Haldex is a manufacturer of brake products, air suspension systems and products to enhance safety for heavy vehicles. Gabor Novek, Production Planner at Haldex, describes the issues and challenges involved in the recent development of a splitter cable used on the EB+ Gen 3 electronic braking system and how overmoulding proved to be the solution.
Osprey Measurement Systems manufacture precision monitoring equipment for the civil engineering industry. Their devices measure ground settlement and deformation during construction of road or rail embankments, tunnels, or deep excavations, ensuring an efficient construction process and safe infrastructure during its lifespan.
In such hostile environments one key challenge is to protect the electronics from water ingress. Overmould provided Osprey with a cost-effective overmoulding solution.
Mould sets for low pressure overmoulding are normally manufactured from aluminium and precision-machined to form the features of the desired part. Aluminium is well suited for mould-set manufacturing due to its excellent heat transfer properties (i.e. short cycle times) and is economical from a cost and time perspective.
Aluminium mould-sets are relatively soft and care must be taken not to damage the cavity surface. If the component to be over-moulded has steel or hard glass filled components, it is recommended to have steel inserts in the mould cavity to reduce any wear on key tool components. This is generally required when moulding connectors. Mould-sets can also be manufactured from tool steel such as P-20. It may be required to cross drill steel mould-sets to ensure sufficient cavity cooling.
Rapid Prototyping is a valuable step in product development. It provides a real-life product to analyse, test, and improve upon, before final production begins.
The goal in prototyping is to produce final production-like components.
The lessons learned in the prototype phase are then implemented when scaling up for volume production.
A strain relief is a standard feature in cables for relieving the stress and tensions between the rigid connector or device and the flexible cable. The point at which a cable exits a connector body or other component can be a critical failure point because of repeated flexing therefore a well-designed strain relief is vital for the mechanical and electrical integrity, optimum lifespan and general performance of all types of cables. By far the most superior strain relief in most applications, is a custom designed, overmoulded strain relief.
Want to find out more? Read on.
In electronics, encapsulation or potting is the process of pouring liquid resin over electrical and electronic components, circuit boards and completed electronic assemblies for electrical insulation and to protect the product against thermal shock, vibration, moisture and corrosive substances. Low Pressure Overmoulding is an injection process where the PCB assembly or electronic part is placed in a specially manufactured aluminium mould tool, and completely surrounded with a liquid compound that effectively forms the housing for the device. We compare the two processes.
As the technology for 3D printing objects advances, we will see it become a more practical, efficient and cost-effective solution for developing our everyday products. With this advancement, we will begin to see a wider array of materials — including plastics, ceramics and metals — that will completely transform the time spent making products and the manner in which businesses sell those products.
We are embracing the spirit of giving with our ongoing charitable donations to RUSH Kenya; an organisation that cares for Kenya’s most vulnerable children.
Overmould Ltd has partnered with Henkel Adhesive Technologies to supply adhesive product, technology and expertise to its growing UK customer base.
Henkel delivers leading high-technology adhesive solutions worldwide through technology partners and Overmould, already a long-term partner on the hotmelt moulding technology, are well placed to serve customers.
Overmould Ltd now offer a range of modular low pressure moulding machines from German manufacturer OptiMel. Get in touch with us for sales, support and expertise on the OptiMel products for the UK market.
Take a look at the Overmould production facility as our Managing Director, Dave Morris shows you around in our latest video.
Overmould Ltd demonstrate the Overmoulding process on a USB memory chip stick.
