Fasteners improve functional performance and save production cost

16th September 2016
Posted By : Anna Flockett
Fasteners improve functional performance and save production cost

 

Improving the functional performance of outdoor luminaires which are used on marine platforms and oil rigs is important for composite products manufacturers, and bigHead Bonding Fasteners offer a solution.

A Sheet Moulded Compound (SMC) housing forms the upper and supporting part of the IP-rated luminaire which is designed for top-access mounting. The original moulded component formed a sealed cover with two female threaded metal fastening inserts. By necessity, the inserts were fitted after the SMC moulding process, requiring a secondary operation for drilling holes and for bonding/sealing the inserts, this added time and workers to the process.

bigHead embed bigHeads into the SMC material during the mould process with a sealed one-piece upper housing, guaranteeing resilience to water ingress for the long term. 

On first investigation it was clear that a standard bigHead fastener might be difficult to directly set into the existing and costly SMC mould tool without significant tool rework. There was also a further challenge as to how the two bigHeads could be locked in position during the mould process but easily removed.

However, bigHead’s engineering team, designed a bigHead to provide a secure fixing point that is fully embedded within the SMC material. The production process was also improved by providing a retention tool that could be cost-effectively fitted into the existing mould tool. This retention tool precisely and securely holds the bigHeads in position during the SMC mould cycle, and allows straightforward component removal and reloading. And importantly, by removing the need for any secondary drilling and sealing operations, significant production time and cost savings were achieved.


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