A Malaysian company was ordering a product known as V cleats from France. The product is a device used to secure ropes in tents that was to be used by the military. However as their market demand increased, they decided to obtain their own mold and have the product produced locally to reduce cost. Since they were to have their own mold they also wanted to change the design of the product along with the material. The new material had to have a high tensile strength so that it would not break easily. And it was required that the product be designed such that the inner, middle part of the product be tight to hold the military tents.

We started by working very closely with our customer to come up with a mold design that they were happy with. After coming up with the design we proceeded with the material selection. Previously, the fibreglass nylon 6 was used as the material for the product. After much research and deliberation we replaced the fibreglass nylon 6 with nylon 6 eliminating the fibreglass component. Fibreglass in nylon 6 increases the hardness and stiffness however it also makes the material more brittle. By removing the fibreglass, we could increase the malleability and tensile strength of the product so that it will not break so easily.

The nylon 6 was used to fabricate the part. At first there was a problem during the mould injection process where the part would get stuck in the mold. To solve this problem the injection pressure was decreased. Once that problem was solved, our Quality Assurance (QA) team checked and tested the product to find any defects and to make sure it is compliant with the customer’s Certificate of Analysis (COA). Upon the first test conducted by the QA team they found that the part had silver streaks. The silver streaks were then eliminated through adjusting the settings of the injection moulding machine. Things like shot volume, barrel temperature and back pressure were adjusted to get a zero-defect part. The QA team then conducted the second test where the part passed and was compliant with the COA.