,” reports Tobi Lucas, MR&P engineering manager. “Where customers have designed and produced some components in the assembly on their own but need MR&P’s expertise to design, manufacture and assemble the rest, our capabilities allow that with minimal trial and error.”
Time saved for each design reiteration can amount to two, four and even six weeks on many projects, according to Mr. Lucas. “Overall, we can reduce design time by up to four months using these new capabilities,” he reports. “This is especially helpful to medical device manufacturers where FDA approvals and time to market is essential to product success.”
A typical recently completed MR&P project for a medical device customer involved 32 different components in the product assembly. The product is a cardiac steerable lead implant device. MR&P delivered a functioning prototype product in 60 days using its new FEA capabilities. By comparison, using traditional design development methods would have required up to six months for prototype development.
“It’s all about fast analysis of more design alternatives in less time,” adds Mr. Lucas. “The large-scale linear dynamics of this unique MR&P process enables use of results of one simulation directly in a subsequent analysis while capturing the effects of prior history such as manufacturing processes on product performance. It’s an amazing new capability.”
Since its founding in 1945, Minnesota Rubber and Plastics has become a world leader in the engineering, design, compound development and manufacturing of custom molded elastomeric and thermoplastic components and assemblies. It has achieved a global reputation with extensive resources for producing “tough parts and assemblies” supplied to medical, appliance, automotive, plumbing, food and other important industries that include many Fortune 500 companies.
MR&P services include silicone molding and bonding, high performance rubber and plastics, rubber to plastics conversions, metal to plastics conversions and a full spectrum of materials and compounds including ISO 10993, USP Class VI, and FDA drug master file compounds.
Minnesota Rubber and Plastics is an ISO/QS 9000 and EN ISO 13485:2003 certified company. With global, large scale manufacturing facilities based in five countries, it has capabilities to handle the largest volumes including multi-year partnership contracts.