Retaining keys manufactured quickly & economically

Customer Requirement:

Automotive company required rapid samples and economical continued supply of retaining keys for an electronics assembly.

Material:

Mild Steel CS4 half hard with bright zinc finish.

Solution:

• PRECISION MICRO engineers manufactured prototypes using 3Dpc technology. Profiles were cut using Wire EDM and were formed using modular standard tooling. The design was optimised before press tooling was laid down.
• Using the same CAD digital data, press tooling was manufactured in-house, which because of the unique 1.6m press bed, allowed three parts to be made at the same time in a single tool.

Advantage

• 3Dpc Technology allowed prototypes to be manufactured with no hard tooling costs and minimal initial financial risk.
• Samples were made available in days rather than months.
• Designs were optimised with little associated cost penalty.
• This development and manufacturing route provided substantial savings in tooling costs and a reduction in the piece part cost of 15%.
• Optimisation of this strip resulted in more economical material usage and lower raw material costs.