Testimonial: “From our initial phone call with BEC we knew we had found the right fit. In our first meeting with Paul Holland, he explained the entire process in detail and determined if our product was viable for injection molding. We were then introduced to Mike the Toolmaker, who then created the CAD plans for us to have a 3D printed sample created for testing. Once the proof of concept was approved, production tooling was created and in no time we had the final product in our hands and on the shelves. Our experience with BEC has been exemplary, we look forward to our next project.”
John White, The Spa Workshop
Industry: Spa and hot tub repair
Service: CAD drawings, design for manufacture, tool design, material selection and plastic injection mouldings.
Our Client: The Spa Workshop are a Hampshire based business; specialising in the servicing, repair and supply of replacement parts for a leading inflatable spa brand. After unprecedented global sales of inflatable spas throughout the pandemic, they identified a common failure point caused by the build-up of limescale within the heaters. To combat this they expanded their business through the development of a descaling device.
Our Mission: The Spa Workshop team brought an initial descaling prototype into BEC. The device attached directly to the spa pump, allowing a concentrated descaling solution to dissolve the build-up of limescale and bring the device back to good health. The BEC team were tasked with designing and producing a mould tool and plastic injection mouldings that would overcome the deficiencies of the prototype and transform it into a marketable product.
BEC Solution: The Spa Workshop team’s initial prototype provided us with a great starting point for the project. As the team did not yet have CAD drawings, BEC’s head of design drew them up based on the prototype and supplied pump. During the measuring process it was identified that the thread type used by the spa manufacturer was non standard, we were able to make an immediate design improvement.
After the approval of the CAD drawings, a design for manufacture (DFM) was carried out with our team and consultation from the client. The DFM refines the design to remove unnecessary features, the number of parts involved in construction and to ensure the best end product for the lowest possible cost.
Through the DFM, the design was reduced from the eight parts used in the prototype to a single moulded part. A hydraulic core was then added to allow for the removal of the moulded part from the tool. This greatly improved the overall strength of the descaler, removed the need for glues and resins during assembly and prevented the risk of leakage.
Once the design had been finalised, a prototype was 3D printed to allow the customers to see, feel and test the product.
First-off samples were then produced from this moulding for more testing and feedback. Minor tweaks including the addition of ribs onto the inlet and outlet tubes for extra strength and trials of different colourways were carried out. The Spa Workshop approved these samples, allowing BEC to complete a full production run.
Result: The BEC team produced a single cavity mould tool with hydraulic cores to best produce the hot tub descaler. The descaler will vastly improve the longevity of the leading inflatable spas by removing limescale
The Spa Workshop team were a pleasure to work with, visiting the BEC site at several stages of the journey to monitor progress and watch the product come to life. BEC looks forward to working with them in the future to produce more mouldings of the descaler and future accessories for the inflatable spa repair market.
If you’re looking for a UK manufacturer to help work with you across design, tooling or plastic injection moulding, please get in touch on 01425 613131 or email.
