ISP Collaborates With Cell Growth Company to Improve Polystyrene Film Components Design

Background:

ISP produces custom components for a company in the cell growth industry. These components are made from a clear, 5 mil thick polystyrene film. The drawing of this component specified a rectangle with radius corners. As this project developed, ISP experienced difficulty due to the material. The tooling was leaving some dimpling along the edges of the component, and there was a decent amount of operator handling, which resulted in unwanted fingerprints on the delicate material.

Approach:

After a conversation with the customer, ISP identified that the radius on the four corners was not a necessity to the design and function of the component. ISP’s suggestion was to remove the radius so that the component could be produced in an automated fashion with no tooling and very little operator handling.

Result:

ISP worked with the customer to alter their design to simplify for the best converting
methods. ISP automated the production process, which resulted in more efficient production and consistency. Due to automation, human fingerprints potential was completely avoided.