Design Tips

These are some design rules that apply to injection molded plastic components:

Each component should have a nominal wall thickness.  Meaning that every wall thickness should be the same.  This makes the polymer have the best opportunity to flow evenly and manufacture the best consistent parts. 

Plastic does not like sharp edges.  The flow of polymer through the mold cavity is subject to trapping gases and shearing the molecular patter which will weaken the component and cause voids or sink marks.

Plan for Draft.  The component is required to have draft, so that the part can eject from the mold.  Typically one degree of draft is needed to successfully eject the part.  If texture is required, then more draft will be needed.  The desired texture pattern , will include a draft specification along with the style number. It is often thought that a cavity or core that has a polished surface (A-1 / A-2) will be much easier.  That is false!  Actually a stone finish is easier to eject.  As long as the pattern is a draw stone pattern is  in the direction of pull.

Tooling Cost - The geometries that make up your component will dictate how much your tooling will cost.  This is the reason a thorough design review is completed so that unnecessary features are used to produce your parts.  The more information that you share with the Design Engineer will save you money and aggravation.

Product Packaging - At a point you will need to decide what type of packaging you would like to use for your product.  The things you should consider is locations your product will be sold.  Visual exposure to get your product noticed.  Perhaps a picture of your product on the front with instructions of use on the back.  A clear plastic package will showcase the product very well.  Most important, is that the packaging protect its contents.  I can't stress enough to my clients who are developing their first product how important it is to start considering how their product will be packaged.  One of the best ways is to take a look around stores and see how other like products are packaged.  You can then start deciding if you want to look like you fit in with rest or do you want to stand out.

Very early in the project process I will generally submit a 3 page project review form to the client which has pertinent questions about their project.  The document remains confidential but will provide insight to allow for cost effective quoting of your project. This documentation will also protect their intellectual property rights to their product.

• Expert Help! and Troubleshooting

Perhaps you are having a problem with an existing component.  We will keep you solve your questions confidentially and usually with no charge attached to the answer.  We help molders as well as individuals to get the answers they need.

  I had the privilege of being trained in one of the finest Plastic Design facilities in the country. Surrounded by the best Project Engineer/Managers, I learned the important factors of Plastic Piece Part Design.  With total hands on experience, I was responsible for working directly with clients, making suggestions on design improvement, designing prototype tooling, building the tooling and then sampling the tooling in the injection molding press. Troubleshooting and problem solving is paramount in this position, I know what to expect when bringing a project to light. I am here to help you understand the process and be sure your component, product or project is a success.

I will review your question and get back to you.  Once in a while I am asked questions which will require research to solve.  Therefore a charge may be incurred to receive an answer.  Should a charge be needed you will receive a formal quote describing your options and cost.

Quality issues GMP/ISO/FDA/CE Reg- I can help you to develop a Quality Manual to help resolve problems which can be encountered when molding components.  The manual is basically a recipe book for your component or device.  The manual will help you to keep your product at acceptable levels and minimize the chance of receiving reject parts.  The manual would typically describe production procedures, cleanliness, materials, dimensional checks, SPC, quality levels and shipping criteria.