Igloo Products

Faced with the daunting prospect of entering an ultracompetitive market for the first time, Igloo turned to stereolithography to ensure the greatest possible chance of success.

The Challenge
When Igloo decided to break into the rapidly expanding storage container market, they knew their product had to be truly exceptional. In an ultra-competitive market dominated by established companies, innovative design, high quality, and affordability were all critical factors.

Their concept was a winner. The unique stackable design of the Packmasters would allow easy, cost-effective shipping of multiple units, while the integrated hinge and latch would reduce production costs. But the Packmasters needed something beyond spreadsheets and 3-D CAD to ensure success. Igloo needed a way to check the complex shape of the integrated latch, and verify the "stackability" of the containers before molds were made. With tooling costs ranging from $500,000-1,000,000, the design had to be right... the first time.

The Results
Igloo chose stereolithography (SL) as their "secret weapon" to ensure success. P I Components Corp. (PlC), a local service bureau, provided SL models of the complex latch design literally overnight. The SL models identified errors in the latch that would not have shown up until the molds had been made, eliminating what Igloo calls "a very high maintenance production situation," in their understated manner. PlC also produced half-scale models of the Packmasters so that Igloo could check the stackability of the design and get feedback from the industrial designers. These models were so accurate that they were used to verify the design of the shipping containers. As a further testament to the versatility of SL, Igloo photographed painted SL models for use in their upcoming product catalogs. Igloo will continue to use SL as its "secret weapon" in upcoming designs.
SL gives them the ability to:

• Identify errors in a design that are not apparent in the 3-D CAD file
• Iterate and verify a design before committing to hard tooling
• Make models that can be used for aesthetic evaluation and photography
  in advance of the final

The Process
Igloo created the design for the stacking storage container using 3-D CAD software. It was apparent that the mold for the one-piece latch and lid assembly would have a very complex parting line -- difficult to define without having a model in hand. In addition, the
latch itself was difficult to visualize, even with the aid of 3-D CAD. For verification, the latch section of the file was separated and sent to P I Components via modem. The latch assembly was built on PlC's SLA system. Once Igloo had the latch assembly, potential problems with the design were identified that had not been detected on the 3-D CAD system.

Igloo was able to change the design of the latch and redefine the parting line before molds were made. In addition, half-size 3-D CAD models of the containers were created and built on PlC's SLA system. These models were used by Igloo to confirm the "stackability" of the design and to ensure that the critical shipping box design was correct. These models were also used for cosmetic evaluation of the final production piece by the industrial designers. In addition, painted SL models were used for product photography to develop Packmaster promotional materials prior to having a final product.

Company Profile
Igloo Products Corporation, based in Houston, Texas, is one of the best known names in the ice chest and cooler container industry. They produce and/or market over 60 variations of products, including their popular Playmate and Little Playmate coolers. In 1990, Igloo celebrated the sale of its 15 millionth Playmate, and 1994 marked the 47th anniversary of the company. Igloo Products remains committed to new product development, expanding their innovative designs into a new line of storage containers.

P I Components Corp. (PIC) is the process instrumentation industry's leading innovator and supplier of diaphragm seal products. They are located in Brenham, Texas, between Houston and Austin, Texas. In February 1993, PIC formed their Rapid Prototyping & Manufacturing (RP&M) Division and acquired an SLA system. Since then, they have been winning SL contracts from inventors, designers, and manufacturers of products for the medical, oil, plastics, electronics, toy and computer industries.