Product cost - plastic or stainless steel

LMK

I have a product idea aimed at the consumer market.
I made up samples using plastic material plastic is approx 20mm thickness, I drafted the part in Solidworks with plastic as the material . Thing is the product will work as either a plastic or stainless steel part does anyone know if there is a big differential in cost of manufacture?
Thanks

relaxed

LMK wrote: »

I have a product idea aimed at the consumer market.
I made up samples using plastic material plastic is approx 20mm thickness, I drafted the part in Solidworks with plastic as the material . Thing is the product will work as either a plastic or stainless steel part does anyone know if there is a big differential in cost of manufacture?
Thanks

Massive difference. Plastic being way cheaper.

Look at kids toys for a guideline, they are all made from plastic.

lucky john

Relaxed is right. Stainless is way more expensive than plastic. Its also not really suitable if you are planning to in any way mass produce the product. If you settle on plastic there is a big difference is the type of plastic production setups available. Each has its own advantage and will very much depend on your product and the quantity you need to produce.

Have you considered grp (fibreglass)? It could be a good midway option.

LMK

Thanks for both reply's.
Does grp delaminate if its exposed to the elements do you know?

lucky john

LMK wrote: »

Thanks for both reply's.
Does grp delaminate if its exposed to the elements do you know?

No. Grp is extremely strong. It is still been used to make the outer shell of trains like the luas and some high speed ones as well.

I don't know what your product is but I think it might benfit you to speak to someone like an engineer who could advise you on a suitable material. If your prepared to give more detail here you will be pointed in the right direction I'm sure as well.

Peterdalkey

GRP is generally not suited to high volume automated production. It also has poor impact damage resistance. Go to your local enterprise board and they will be able to introduce you to a product design engineer. The PDE will be able to advise on best materials and production technologies to suit the product.

lucky john

Peterdalkey wrote: »

GRP is generally not suited to high volume automated production. It also has poor impact damage resistance. Go to your local enterprise board and they will be able to introduce you to a product design engineer. The PDE will be able to advise on best materials and production technologies to suit the product.

Without knowing the volume's required its hard to advise. If it's in the thousands then one of the plastic processes is best. If in the hundreds then grp is an option. Its not an automated process, in than it requires a certain amount of direct labour per product, but it is possible to produce a lot of product reasonable quickly. The advantage is that in most cases the original tooling and mould are way cheaper than a plastic tool and mould. The larger the mould required the bigger the price difference. However a plastic product is a bit cheaper to make so volume matters.

As regards impact damage . On a weight to strength to cost ratio its hard to beat grp. That's why it's used on trains, boats, yachts, car panels, lorry and bus parts ect. It can also be heat resistant and chemical resistant.

Peterdalkey

GRP is rarely used in regular consumer products and there are a variety of plastic moulding processes including thermal pressure, rotational and the most popular, injection. Material and process Selection will depend on design, size, use etc..which is why I advised on consultation with a Product Design Engineer/consultant.

LMK

Thanks for replies - I do have some knowledge in this area but its with plastic parts.
The product will be fixed to a wall with 3 or 4 screws the issue with the thicker plastic is that the screws are a little difficult to fit properly especially if the wall isn't level or smooth, this would be overcome with the thinner material because it would be easier to "bend" to the profile of the wall. I want to manufacture in Ireland for Irish market initially.

lucky john

LMK wrote: »

Thanks for replies - I do have some knowledge in this area but its with plastic parts.
The product will be fixed to a wall with 3 or 4 screws the issue with the thicker plastic is that the screws are a little difficult to fit properly especially if the wall isn't level or smooth, this would be overcome with the thinner material because it would be easier to "bend" to the profile of the wall. I want to manufacture in Ireland for Irish market initially.

20mm is quit thick for a plastic wall... not to mention heavy. Since you know a bit about plastic I assume your product needs to be that thick for a reason. If its solid plastic would it be possible to counter sink the plastic at the points the screw need to be fitted. You could add an extra screw if you thought counter sinking would compromise the product at that point. In some plastic processes its possible to have treaded inserts intergrated into the product. They might be useful as a permanent guide for the screw so as to make it easier for a customer to attach it to a wall.

No matter what production material or process you use it will be possible to have it manufactured on contract in Ireland. Having it made at a competitive price will be the tough one. I have spent a fair bit of time designing a product for an idea I have. I started off with plastic and narrowed it down to rotational moulding. Asteticts and mould cost became an issue so I am now seriously considering grp. I do have experience of grp so if you have any questions, even if its only to rule it out, ask away.

Peterdalkey

Let's get back to basics here. OP has a product concept/idea for a market.
It now needs to go through the steps of design/ commercialisation. It will need to be designed to meet the following criteria, assuming it has market appeal,
Price point in market, wholesale price and so on. These factors will have a huge impact on how much can be afforded to make it.
Specify performance criteria, for strength, appearance, durability etc etc.
Aesthetic design
Material selection to suit above and appropriate production methodologies for the desired production volumes.