Plastic Moulding - Fern-Howard Plastic Moulding brochure web.pdf · This enables us to deliver an end-to-end service to our customers - including specialist tool specification and

Plastic MouldingOptical Moulding | Technical Moulding | Formed-in-Place Gasketing

Plastic Moulding

Edition 2 | 01420 470400www.fernhoward.com/plastic-moulding

Designed andManufactured in the UK

Tel: +44 (0)1420 470400 Email: [email protected] Visit: www.fernhoward.com/plastic-mouldingPage | 2

Injection moulders for over 27 years, few companies have Fern-Howards’ breadth of experience. Capable of moulding simple components through to large and complex optical elements requiring injection-compression, we can undertake every step of the injection moulding process - from component and tool design and build, through compound selection and development to final hand finishing.

Our own Lighting Range

Much more than just injection moulders we produce in excess of 2 million components each year for use in our own award-winning lighting ranges. That means we understand quite why accuracy is so important and why delivery times matter.

It is why, when supplying customers from across the world from our modern, 24-hour, UK-based plant we can take pride in the quality and efficiency of our work and the skills of our workforce.

Fern-Howard Plastic Moulding

Years of experience, background in lighting & optics

Plastic Moulding

Tel: +44 (0)1420 470400 Email: [email protected] Visit: www.fernhoward.com/plastic-moulding Page | 3

Our twenty injection moulding machines range from 35 tonnes to 1,000 tonnes clamp force. This means we are able to undertake large and complex jobs with confidence and small jobs with exceptional efficiency - processing a range of engineering polymers to produce components with a shot weight of a few grams to 3.5kg.

Our background in commercial lighting – specifically the moulding of optically pure light guides for LED based luminaires – and the skills learned in this demanding area means our quality control and consistency levels are high.

We manufacture components for the electronics industry, for the medical industry, and for companies large and small. Indeed for anyone who demands cost-effective high standards, delivered reliably.

• Precision injection moulding

• Optical moulding

• Technical moulding

• High and low volume

• Formed-in-place Gasketing

Able to undertake large and complex or small jobs


Optical Moulding

Optical moulding is challenging, and tool finish critical, for even small imperfections or deviations will be magnified, harming end product performance.

We have extensive experience within the optical industry, forming strong partnerships with skilled lens designers and toolmakers. This enables us to deliver an end-to-end service to our customers - including specialist tool specification and advanced lens design.

Whether volumes are high or small, we know that accuracy is paramount; and our hugely experienced in-house technical department will ensure design efficiency and production quality to the standards demanded by the optical industry.

Quality and optical precision

Plastic Moulding


We allow lighting manufacturers to reach the high standards of quality and optical precision their industry demands - manufacturing more than one million parts every year.

• Custom lenses and diffusers for the lighting and diagnostics industries

• Established relationships with specialist toolmakers and optical design consultants

• State-of-the-art LED applications for commercial and highway sectors

• From a few grams to ½ meter width


Drawing on our own experience, hard-won through the development of our own lighting ranges, we can manage lens design from start to finish. From concept to production: from design and tooling to final manufacture.

We work with, and know the value of, specialist optical design consultants, and can select from a range of carefully chosen tooling partners, each one expert in their own field. In this way we achieve high optical and lighting efficiencies, and help our customer’s products out-perform their rivals.

• Cost effective solutions for our customers

• High efficiency for their products

• Flexible sourcing

• A stable, UK manufacturing base

Lens Design

CAD DESIGN

TESTING

MA

NU

FAC

TURING

TOO

LING

Plastic Moulding


CAD DESIGN

TESTING

MA

NU

FAC

TURING

TOO

LING

From concept to production


Technical Moulding

Our technical moulding portfolio is diverse, from low volume components for analytical instruments and small batch, fast response, custom printed USB components to high volume, flame retardant, enclosures for the electronics industry and health-critical parts made from anti-microbial materials for healthcare.

Our extensive technical expertise combined with our modern facilities mean we can provide the highest level of service…

• Physically large parts, machine capacity up to 1,000 tonnes

• Small volumes

• Short lead times and customisable supply

• Full portfolio of supporting operations

For over twenty years we have produced technical mouldings for industries that include

• Electronics & Computer

• Niche Hi-Fi Systems

• Pest Control

• Medical

Plastic Moulding


Our supporting operations include

• Ultrasonic Welding

• Manual Assembly

• Formed-in-place Gasketing

• Laser de-gating

• Printing

Plastic Moulding


As the official UK agents of Sonderhoff materials and equipment we have unrivalled expertise of formed-in-place gaskets.

Formed-in-place Foam Gaskets

Two chemically safe components which, when combined, expand to form a ‘poured two-part gasket’. This gasket has no joints and will blend with, and fill, uneven surfaces. It requires no additional fixing and needs no secondary sponge material in order to form a perfect seal.

No dedicated tooling is necessary, making this a highly cost-effective solution for customers.

The chemistry used is dependent on application, each formulation being tailored to a specific end use – these include:

• Food packaging

• Automotive and Transport

• Air conditioning

Formed-in-place Gasketing

represented in the UK by

• Electronics industry and electronics enclosures

• Lighting

Plastic Moulding


Gaskets for Environmental Protection – Seals against Dust and Water

A robotised process that is both cost-effective and simple to set up, we offer two variations:

• Seal integrated with mouldings produced at Fern-Howard

• OEM gaskets for customers with fabricated sheet or cast metal components

Both are cost-effective and flexible.

Why use Formed-in-place Gaskets?

Unlike other methods such as die-cut gaskets or jointed neoprene cord, Formed-in-place gaskets provide:

• High performance

• A perfect fit to any shape - flat, grooved or complex three-dimensional

• Ease of assembly (the gasket adheres to the product, cannot fall out, and so makes assembly easy)

• Cost savings due to reduced material

• Cost savings on tooling (die-cut gaskets require a new tool for each gasket size, formed-in-place can produce gaskets on demand, from the same tool.)

• Reduced stockholding and inventory

• Faster production – mouldings delivered with gaskets already in place


Turnkey Operations

Working as your manufacturing partner we can take products from the most preliminary of design sketches through to validated production mouldings. We have experienced in-house project management and technical support teams, advanced CAD and prototyping facilities.

Our established network of tooling partners and our own tool room means we can manufacture, maintain and modify your tools, whilst our thermoplastic expertise means we can source, develop and test the plastic compound best suited to your job.

We simplify and streamline the entire injection moulding process.

Taking products from initial

design through prototyping and

toolmaking to production

Plastic Moulding


Our Plant

Machine Type

Quantity Tonnage Max Shot Weight(PS in g)

Tie bar distance (mm)

Max/Min mould heights (mm)

Negri Bossi 1 1,000 5621 1300 x 1100 1200/500

Negri Bossi 1 750 3570 900 x 1000 1000/400

Negri Bossi 2 440 1645 760 x 680 800/250

Negri Bossi 1 330 849 660 x 600 730/220

Negri Bossi 2 270 760 630 x 570 700/280

Negri Bossi 4 210 435 570 x 510 630/200

Negri Bossi 4 160 380 450 x 510 550/170

Negri Bossi 1 85 155 400 X 360 450/150

Arburg 1 70 121 320 x 320 400/200

Arburg 2 50 89 320 x 320 550/200

Arburg 1 35 41221(2 tie bar)

300/150

Finishing Capabilities

• Hand finishing

• Ultrasonic welding

• Laser de-gating

• Formed-in-place Gaskets

• Printing

• Insertion and assembly

Fern-Howard is a long-established injection moulding company with extensive experience in the lighting and general moulding industries. Manufacturers of our own, highly successful commercial lighting ranges, we are commercially stable and UK based with a skilled and experienced workforce.

Able to undertake most injection moulding commissions up to 3.5kg shot weight both long-run and short-run, we have full finishing and toolmaking facilities on site.

Quality assured to BS EN ISO 9001: 2008

Our continuous improvement programs ensure that we deliver the

best possible service to both internal and external customers.

All products are Designed &Manufactured in the UK

To find out more about our capabilities, for a quotation or simply for more information:

Fern-Howard, 2 Newman Lane, Alton, Hampshire, GU34 2QR, United Kingdom.

Tel: +44 (0)1420 470400 Email: [email protected]

www.fernhoward.com/plastic-moulding

Registered in England Reg. No. 3202749

We reserve the right to alter specifications without notice in accordance with our policy of continuous

product improvement. Design and copyright rights reserved and our standard Terms & Conditions apply.

FHL15001 | Issue 1 | May2016

Plastic Moulding

represented in the UK by

COMPLETELY CONFIDENTIALYou can trust us with your design

Plastic Moulding - Fern-Howard Plastic Moulding brochure web.pdf · This enables us to deliver an end-to-end service to our customers - including specialist tool specification and

Documents