| JONATHAN WILKE |
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| Jonathan Wilke has worked as lead RP technician in the SiMT Rapid Prototyping Center since 2007.
Prior to joining SiMT, he served as a product designer at ESAB Welding and Cutting.
He holds two engineering technology degrees from Florence Darlington Technical College (FDTC) in Florence, South Carolina.
Jonathan is available to assist with your company's outsourcing and RP overflow needs.
Jonathan Wilke Email or 843 413-2747 |
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| WHAT'S OPEN AT SiMT RAPID PROTOTYPING CENTER |
Accura® 25 Plastic on the Viper™ Pro SLA®
Accura® 60 Plastic on the Viper™ Pro SLA®
DuraForm® PA on the Sinterstation® Pro 230
LaserForm™ A6 Metal on the Sinterstation® HiQ™ SLS®
VisiJet® SR 200 Plastic on the InVision® XT 3-D Modeler |
This month's newsletter incudes a client case study featuring Sonoco, our product development partner and leading manufacturer of industrial and consumer packaging products. We hope you'll find it interesting. |
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Case Study: Design Approval
When Sonoco contacted SiMT's Rapid Prototyping center, they were looking for ways to improve their manufacturing processes and control costs. Sonoco is a global supplier of plastic packaging products, many of which are injection molded.
The Challenge
Thoroughly reviewing product design from a PC monitor or two-dimensional drawing can be difficult at best. When designs require changes after molds have been made, unnecessary tooling expenses are incurred. Additionally, manufacturers risk lost production time when molds require modifications.
Continue reading below to learn more about how SiMT's Rapid Prototyping Center works with manufactures to evaluate design and control costs...
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The Solution Sonoco used prototypes to evaluate and approve the design of the Flow-Rite™. This process enhancement afforded the company a complete design review of the product prior to modifying production tooling. The plunger, a Flow-Rite™ component, features a unique patent-pending shape and textured design that displaces unwanted air and protects ultraviolet inks.
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Rapid Product Development
Sonoco developed two types of plungers -- a transparent version to allow users to see if all air has been removed after filling and a solid version to protect ultraviolet inks. SiMT produced a total of 20 parts with Accura 25, a polypropylene-like material, for Sonoco's design testing and approval.
Below: Accura® 25 Plastic parts on the Viper™ Pro SLA® Platform.
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Controlling Costs & Risk In a competitive marketplace and tough economy, rapid prototyping can be viewed as an additional product development expense -- something that's nice to have, not necessary. In reality, prototyping is a proven method for eliminating unnecessary costs associated with mold modifications during the production process. Rapid prototyping safeguards against lost production time due to molds being taken out of service. Additionally, rapid prototypes reduce the risk of modifying a mold to incorporate a design change that does not work in production -- a situation that increases production costs, extends production timelines and gives competitors a go-to-market advantage. |
 About Sonoco |
| COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT SiMT? |
Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have specific questions. Also, I'll be attending the 3DSUG Annual Conference March 15-19, 2009 in Daytona Beach, Florida and hope to see you there! |
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Sincerely,
Jonathan Wilke, Rapid Prototyping Center
Email Jonathan
Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology
1951 Pisgah Road, Florence, SC 29502 (843) 413-2747 | www.simt.com |
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