Dear *|FNAME|*,

Love it, hate it, there is no escaping 'tis the season to be jolly! Whether you embrace the season with open arms or prefer the Bah Humbug! approach you can be assured that here at Plunkett Associates we are bracing ourselves for the usual pre-Christmas frenzy of work which will allow YOU to start the new year relaxed. With our global supply base we overcome traditional shut-down, so why not take advantage of the unique Super Bureau offering?

This month I completed the industry marathon known as Euromold in Frankfurt. Aside from Hall 8 representing the biggest sauna in Europe and the fact I have learnt a very painful lesson that you should never wear brand new shoes when you need to walk miles, I had a very enjoyable couple of days consolidating relationships with the suppliers to the Super Bureau. The Huntsman machine (absent from TCT) made its debut and there were many subtle post processing options and bolt on's that we will certainly be investigating and evaluating. We can now officially offer you a previously absent process - FDM.

Have a great Christmas… "More sprouts dear?"

I remain, at your service,

tim@plunkettassociates.co.uk

Do you consider suppliers from Asia as 'luck of the draw'?

Well, throw aside the fortune cookie because Plunkett Associates now represent your safe portal into an indispensable offering from the Far East. My recent to trip to Guangdong (neighbouring Hong Kong and Macao), with its breathtaking natural scenery and rich cultural heritage was full of the complexities you would expect from a diverse modern China.

Confucious says: "I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I DO and I understand."

My interpretation of this old Chinese proverb is that to really understand something you have to experience it for yourself. I experienced at first hand the benefits which this amazing country has to offer.

More on 'that shirt'

As mentioned in previous newsletters my choice of shirt worn at TCT caused many 'interesting' comments. As it's Christmas we are inviting you to have some fun at my expense. For the best caption received based on the photo below the winner will receive a bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne to toast in the New Year. Send your captions (closing date 24th December) to jane@plunkettassociates.co.uk where the Plunkett Associates crew will pick a winner and give an honourable mention to the runner-up! Enjoy…

December 2008

Flexible Sir, are you Shore®?

• Flexible friend or foe? It would be very easy to become overwhelmed and unsure when faced with a myriad of information available on all the different processes. Your requirement will be unique to you and various factors including time, functionality and hardness will need to be taken into account…read on
  
  
• OK, so you need a flexible part and you need it to be hard. How hard? Therein lies the question! Thankfully tests have been developed which measure the resistance of plastics, including the Shore® (Durometer) test and the Rockwell hardness test…read on
  
  
• Sometimes you want more than flexible, you want your component to look aesthetically pleasing. The good news is, depending on the process chosen, you can have basic colours and colour matching to help you achieve something that flexes and looks good…read on
  
  
• When you are up against the clock and every day counts there are exciting new processes which will allow you to get your flexible component in time scales that will suit YOU. Not only flexible but fast…read on
  
  
• Check out these buttons. Our Client was unsure of how to specify his requirement. Here at Plunkett Associates, when defining your requirement becomes difficult, let us solve the problem for you…read on.
  
  

  

  
  
  
• In a simple world only one material would be required for our flexible component needs. In the real world we often have requirements for materials as diverse as rubber, such as EPDM, Viton etc…read on
  
  
• When faced with the options available it would only be natural to raise the question of the effect of quantity. Sometimes one will suffice, other times maybe 100 parts are needed and the effect of increasing quantities can be dramatic…read on
  
  
• We often talk about 'wicked geometries', complex parts etc and it can be easy to get lost in this complicated world. But let us not forget that sometimes the 'sun does shine' and our flexible component need is simple…read on
  
  

So you see, you don't have to get yourself into a twist about making a decision. We are here to straighten out any confusion, and for those really devilish parts we continue to come up with 'Solutions from Outside the Box'!