Cost

If cost were not an issue, we could assemble an army of resources to aid in our design. We could conduct exhaustive analysis of part strength, filling characteristics, and cooling heat transfer allowing the refinement of part geometry to minimize weight and production time. We could perform warp analysis to help insure parts are exactly the shape we want them to be when the come out of the mold. We could mold complex parts requiring complicated molds without concerning ourselves with mold fabrication and maintenance costs. We could design production machinery specifically for the part to insure the best process control possible.

However, cost and/or time is almost always an issue and so we must carefully choose a design and development strategy that provides as much science and predictive information as is prudent given the project requirements.

As an example, let’s consider a couple of scenarios for a company that wishes to produce door stops. There is an analysis quoted at $5,000 that would likely allow a 5% reduction in production cost. The estimated production cost for the part is $1.00

While the above example is simplistic, it is illustrative of how a proposed course of action can provide great or no value for the exact same product in different situations.

Of course, most scenarios are not this straightforward. Noble takes pride in helping customers find the design and production strategy to produce the best value for their products.