Design for Manufacturability

When it comes to manufacturing a seal for windows and doors, commercial vehicles, appliances or other industrial equipment, the more familiar we can be with your product goals and requirements, the more effective a product we can develop for you.  

At Cooper Standard ISG, we strive for excellence and will do our best to make your part exactly as you request it. Our team’s process includes looking at the specs, also known as the design and features of your product, as well as the print you submit. If the specs align with your order, we can guarantee we will make your part to address your needs. There are, however, some cases where the design may not align 100% with your desired outcome. In these cases, we must be transparent with our customers that although they may not be targeting the BEST possible part, they will be getting the best possible part they requested.  

The problem is, specs might have been considered “optimal” for years, but may not have been reconsidered to determine if they’ve progressed.  Thanks to our ever evolving materials science and technology expertise, we might have an even better solution waiting for you.

Common Detrimental Scenarios

Something we often encounter is a customer’s design that  has varying wall thicknesses in the profile geometry.  Unfortunately, in this scenario, creating a tool and  manufacturing process to extrude a seal with varied wall thicknesses could add unnecessary time and cost to the project which could have been avoided.

Another scenario we encounter is receiving a customer request for a material that might meet a certain performance property, when, in actuality, an alternate material may have performed at a higher level for the application. For example, let’s say we receive a spec for a multi-durometer part, and the materials on the spec are not as chemically compatible as they could be. This means that the materials won’t bond together as well without some additional intervention.  That’s why we partner with our clients to fully understand the end-use application, environment and other specifications to suggest better alternatives as necessary.  

Let's Make Them Optimal

We use the methodology of design for manufacturability to  solve this problem and make the existing product even more functional and cost effective the first time?  

When we design for manufacturability, our customers are encouraged to provide an initial design and explain to our engineers what they are trying to accomplish. From there, our team can brainstorm any potential product design enhancements, material considerations or extrusion process improvements, which could make a positive impacts on overall manufacturability and product costs.  

A Custom Engineering Solutions Partnership for Maximum Results

It is important to note that design for manufacturability is different than a custom engineering sealing solution partnership, in the way that a custom sealing solution partnership is a much more stringent level of engagement between our engineering team and yours.  

Nevertheless, taking a quick look and tweaking your existing design can be a simple, cost-effective and valuable solution as well. 

Tap Into Our Materials and Extrusion Expertise

When it comes to extruding seals and similar components, there are a large number of thermoplastic materials to select from, along with a wide variety of features. For example, thermoplastic materials display varying degrees of compression strength, weatherability, chemical and fuel resistance, tensile strength and temperature resistance. They also range from very flexible to very rigid, and, of course, have different levels of relative compatibility with other thermoplastics and application substrates.  

With our ISG engineering experts, we can help find the perfect balance of properties for most industrial applications, as well as determine the best methods for manufacturability. We can start your project from scratch, or make small tweaks to existing parts that make a big difference in both price, performance and manufacturability.  Just ask us, in either case, we are here to help.