Cuttings carriers
Our client in this project is a specialist in the propagation of chrysanthemum cuttings. At foreign locations in countries such as Brazil and Tanzania, more than 600 million unrooted chrysanthemum cuttings are produced annually through vegative propagation. This implies that cuttings are topped and thus new shoots are created which in turn are new cuttings. After the cutting has gained some strength, it is transported to the Netherlands. Here, the cuttings undergo a rooting process in soil, after which they are delivered to professional growers. To make sure these vulnerable cuttings arrive in one piece in the Netherlands, a cutting carrier was developed. This cutting carrier needed a redesign.
VDL Kunststoffen was asked to critically examine the product design of the existing cutting carrier and to come up with an improvement proposal, taking into account the product price and volume. In addition, VDL Kunststoffen was asked to take over the current production from another injection moulding company.
What did the plug carrier have to meet?
As a result of increasing demand, a reliable partner was sought for the production of the plug carrier. Given the complexity and specific application of the product, an investment in a high-quality 2K machine was necessary. In addition, there was a desire to make the product lighter in connection with increasingly expensive transport costs, without compromising rigidity.
Because the cuttings are different in size, it is important that the holders of the cuttings are made of flexible (rubbery) material. Stiffness is also very important in connection with the handling of the carrier. The complex 2K turning die required for this purpose was manufactured by a renowned toolmaker in Italy.
The working method
In this project, VDL Kunststoffen fully lived up to its reputation of ‘not shying away from a challenge’. The delivery time was extremely short and ‘first time right’ applied. VDL Kunststoffen proved willing to invest in a completely new machine, including an accurate turning mechanism that could turn 180° within 1 second.
After agreement on the new product design, an international multidisciplinary project team consisting of the injection moulder, toolmaker, machine builder and automation engineer was put together under the leadership of VDL Kunststoffen. Our product developers designed a lighter product within 2 weeks while maintaining the original requirements.
Both the machine, mould and automation have since gone into production fully turn-key, within the specified schedule at VDL Kunststoffen