Improved Reliability of Lighting Controls
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CLIENT
Leprecon
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CAPABILITY
Injection Molding
Design Assistance
Problem Solving
Simplified Assembly
Lighting Consoles Need Reliable Switch Caps
For three decades, Leprecon has been providing lighting control, dimming and interfacing solutions for the performance industry. Leprecon manufactures a wide range of lighting products that illuminate not only touring and theatrical productions, but also corporate environments and houses of worship.
Leprecon’s lighting control consoles contain many control switches, and some of the switches have plastic caps on them. Over the years, the availability of these switch caps was inconsistent, forcing Leprecon to adjust its assembly processes to compensate.
The Problem
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Leprecon had trouble with switch caps developing a loose fit on some switch posts. Leprecon did some investigation and discovered that the manufacturer of the switches themselves had changed their post design over the years, so now there were switches made before a certain date in one size, and switches made after that date in a different size.
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The caps did not fit the new and old switches the same – the loose caps actually had to be glued onto the smaller switch post, which was not a good long-term solution.
The Solution
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Leprecon and Fathom worked together to revise the tolerances on the part print, and a new cap was designed to accommodate both sizes of switch posts.
The Result
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The new custom design fit well on both the old and new design switch posts, plus it eliminated two extra shims.
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In addition to the plastic parts solving a functional problem, Leprecon was very pleased with the excellent finish on the parts.
