BPTE Case Study

ZIP 250 is providing zero-defects delivery with a host of added benefits.

Automotive plastics company Brittanic Precision Thermoplastics (BPTE) with facilities in Ilkeston, Derbyshire has blossomed into an organization with a host of in-house skills and facilities. Quality control is an essential element in the success of the company and an OGP ZIP 250 is providing zero-defects delivery with a host of added benefits.

BPTE is a fast-growing company which combines injection moulding and metal pressings with manufacturing and assembly operations to provide a one-step service for many varied components. These include mobile phone fascias and critical medical device components as well as hundreds of automotive parts and assemblies, which make up 80% of BPTE’s turnover.

Working in materials ranging from nylons, polypropylenes and glassfilled plastics to brass, copper and mild steel, the variety of quality needs was a real problem. “Before the ZIP 250 we used a number of inspection tools and manual processes, including a scanning head with time consuming setup and programming routines,” says Andy Tomlinson, Production Manager. “Now we can set up simple programs on the ZIP which take a fraction of the time and give us better accuracy, consistent results and cut out defects before they become a problem.”

BPTE produces its own mould and die tools and has a policy of keeping as many processes in-house as is practically and economically viable. “Because of the time and quality restraints imposed on us by our customers, particularly in the automotive and telecommunications industries, there are real benefits from bringing even specialist processes in-house where they can be controlled and where the only customer is us” says Andy.

Amongst the capabilities housed in BPTE’s facility are assembly operations, resistance and solder welding, product testing, screen printing and a CAD facility. Add to this a fully equipped tool room and 24 hour maintenance and you have a complete, standalone production resource capable of providing fast turnarounds with assured quality.

This variety of processes needs a flexible approach to inspection and the range of capabilities available to BPTE from OGP ZIP is not lost on Andy Tomlinson. “ In the past we have used a variety of measuring techniques, including a microscope-based vision system to inspect much of our output and most of our time on inspection was taken up with first-offs. Now, with the ZIP, we can accurately measure pretty much everything we produce—including profiles and surfaces—in a fraction of the time, still leaving us with enough machine capacity for sampling and goods inwards inspection.”
When BPTE started looking for a replacement for its existing microscope system, the main criteria was the ability to measure and programme quickly. On evaluating competitive systems BPTE’s engineers were particularly impressed with the ZIP’s ease of operation.

In addition they recognised major advantages with having a multiprobe machine. “We researched all competitive systems and the ZIP 250 stood out beyond comparison” states Andy Tomlinson. The dual functionality of the ZIP, incorporating both a Renishaw touchtrigger probe and non-contact vision measurement in its 3D capability, led to greater benefits than the company had imagined possible.

“We had instantly a facility for inspection of virtually all the measurement parameters we need, cutting the need for multiple instruments and offering better repeatability and accuracy, even in the Z axis, than was previously available.”

With an enviable reputation to live up to, not to mention maintenance of its customer base and accreditations as TS 16949 2002, the OGP machine has provided a degree of certainty beyond that expected from the purchase.

“Its is so easy to get straightforward, comprehensive results with the OGP software our investment in the ZIP has probably made us three times more productive on inspection and the added benefits are immeasurable”.