|
CASE STUDY |
Project Name:
Product and Manufacturing Development for CasterShoX Product Line
|
Company:
CasterShoX, LLC
Project Leader:
Elmer Lee
Project Duration:
1.5 years
Project Cost:
$125,000
Description:
RapidType was asked by CasterShoX, LLC to carry out a
|
|
product and manufacturing development project for a new line of caster products. CasterShoX is a joint venture between Caster Concepts and AxleShoX, a shock absorption technology development company. RapidType engineers were asked to use AxleShoX’s base technology to develop a full line of caster products. CasterShoX presented RapidType engineers with conceptual prototypes that demonstrated basic functionality. RapidType engineers were asked to transform the prototype designs into product designs able to be manufactured efficiently.
RapidType re-engineered the designs to take advantage of mass production processes. The re-design allowed the CasterShoX shock cores to be manufactured using a combination of plastic injection molding, metal spring forming, and rubber compression molding. RapidType engineers worked cooperatively with various vendors to source each component and to ensure quality specifications were met at each step of the production process. RapidType engineers also re-designed the final assembly process. Originally assembled manually through a machine thread feature, RapidType engineers incorporated an ultrasonic welding operation to perform final assembly. The ultrasonic operation decreased assembly time by more than 75%. The re-designed products were also proven to be far less costly and less prone to any quality issues.
RapidType engineers delivered finished caster products ready to be sold into various applications in a variety of industries. RapidType engineers also setup a network of suppliers able to meeting growing production demands and a quality inspection process that ensured consistent production quality.
|
|
CASE STUDY |
Project Name:
Mathematical Heat Transfer Failure Model for a Polyurethane Wheel
|
Company:
Caster Concepts, Inc.
Project Leader:
Doug Backinger
Project Duration:
6 months
Project Cost:
$15,000
Description:
The RapidType engineering group was asked by Caster Concepts to develop
|
|
a method to predict caster wheel failure based on use conditions, i.e. wheel loading, wheel speed and duration of usage. Throughout the caster industry, most manufacturers simply listed a single load rating for each of their product with vague specifications on other use conditions. In many cases, these ratings are faulty at certain speed and duration conditions. In order to provide Caster Concepts’ customers with a more accurate assessment of how well CCI’s products would perform in these custom applications, the RapidType engineering group was asked to develop a comprehensive failure model which includes all run condition variables.
During the investigation, engineers discovered that the primary failure mode of polyurethane treaded wheels is through excessive heat exposure. The heat is produced by the urethane tread as it is deformed under load and rolled. Faster rolling speeds and greater loads result in larger amounts of heat generation. If the wheel is unable to dissipate that heat at the same rate that it is generated, the wheel temperature will eventually exceed material tolerances.
The engineering group delivered a mathematical heat transfer model of this failure process. The model is able to predict the heat load on a wheel given the run conditions and measured material properties. Shown in the graph above, the mathematical model, when compared to actual measured temperature data, proves itself to be highly accurate. The failure model has been used by Caster Concepts to help customers choose the proper product for even the most specialized application.
|
|
|
|
Home
Contact
Policies
