- Multiple tools produced to meet the requirements of the customer
- Delivered ahead of schedule
- The customer relied on our wealth of experience to complete a successful project
A Truro-based manufacturer of safe, high-quality crew transfer technology for the offshore industry is enjoying the benefits of rotational moulds thanks to our hard work. The tooling is being used successfully to create the first in a new generation of marine crew transfer capsules, the FROG XT4.
Since its foundation in 1992, the company has focused on improving the safety of offshore personnel access. Our client's FROG transfer capsule has become an industry benchmark, and as an organisation, is now involved in around one million safe personnel transfers each year between vessel and platform and vice versa. Their success means they have clients in every corner of the world, from the Arctic to the tropics.
Building on the success of the FROG transfer capsule, which they have been making for 15 years, our client decided to develop an upgraded version, including new, additional features that would benefit its clients. The company’s success has always been based on a commitment to innovation, staying close to its clients’ operations and collaborating with a range of industry partners, and they wanted nothing less for the new generation of crew transfer capsules.
The supply chain manager involved already knew of the team at Midas from a previous role and when approached, we offered indicative pricing which was far more competitive than other quotes obtained. However, not only was the price attractive, our very high reputation counted for a lot.
Rotationally moulded plastic parts are perfectly suited to larger, more rugged applications where strength and size are a key factor. We specialise in complicated, multi-part rotational tools that include complex thread forms, loose pieces, and sliding actions, for example. Our tools can be purchased directly and used within any moulding shop, therefore offering the flexibility of supply and ease of tool relocation.
We made tools to produce three different polyethylene parts: the one-piece external buoyancy unit which comprised of a large moulding weighing around 35 kg; the seat back; and the seat base with four of each part in every XT4 crew transfer capsule.
The external buoyancy units sit externally to the base frame of the capsule and are designed to offer the user more protection from potential impact. The units have to be capable of safely absorbing deck impact at up to 4.5 metres per second. The seats are also of a semi-saddle design to minimise any whiplash effects.
"Midas improved on their initial delivery estimate with each of the tools supplied, which was enormously helpful and throughout the project proved very responsive to progress requirements. They made a number of suggestions relating to some of the finer design details, such as where the split lines should go, and equally and just as critically, the position of the venting points. The external buoyancy units are extremely customer visible so aesthetics are vital. We relied on their knowledge of the rotational moulding process.”
In total, the company expects to produce 200-300 XT4 units every year and intends to use the tools and parts in a modular manner moving forward.
Watch a FROG XT inspection and maintenance video here.
For more information about our PU moulding and tooling abilities, contact us on +44 (0)1234 358394.