Capabilities
Turnkey Plastics Solutions
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Component And Tool Design
With 30+ years of experience, AAV Plastics helps transform great designs into cost-effective, manufacturable parts by combining customer insight with advanced toolmaking, moulding and assembly.
AAV Plastics are able to fully design injection mould tools here on our site in Bridport Dorset through solid modelling concept. We also closely control tool designs with our tooling partners in Asia where we would normally suggest; tool layout, gate positions, ejector locations and other key features.
With this close control and final design review process we have a high success rate in having fully functioning tools producing good products from the initial tool trial phase.
We operate with a very open door when it comes to tool design and welcome questioning from both our internal toolmakers and our external suppliers. Often the people whom are producing these tools can suggest simpler routes to producing the tool and reducing lead-times and cost.
We have experience in all types of tooling from conventional open shut tooling through to complex designs with multiple moving parts and intricate features. We also have experience in making long tubular parts with relatively thin wall sections.
We also have various ‘kit tool’ systems. These are mould bases owned by AAV where the customer purchases only the cavity plates and the ejector system. This offers a solution where customers have relatively low volumes and reduces the capital expenditure on tooling by around a third.
Tool Manufacture
AAV plastic have fully equipped toolroom with multiple conventional and CNC machine tools, CNC wire erosion machine, CNC die sinking (spark eroders) machines and grinding machines.
Onsite we specialise in low volume and simplistic Aluminum tooling which in the main is fully 3D machined with our CAM (computer aided machining) solution, although other machining process can be used. Aluminium is much faster to machine and relatively intricate features can be machined such as thin ribs without the need for secondary EDM processes. Where tools are simple and the product uses non-filled materials we have found 7 series tooling grade aluminium to be extremely durable and we have tools which are still in production after 600,000+ shots. We do produce other customer tooling on site but it very much depends on workload and customer requirements at the point of enquiry.
Offsite we have several toolmaking partners in Asia, all of whom conform to ISO9001:2015. We have an excellent relationship with these sub-contractors. AAV plastics have a heavy influence on the best manufacture process for the given part of the tool ensuring that the tool will be fit for purpose and manufactured in the most efficient way. Producing tooling in Asia has a big cost advantage over the UK, AAV ensures that the tool design is controlled through the process and the best manufacturing techniques are used ensuring tools are delivered fit for purpose.
Our onsite toolroom ensures that the tooling you have with us will be supported through its operational life, whether this has been made at here at AAV, in Asia or you have transferred your tooling to us. We are often able to sort minor issues with tools within 24 hours minimising downtime and ensuring we can meet your delivery expectations. We are also able to carry out major repairs and modifications without having to use third party suppliers.
Injection Moulding
We have 11 injection moulding machines on site ranging from 25t to 330t with part weights ranging from 0.5g to 1kg. Various plastics materials are moulding from the commodity materials such as polypropylene (PP) through to engineering grades of nylon (PA) and extreme grades of PEEK and PPS’s. We also have vast experience in running materials with fillers and flame retardant materials.
We have a team of experienced tool setters who are trained to IMT level 4. We have experience in running and setting tools with multiple cores, including mechanical lifters, pneumatic actuators and hydraulic lifters. We also run unscrewing tools along with tools with up and away’s (moving parts that allow undercuts to be formed in the moulding). We can run tools with both cold feed and hot runner systems.
We have lots of experience in running thin walled tubular parts, holding close tolerances through the cross section of the part.
We have many parts, which are over moulded, examples being plastic over Stainless steel, magnets and even string! We are also able to mould over threaded inserts.
Production is controlled through our ERP system, this system manages purchasing, through production all the way to invoicing. Part quality is ensured with gold standard quality checking system, at point of sample approval AAV retains a gold standard part, which we use for reference throughout the life of the product. This is complimented by a job pack, which contains all the information required to produce quality parts such as, Drawings, Material TDS and SDS, machine setting sheets, operator information sheets, any quality alerts and packaging instructions. AAV is ISO9001:2015 compliant and UL746D certified.
Sub Contract EDM Services
The nature of toolmaking means that our EDM machines are never 100% utilised therefore we almost always have capacity to carry out sub contract EDM services, both wire and spark erosion.
The wire EDM machine is fully integrated with our CAD/CAM system meaning that we can work directly from solid models or DXF files.
Our spark erosion machines a fully CNC and we use a 3R zero point holding system which means we can produce electrodes through CNC milling, turning or wire erosion and transfer the reference point directly to our spark erosion machines with minimal set-up and ensuring accuracy.
For any sub-contract EDM requirements you have please get in touch.
At AAV Plastics, we combine over 30 years of injection moulding expertise with a fully integrated range of services, including tool design, moulding, finishing, and assembly. Our specialist capabilities enable us to deliver innovative, cost-efficient solutions tailored to your industry and product requirements.
If you are looking for a manufacturing partner who can support your project from concept through to production, we would be delighted to help.
Get in touch with our team today to discuss your requirements and discover how we can add value at every stage of the process.