Vermeire Belting called on Serviplast Industrie’s tooling expertise to produce six flanges for three rolling bearing models. Discover what Serviplast did to optimise costs within the given deadlines.
Six parts for a single tool: how to break the mould?
Vermeire Belting is a company that specialises in power transmissions. It boasts the largest assembly centre for reduction gearboxes in Belgium and a department that helps to develop equipment for power transmissions.
Vermeire Belting ordered six reference flanges made via plastic injection from Serviplast. These six parts were produced to protect three rolling bearing models. The specific challenge of this project was that each of the three bearing modules had different diameters and, therefore, required flanges of different sizes. Furthermore, each module has a front flange and a back flange. In theory, Vermeire Belting should have invested in six unique moulds.
By studying the problem in depth, Serviplast Industrie found a trick to reduce tooling costs: a common frame with six interchangeable modules.
Suitable solutions for every step of the part-production process
For this project, Serviplast’s design office began by producing 2D and 3D plans. It then designed six prototypes and refined them until they mirrored the desired look as closely as possible. This key step made it possible to model the most optimised parts for the project.
When it came to designing the mould, Serviplast Industrie had to face two challenges:
- reducing tooling costs, by opting for a common framework with six interchangeable modules;
- ensuring the quality of parts, by positioning the material-feed channel in such a way that the mark of the injection point does not prevent it from working correctly.
Serviplast reduced tooling costs and produced functional parts within the timeframe set by the client.
In order to find the best material for the use of the parts, Serviplast proposed a polypropylene injection with an anti-UV agent. Polypropylene is an ideal material for applying flanges. As the parts are intended for outdoor use, Serviplast added an anti-UV agent to withstand solar UV rays.
Tooling: a key step that should not be overlooked
Thanks to its expertise, Serviplast Industrie overcame the limitations when producing plastic-injection parts for Vermeire Belting within a limited timeframe. An ingenious solution allowed the client to reduce its tooling costs and, ultimately, its overall bill..
For well-maintained tooling with an optimised lifespan and injected parts whose quality can be maintained, Serviplast has set up a storage and maintenance department.
