Considering the increasingly severe restrictions on weights imposed by airlines, our client asked us to renew its range of rigid PP cases, looking for technical solutions for reduce thickness and therefore weight.

Objective:

Significantly reduce the weight of a PP suitcase, maintaining existing production constraints (press tonnage).

Activity:

• Study of an injection pattern that would allow lower thicknesses without increasing the tonnage required for the injection.
• Virtual product validation
• Development and engineering of molds and accessories.
• Construction of molds for bodies and accessories
• Testing and approval

Transforming a technical solution into an aesthetic proposal

The possibility of reducing thicknesses with the constraint of the tonnage of the presses available was obtained through the study of channeling patterns that also had an aesthetic value.
An in-depth MoldFlow study made it possible to identify an injection pattern that identified a map of variable thicknesses capable of guaranteeing dimensional stability, balanced filling and 40% weight reduction of the shells.

Every saved gram is important, respecting aesthetics and functionality: the close collaboration with the end customer and with the designer has made it possible to analyze in detail every single element of the suitcase (shells, wheels , handles, closures) and to identify technical solutions and choose materials capable of keeping the overall weight as low as possible

Product and process engineering and product validation

By combining simulation and prototyping in a synergistic way, the geometries of each single component were defined and the configurations of the molds were decided, for the entire range of products: large suitcase, medium suitcase and trolley cabin.

6 shell molds with single cavity

1. 3 molds with 4 cavities for bi-material wheel group
2. 3 molds with 4 cavities for side hooks
3. 3 mold with 4 cavities for central closure
4. 2 molds with 2 cavities for handle

The molds were produced at the same time under full responsibility of OMAS and the cases produced by assembling the samples were subjected to strict approval tests , including crash tests.

PPlight, the lightest PP suitcase on the market

With its overall weight in the medium version of less than 4 kg, the PPlight case is the lightest injected PP case on the market.

Respect for the environment

Furthermore, with its reduced weight, PPlight contributes to environmental protection: lightness also means producing, processing and transporting less material, with consequent considerable savings in energy and emissions. For example, an LCA study conducted on the average PPlight suitcase showed that every 200,000 suitcases produced, the emission of 530 tons of CO2 and the consumption of 13,900 tons of water are saved.