| What We Do Concept Development • Design • Rapid Prototype • Rapid Tooling • Rapid Production • Marketing
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Expertise and Resources
Kramer Associates works with hand picked suppliers of Time Compression Technologies to provide reliable support for product development and rapid product launch efforts. We can provide any mix of resources that make sense for your program. Our primary focus is on: Rapid Tooled Die Cast Prototypes Bridge Tooling We also provide coordinated resources in: Design and Engineering Services Concept Models and Presentation Models Stereolithography Prototypes (SLA) Selective Laser Sintered Models (SLS) Turn-Key Development TCT's, or Time Compression Technologies, are the integration of CAD, Rapid Prototype, Rapid Tooling, and Bridge to Production. When used as a system, they can transform the typical "scramble to the finish line" into a fast and effective development program. But we have to change how we think about development. The use of new tools can be defeated by our habits. Understanding how and why to use the "Rapid" can give us more than a schedule, it can deliver the Right Product at the Right Time.Milo Kramer has worked in the product development arena for over 25 years. He has been a co-founder of two technology companies, worked in Northwest technology firms as a Senior Project Engineer, Program Manager, and Hardware Engineering Manager. He worked as Director of Field Engineering for one of the largest rapid tooling providers in the industry, and most recently worked as Director of Marketing for the largest Rapid Prototype house in the Northwest. Kramer was instrumental in the development of one of the current technologies and development of the market for Rapid Tooling for Injection Molding. Having been both a consumer and supplier of TCT's, Kramer has experience in what works, and painfully, in what doesn't. Staying on top of the advances, changes and potholes in the road to Rapid Development is a full time job. Kramer applies his current industry knowledge and contacts, along with product development experience, to provide an in-house resource for the most demanding projects.
To provide "production material" injection molded parts, we use CNC cut tools in Aluminum, along with other appropriate processes for the particular application. All tools are designed to be flexible, and allow many rounds of modification. These are development tools, and need to support your development effort, not restrict it. The norm is to have change start during the tooling cycle, and continue even after production tooling is in place. Most changes can be accommodated in a matter of hours or days. This allows a project to commit to prototype tooling while the design is still on the drawing board. Again, the primary purpose of these tools is to support the development process - provide pertinent information when it can make a difference. The old adage applies now more than ever - prototype early and often! CNC Cut Tools With the advances in CAD and CNC programming, injection molded parts from prototype cut tools have become a fast and high quality alternative to conventional methods of prototype part fabrication. These tools are typically cut from a block of aluminum, with minimal tool automation included. Most are designed to fit into a universal mold base, though some situations are better served by a stand alone tool. Depending on time, complexity, and design flexibility, cutting is preferred over EDM. Again, the project will dictate the appropriate process.Advantages and Disadvantages: CNC Cut Tools: ISSUES: The degree of complexity of a part will have a greater impact on the ability to efficiently cut a CNC tool. Parts that have overly complex parting lines, difficult cores, or sharp outside details can increase the time and cost of a CNC tool. Large complex parts are often not cost efficient to produce in a CNC cut rapid tool. The degree of flexibility in making changes as the design progresses can also be affected by the tool structure. If it is a stand-alone tool, or a family tool the flexibility will be reduced. The degree to which this is an issue is a function of the part and the tool design. ADVANTAGES: In many cases, an injection mold tool can be cut faster than any other rapid prototype process for tooling, and cost the same or less. The advances in CNC technology have greatly expanded the capability of this process. Direct from CAD to CNC, it is possible to generate a simple tool in as little as 1 day (OK - that is a really simple one). More typical is 1-3 weeks. The advantages of a cut tool, when appropriate, are a higher degree of precision than any other process, a more durable tool, and still a tremendous amount of flexibility to modify as the design progresses. A CNC aluminum tool will also take texture better than other processes of rapid tooling, and can typically be converted to Bridge Tooling for ongoing support of the project. Part cost tends to be significantly lower, as these tools are run on semi-automatic presses. |
| Milo G Kramer º
(425) 741-2100 º fax -
(425) 675-1369
º milo@mgkramer.com
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