Europe's leading polymer research and test house, has invested in software and three new work stations to ensure the company's leadership in plastics product design and testing.

Rapra Technology, Europe's leading polymer research and test house, has recently invested in new software and three new work stations, as well as additional consultant resources, in order to ensure the company's continuing leadership in the business of plastics product design and testing. Rapra now offers 3D design analysis and services through the IDEAS 3D design, through to SigmaSoft true 3D flow analysis and MSC Patran and Marc, together with finite element analysis (FEA). 'All of these are fine products and services on their own,' says Andi Clements,' business development manager for the technology, 'but taken together by the user, they are far greater than the sum of their parts.

We are even working with the software suppliers for complementary support using the other software that we have, but adding our own specialist materials knowledge'.

Leading OEMs are all numbered in the range of Rapra clients that are increasingly using the CAD services to establish fault free, long-term plastics product design and launch, as well as improving those elements of design and production that are already underway.

Over œ100,000 of consultancy business has already been sold in relation to the new CAD resources.

These Rapra services are also in demand from designers and suppliers of plastics materials; anxious to ensure that their materials perform as stated from the time they are moulded throughout their service life.

The demands and expectations of plastics materials and components are also becoming increasingly stringent - from Tier 1 and 2 suppliers to all industries where product and component performance is an essential part of business.

Clements says of the new technology that, 'exporting the fibre orientation or residual stress pattern from true 3D flow into FEA means that we can run realistic loading on a realistic moulded part.

Running FEA on an already pre-stressed part also gives a much more realistic description of what the part will experience in reality.

Effectively this gives us the ability to inform our customers on how to make really informed value-engineering decisions using real data.' Rapra Technology Chief Executive Andrew Ward notes that recent business expansions have been greatly enabled by the new structure of the company.

'At the time of the Management Buy Out in July 2002 we promised investment in the fundamentals.

We are delighted to be delivering on that promise now.' Ward adds that 'Rapra's research, technical and analytic strengths underpin all that we do.

Helping companies to address their product design and development issues is one of our key stated business growth areas.