Military Interior Protective Molding

Opportunity

The interior of the client’s vehicle was designed with a number of hard, sharp corners and edges, not the best situation for military personnel in combat situations. Smartly, the customer decided to develop a part to cover-up the problem areas.

Challenge

The original design direction that the customer considered was to get some die-cut foam, fold it and glue it to conform to the shape necessary to fit the vehicle, an easy enough part for MWR to produce, but not the best long-term solution. Our main concern with the die-cut method was the tendency of the part wanting to return to the flat position after it had been folded and glued. We also recognized the production inefficiencies of the die-cut approach.

Solution

Our first thought was foam molding this part instead of die cutting, folding and gluing. Upon further research on the vehicle’s interior, we learned that the servicemen would occasionally use the flat area in the interior as a step to climb in-and-out of the vehicle. Almost any foam part, whether its die cut or molded wouldn’t hold up to this usage. Armed with this knowledge, we advised the customer to consider a rubber cover/step, a very durable part that could hold up in the long run.

Result

The client was very pleased with the commitment of the MWR team to recognize the potential problems with the original part consideration and the thorough research conducted to develop a better part in a cost-effective manner.