Becton, Dickinson and Company Case Study

One of the nesting windows Speck Plastics produces for Becton, Dickinson Company

The Challenge:
“Curved and clear” can be a tall order when it comes to plastic parts—even for the most experienced thermoformer. When Becton, Dickinson Company turned to Speck for a highly specialized part on their Viper™ Sample Processor, they knew they were presenting a challenging opportunity.…

“Becton Dickinson needed a three-part, nesting piece,” says Suzann Speck. “So we were faced with a need to provide optical clarity and a consistent shape. It took a lot of input from our engineers and designers, but the result was worth the effort.”

“Speck did an excellent job with this piece,” notes the Becton, Dickinson engineer responsible for sourcing this part. “Not only that, but their willingness to communicate with us really stands out. We actually had to create a custom inspection process for this piece in order to streamline compliance. Suzann took the bull by the horns to make sure that inspection was what it needed to be.”

“That’s the reason,” he added, “that this is always a Speck piece.”

Severn Trent Case Study

One of the many parts produced by Speck Plastics for long-time customer Severn Trent

The Challenge:
Two pieces are rarely better than one. When Severn Trent sourced a two-piece, flat-paddle assembly comprised of an extruded component glued to a second part, they realized there was a potential for the parts to separate, causing rejects. What’s more, the two-piece assembly was both expensive and time-consuming to produce.

The Solution:
“Deciding to thermoform the part was the key,” says Suzann Speck. “Combining a knowledge of materials and process, we were able to overcome the need for two individual components. We did face challenges with a channel that required a smooth edge profile, but we were able to overcome them and meet the customer’s specs.”

The Benefit:
In addition to cutting costs, the Speck Plastics alternative improved aesthetics, saved time and money in the production process, and eliminated the potential failure point along the glued seam. In the 25 years since Speck redesigned this paddle, Severn Trent has turned to them for more than 30 additional parts.

“This is the most challenging of the parts Speck makes for us,” says a Purchasing Agent with Severn Trent. “Still, they produce a number of other, difficult parts for us as well. In all cases, their engineering, delivery, and quality keep us coming back.”

Plastic, Ribbed- Dormers Case Study

The Challenge:
A Pennsylvania manufacturer specializing in the production of refrigerated trucks noticed a recurring problem with the curved metal “dormers” covering the refrigeration units on their trucks. Rather than bending under standard driving stress, the metal was beginning to break.

The Solution:
The client approached Speck for a plastic replacement that would eliminate the failures associated with metal parts. Speck quickly realized that the expansion and contraction as a result of temperature fluctuations would cause weakness and (eventually) cracks in the plastic. The solution? Form “ribs” in the material in order to give that force an area to expand and contract into.

The Benefit:
“We’ve been buying these parts from Speck Plastics for almost 15 years,” says the customer. “Their design- and materials expertise gave us the ability to improve both the weight and lifetime of these critical components. As long as Speck is an option, I can’t imagine using any other vendor.”

Medical Equipment Case Study

The Challenge:
A U.S.-based manufacturer of world-class medical diagnostic instruments, surgical devices, and other healthcare products encountered quality problems with the windows on a large diagnostic system. With optical clarity being a key requirement for these windows, the customer simply could not accept components with “fisheyes” and other distortions.

Further, the company had to consider its reputation; precision and accuracy are important facets of their quality distinction, so subpar components were simply unacceptable.

The Solution:
The customer approached Speck Plastics in hopes of finding a suitable replacement for the 3/16”-thick 4’x2’ bronze polycarbonate window. Speck provided a sample of thermoformed clear material, and within one week had received an order to begin supplying the part in significant quantities.

The Benefit:
“We couldn’t be happier with Speck Plastics,” said one of the customer’s product engineers. “I have yet to encounter a company with materials knowledge and thermoforming expertise to match their work. The quality of their clear parts is simply unsurpassed. What’s more, being able to provide a perfectly clear window underscores our own product quality.”

The customer promptly made Speck a permanent replacement for the previous vendor, and in the 11 years since making the switch, the customer has turned to us for additional clear parts as well.

Cybex:
Enclosure for Kinetron II Rehab Exerciser
The raw material blank used by our predecessor yielded only one piece of a two-part set. Using the same size blank, we were able to make both parts at once, slashing costs and improving quality.

Bell Helicopter:
Edge Fairing for 209 Cobra Helicopter
The part had always been made in six pieces––three each of the left-hand and right-hand versions. We devised a way to make each side as a single unit, which eliminated the cost of assembly and greatly improved functionality. The customer was incredulous that this could be done.

Bell & Howell:
Mail Handling Machinery
The customer had engaged a fabrication house to experiment on ways to strip-heat 3/8" bronze polycarbonate material into large-radius machine covers. However, results were poor: the parts produced were warped and out of tolerance. The customer doubted that the parts could be made as they wanted them and was reluctant to spend more on tooling. Fortunately, we persuaded them to trust us. The parts we manufactured were exactly what they needed. “It was worth every penny" to buy the tooling and have us make the parts, they said.

Safeway Supermarkets, Inc. and others:
Tote Boxes
Customers reported that in normal use, the corners of totes were getting dented, kinked and broken. We suggested a design in which the corners were made already "dented". The resulting extra fold greatly strengthened the corners, reducing damage and breakage.

Tyco:
Guard Back Assembly
The customer's original design called for a unit with a very deep draw. This would have required using thick material, and would have produced a heavy, bulky part. We suggested a three-piece design, with parts sonic-welded for strength. As a result, weight was kept down and thickness variations were reduced. Performance was exceptional.