Whilst working as a director at another seals company, David Piper decided that, rather than turn away clients who required customised, as opposed to off-the-shelf rubber mouldings, he would start his own business to serve the needs of what, to him, was a poorly served customer sector. His company - DP Seals - was duly established in 1976 with a remit to develop and manufacture rubber mouldings that would meet the specific, often unique requirements of its engineering clients.
Rubber moulding needs three things: materials, tooling and presses. Standard materials - nitriles, neoprenes and silicones - have not changed much over 30 years. They have become easier to mould and the performance envelopes extended but it is the esoteric polymers that have created more opportunities for rubber mouldings.
Tooling has probably seen the greatest change. Originally, tools were cut from metal using a mill, drill and lathe. Tool designs were a simple engineer's sketch or from hand-measuring an existing part. As parts became more complex and materials more capable, an alternative was needed.
Andrew Piper joined DP Seals' shop floor at the age of 17 and worked his way up to technical director. On the way he gained a degree in rubber chemistry and introduced computerisation. From an initial Amstrad computer, the company's network now links PCs in engineering through tooling and the shop floor to despatch and, with the advent of AS 9100, lifetime parts tracking.
Today, CAD drawings arrive electronically to be 3D rendered for evaluation and tool design, and then to direct the CNC machinery. This high-efficiency route eliminates errors and ensures accuracy; it also speeds the overall process, allowing rapid delivery of prototype parts.
Tool and material meet on the shop floor. DP Seals uses transfer moulding - preheat material and tool and apply pressure to force material into the cavity mould to form the part. Characterised by low set-up times with high accuracy and repeatability, this process is ideal for short prototype runs as well as volume production.
This process has remained essentially unchanged in 30 years. Today's presses are bigger - allowing larger parts and higher volumes - and computer controlled. Product is then de-flashed, an area where DP Seals pioneered cryogenic cleaning.
Transfer moulding generates heat, noise and fumes. Very early on, the company moved its compressors into a side building to eliminate noise. Extractor fans duct heat and fumes into the same building where electrostatic filters clean the air for recycling as heating or venting to the outside. The result is lower energy bills and a happier shop floor.
The people
Technology drives change but people relationships drive the company as this customer/supplier story illustrates. Some 15 years ago, an engineering director contacted DP Seals with a requirement for fibre optic connectors that could be mated underwater without contaminating the faces. The director knew he needed rubber mouldings and that DP Seals made them. That was the start point - a need and a few ideas. Working closely together, the two companies came up with a solution to the problem and developed a prototype; and that same product is still being manufactured in volume today.
Almost 30 years ago, DP Seals employed four teenagers under what was then referred to as the 'YOP' (Youth Opportunities Programme). Two are still with the company; one runs the shop floor while the other manages the tool room. And the tool room manager's son is the company's first formal apprentice. This family approach epitomises the company's management style and the staff's acceptance of it as an employer.
Over 33 years DP Seals has built a solid reputation for materials knowledge, tooling capabilities and quality but it's really about people - the customers, suppliers and staff. Technology just happens.