This may concern an expansion joint to compensate for thermal expansion, mechanical vibration and sound propagation in pipes, or joining pieces in products in the electronics, plastic and engineering industries, for example. How can you ensure that your product design project is successful, from the drawing table all the way to production?

In this article, Jussi Mertjärvi, Sales Director at Masino Industry, and Jyri Pihamaa, Sales Director at Masino Fastening, explain how you can avoid five common pitfalls and ensure a successful outcome in cooperation with your supplier.

1. Rely on the supplier’s expertise from the get-go

The earlier you start discussions with your supplier, the better your chances are of finding an optimal technical solution. For example, Masino’s metal expansion joints are always tailored to the customer’s needs. If the drawings of the piping system are near completion when the discussions on expansion joints are only starting, it may be that the best possible solution is no longer viable.

In the worst case, the designer needs to go back to the drawing table, because placing a flexible element in the intended place in the piping system turns out to be too complicated – and costly.

“In addition to helping customers with choosing the right products, we can provide more extensive advice on placing flexible elements in the system. When placed appropriately, an expansion joint makes it possible to avoid more complicated solutions in piping systems, and the result is more reliable and durable,” says Jussi Mertjärvi.

You should also rely on your supplier’s expertise when the necessary technical solution is readily available in the product selection, such as threaded elements for the production needs of the electronics, plastic and engineering industries. Cooperation with your supplier also ensures that the product information is up to date and that the designs do not include solutions that are no longer available.

“Our long experience in various materials and their properties, as well as connection and installation methods, helps us to find the right way to implement strong and appropriate joints for all materials. We can provide technical support as early as in the design phase, and offer advice on optimising production,” says Jyri Pihamaa.

2. Make sure that the initial information is sufficient

One of the greatest pitfalls on the way to a successful result is having insufficient information about the application. For what type of material is the threaded elements needed? Does the joint need to withstand heat, pressure or corrosion? What are the requirements for the joint?

“If we don’t have comprehensive information about the application, determining and choosing the right product for the customer’s production process will be difficult. In such a case, the customer will not benefit from the technical expertise we have amassed over the years. This expertise enables us to identify and suggest the best possible products from our selection for the customer’s production,” says Jyri Pihamaa.

Metal expansion joints are always customised to the customers’ usage needs. This ensures that an expansion joint works in the piping system of a specific power plant, for example, exactly as it should.

“The initial information must be sufficient to create a durable and functional real-life solution. For example, the temperatures and stress that an expansion joint must withstand in a piping system is critical information, along with information about the type of expansion movement that the joint must compensate for in the piping system. An optimal solution can be found through discussion with the customer,” says Jussi Mertjärvi.

3. Make your final choice based on accurate information

Appropriate testing is an important part of the product design process and is often also necessary when a specific classification or type approval needs to be obtained for the final product. Masino uses the test laboratories of the brands it represents, for example.

“Through our principals, we can conduct strength and installation tests, to name just two examples. Based on the results, the customer can choose between various options to find an optimal solution for their final product,” Jyri Pihamaa explains.

The functionality of products in various applications can also be modelled using calculation programs. For example, the properties of expansion joints can be tested reliably using software developed by Masino, as long as information is available about the operating environment, including the dimensions and placing of pipes and the composition, temperature and pressure of the substance flowing in the piping system.

“After this, the solution can also be tested using field tests and by preparing a prototype. Based on the test results, we will make the necessary adjustments before the product is produced and the customer starts its manufacture,” says Jussi Mertjärvi.

Problems typically emerge in situations where the product chosen and tested by technical designers in cooperation with Masino’s experts is replaced in production with a similar product for cost reasons, for example. 

“It’s good to keep in mind that the breaking strength promised for threaded elements, for example, holds true only if the customer actually uses the element that was tested and chosen based on the test results. In the worst case, a replacement may cause problems with the quality of the customer’s final product or feed problems with automatic installation devices, which may lead to longer installation times in production,” Pihamaa points out.

Both Mertjärvi and Pihamaa recommend ensuring that the product being compared is technically fully similar when the best option is being chosen in terms of total costs. For example, feed problems related to threaded elements in production increase costs, and this increase is not necessarily visible to the buyer making the purchasing decision.

“Cooperation between the product designer and the buyer is the best way to ensure the best possible result for all parties.”

4. Prepare a realistic schedule

“All too often, product design projects are rushed. Realistic scheduling is one of the cornerstones of success,” say Mertjärvi and Pihamaa.

This challenge is easier to tackle if the technical solution has been discussed jointly since the early stages of product design. This eliminates unpleasant surprises and overlapping work that may arise from designs being based on outdated product information.

“Of course, solutions for critical needs can be found quickly when heating pipes burst, for example, even though tailored products are involved. After that, an optimal solution will be found in due time,” says Mertjärvi.

5. Don’t forget to optimise production

After the right technical solution for the customer’s need has been found, close cooperation should continue to optimise production.

“To ensure the availability of the selected product for the customer’s production and to agree on realistic delivery times, we need to know the life cycle of the entire project. Open communication is key even after the product design process: if changes take place in the customer’s production, this may also affect the selected fastening and installation technology,” Pihamaa points out. 

According to Mertjärvi, feedback from customers offers opportunities to further improve product functionality on-site.

“A comprehensive solution tailored to the customer’s needs can be further optimised in terms of operational reliability or the reliability of component deliveries when a new generation of the same product is designed,” says Mertjärvi.

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