Our PlastikCity on Tour feature was created to showcase the excellent work of UK-based companies, the next of which is moulding solutions and service provider, Plastic-IT.
Established in 1995, Plastic-IT recently relocated from their Newport site to a much larger facility in Atcham, Shrewsbury. The company first formed when Graham Webster decided to use his vast experience in Moldflow Analysis to help clients both optimise their tooling design and troubleshoot existing components.
In recent years, sons Richard and Peter have joined the company, allowing the business to expand the expertise it offers to the UK plastics sector. New product development became a particular forte, from material selection through to production moulding. The company can now also act as an expert witness in commercial disputes where technical issues need clarity.
It became apparent that there was a growing skills shortage within the sector, so before long, fully tailored training programmes were also offered to clients. The company now represents world-leading provider Routsis Training, with options for online or on-site courses.
More recently, the company developed its 4P initiative; this is their ‘Precision Prototype Plastic Parts’ service. We asked Peter to explain the concept of 4P:
“In recent years, companies have often turned to 3D printing technology for the production of prototype components. This is fine if you only need a visual representation of a new product, but it isn’t so good for the purposes of product verification or design for mass production.”
“Our service uses steel tools manufactured directly from CAD, with T1 parts available in as little as ten days! Using steel provides parts with a superior surface finish or texture and parts can be moulded in the correct polymer grade, making them suitable for ‘real world’ testing.”
One reason for the companies relocation was the desire to have an in-house injection moulding facility. Both Richard and Graham started their working lives in busy mould shops, so are well equipped for the validation of tooling. The fact that tools are produced in steel also means that Plastic-IT can now also offer both pre and full production runs, quantities exceeding 50,000 parts being feasible.
Finally, we asked Peter if the company had a philosophy or ‘mantra’:
“We always aim to deliver confidential advice and solutions rapidly and at truly affordable costs, helping companies get a product to market quicker by being right first time.”
Plastic-IT welcome enquiries from start-ups through to the major organisations. They will be happy to talk through any projects with you, where they can share their wealth of experience and provide on-going support to help you get your product to market faster and more efficiently. You’ll notice they’ve freshened up their branding and created a new website so pop over and take a look.
Look out for the next edition of ‘PlastikCity on Tour’ to learn more about our excellent UK based partners.
There are now well over 200 active partners represented on the PlastikCity site, many of which offer highly specialised products or services to our sector.
During our everyday course of business, we’ll be making a point of visiting as many of these partners as we can and using the time to better understand what they offer the market. We’ll then showcase them through this ongoing series of articles.
Maybe you can benefit from their services!
