| |
CASE STUDIES
|
| | | Abjad Ltd markets a line of educational products intended to teach children the Arabic language. The product line revolves around a set of high-quality plastic Arabic letters. Children can transform each letter into its multiple character-forms as they play. The set integrates perfectly with the rest of the product line which includes story- and picture- books, audio soundtracks, jigsaw puzzles and more. Visit Abjad at http://www.abjad.com
|
| Challenge: | | A key component of the letter set is a complex hinge mechanism that allows certain letters to be physically manipulated by children into different letter-forms (for use in different positions in a word). The mechanism presented significant design and technical challenges and pushed the limits of current plastics technology. Abjad had commissioned several designers and toolmakers prior to RFT Tooling to develop a prototype, but none were successful. The viability of the entire Alphabet product line depended on the hinge and pressures were steadily building on Abjad to bring the product to market.
|
| Response: | | Through numerous CAD/CAM prototypes, RFT Tooling worked with Abjad to develop a new precision hinge design that took advantage of the subtle dynamics of the thermal-injection process to go beyond the generally accepted limitations of plastic. The mechanism was further refined at the moulding stage through micro-manipulation of the process parameters. Abjad subsequently patented the hinge and its manufacturing process.
|
| Results: | | This new hinge mechanism allowed Abjad to cost-effectively manufacture its letter set and to successfully bring its educational product line to thousands of children worldwide.
|
