which manufacturing process do I need?

[mintabull]

Hi,
Can someone tell me please which manufacturing process I would need to employ in order to produce a one piece solid square section of plastic material (75mm x 75mm) by about 2m long, which has a 12mm thick flanged end 200mm square.
I am completely stuck. Thanks, Nick.

 

[MouseTrap]

How many will you be producing for prototype purposes?
How many will you be producing per month for actual manufacturing purposes?

 

[mintabull]

It is anticipated there will only be three prototypes produced.
Actual manufacturing quantites are estimated at 500-700 per week.

 

[patprimmer]

What type of plastic.

You could cast some types, you could compression mould some types, you could injection mould some types or you could extrude the 75mm bar stock and injection mould the flange, either directly onto the bar stock or separately then weld on.

Regards

eng-tips, by professional engineers for professional engineers
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

 

[MouseTrap]

Max cost?
Is the geometry any more complicated than you describe?
What kind of environment will this be used in?

 

[mintabull]

The Max cost is hoped to be around £6.00.
The geometry is as simple as described.
They will be in an indoor environment.

 

[Pud]

Material volume = 11730 cm^3

Assuming specific gravity = 1 then that is 11.73Kg of material. Cheapest commodity material (say PP) is around .90GBP per kilo, giving raw material cost of 10.55 GBP before any processing.

Why has it got to be solid? Why not 75x75 Box section extrusion with a moulded/fabricated flange glued/cemented into the end as per Pat's suggestion?

Cheers

Harry

 

[mintabull]

If a flange could somehow be moulded to a 75x75 box section and still be as strong then this would be ideal. I just did not know if this was possible.

 

[patprimmer]

It is possible to over mould an existing moulding and get good adhesion with a well designed joint. You need good precision in the part to be over moulded so the mould can blank off against it and avoid flash.

I have seen this done with polypropylene co-polymer.

Regards

eng-tips, by professional engineers for professional engineers
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.

 

[mintabull]

OK, that sounds great.
Thanks for all your help guys.