Halliburton Co. Dresser Piping Specialties

Product: Piping for gas and water utilities
Annual Sales: $35 million
Number of Employees: 200
Year Founded: 1885
Location: Bradford, PA

Situation:

Dresser wanted to launch a new product in the residential gas service line market. The idea - an automatic excess-flow shut-off valve made of plastic. The catch - the valve must meet strict dimensional tolerances to guarantee a good seal between mating components.

Project:

PTDC engineers Marty Dropik and Theresa Warner assessed the original valve design and made recommendations about the design, material, gating, tooling, and molding. One analytical tool used for the project was MoldFlow, a plastic filling analysis software package. Using MoldFlow, the engineers were able to vary the gating locations on the valve to determine the best location, which would lead to a dimensionally stable part after molding. Upon completion of the assessment, the engineers organized and facilitated a cross-functional meeting between Dresser, the tool shop, the molder, and the PTDC so all parties could review and discuss the suggestions and recommendations.

Result:

Even during the pre-production phase. Dresser's plastic valve met its tight dimensional specifications due to the PTDC's input. Now in production, the valve has been introduced successfully to the residential gas service line market. The sales and market share of the valve will help ensure the long-term stability of the company.

Company Comments from Robin Borland, Engineering Manager:

"Dresser's new valve serves the same purpose for gas lines as a fuse box does for electricity. It's been very successful from the beginning, in part because we were able to tap into the expertise of the PTDC to create the proper mold in our first effort. We don't have the in-house level of knowledge of plastics that the PTDC does, so it's an invaluable resource, particularly when we're creating a brand-new product."