Fast-track mouldings from Rapidparts

When Manchester-based Eaton Electric Ltd decided to produce a range of modular grid switches, it turned - not for the first time - to the fast-track plastic injection moulding service provided by Rapidparts in Sheffield (www.rapidpartsuk.com). Eaton’s quality support engineer says: “Rapidparts said they would start machining the tooling immediately and could provide parts in the actual design material - polycarbonate - within 15 days.”

Prototypes were made of the three main mouldings for the new switches: the base that houses the metal contact parts; the cover that fits over it; and the internal rocker.

“We had a problem with one particular switch that was not functioning correctly, and Rapidparts made a version in clear polycarbonate that allowed us to see the switching mechanism in action. This showed that one of the terminals wasn’t sitting down properly, so we made a small design modification. Ultimately, it is far cheaper to make changes at the prototype stage than when in production.”