stuart:pease

GRP laminate design and engineering


From Design & Development To Completion

bespoke design & manufacture

Every customer should be demanding… and all have unique needs and requirements. That is precisely why stuart:pease offers all potential clients a completely free, no obligation, initial consultancy.

Whilst this breakdown of the GRP design and production process should help, if you are considering fibreglass fabrication for any application, speak to stuart:pease first!

Discovery and concept development

The first step in any project is to define the functionality and features of the required GRP components, which should be determined during the initial design consultancy service.

If you decide to proceed, a more in-depth period of ‘discovery’ should be undertaken to predict the project’s scope accurately. As a rule of thumb, the more thorough the discovery, the fewer design compromises need to be made during production.

CAD design and production planning

Step two is converting the discovered concept into a 3D CAD model and a final, detailed specification from which the rest of the production process can be planned.

Pattern and tool making

The drawings are then turned into a full-size, highly finished, 3D model known as the pattern or ‘plug’ from which, in turn, a hand-laid GRP mould or ‘tool’ is produced.

This tool can be a simple, one-piece mould or split into multiple elements to accommodate more complex shapes.

Prototyping

Sometimes, a production prototype may be required before committing to final manufacture, especially where an unusual application or high-volume product run is planned.

Manufacturing and production

Whether it is a single item or a large run, with 30 full-time laminators, three independent workshops totalling over 14,000 sq. ft. of useable floorspace and 50 feet of head clearance, manufacturing is rarely constrained by product size or production volume.

Cost and timeline estimating

The cost associated with each stage will be quoted from the detailed specification. Project time is largely determined by complexity, but as a guide, the council bandstand illustrated here was six months from initial consultation to installation.

Please note that ‘design and development’ is not covered by the Quality Standard and is therefore excluded from the ISO9001:2015 certification.

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