Guide for Designing the Plastic Parts

Achieving an accurate plastic industrial design is not an easy task. Once you commit a mistake and you have to pay the cost for it. The high-quality plastics have outpaced the performance of metals and most of the industries are shifting from metal to the plastic use. With so much demand, the pressure of designing a good quality plastic has increased. Here are the tips by which a company can ensure an efficient designing process.

• Ensure the Right Plastic Use: It is always better to take the advice than choosing a wrong kind of plastic. A good molder always makes sure that he knows the usage of a part. A plastic might be self-lubricating, ultra high, perfumed or flavoured. Take out some time for the discussion with you molder before starting the designing process. Convey your requirements to them and make sure that the design aligns with your specifications.

• Value of Consistent Wall Thickness: A consistent wall thickness of the part is crucial in the plastic industrial design. The wall thickness depends upon many factors. Non-uniform thickness might cause problems with dimensional control and warpage. Some of the materials easily fit into the thin sections of the wall while some couldn’t move freely. This kind of material demands a greater thickness. Further, the wall thickness also relies on the mechanical characteristics of the part. Those parts which remain under a constant load need greater wall thickness in comparison to the one which doesn’t remain under the load. Hence, the wall thickness plays a massive role in managing the weight and strength of the parts.

• Cleanliness: No one wants a contaminated part for their product. If you are quite particular about the cleanliness of your part, ensure that the molding shop is clean. If your order is for a food product or a medical component, be extra cautious before placing the order.

• Wall Tapers: If you want to facilitate the faster ejection of apart from the surface of mold, try to determine the draft taper in the initial phase of the plastic industrial design process. Mostly the long cores get broken after the continuous usage because of the pressure & heat of the environment.

• Core-Cavity: If you wish to minimize the time and manufacturing cost of parts, the core-cavity method might be the perfect pick for you. In this approach, the inner and outer walls of the halves are kept in a parallel position. This technique not only maximizes strength and simplifies ejection; it also maintains the wall thickness & reduces the manufacturing cost for a plastic industrial design.

• Proper Cooling: An efficient cooling system results in injection mold of superior quality. The mold must maintain a uniform temperature to avoid any instances of shrinkage while the minimization of the cycle time. A perfect balance of high production output and reduced cycle time is achieved with the help of an effective cooling system. This is an important factor to be considered during the plastic industrial design.

• Samples Can Upgrade Quality: You can avoid the unnecessary rework of the mold cavity and save your time & money. Most of the companies use sample moulds for producing the test run. This is a crucial step to know if you need to make some adjustments in the temperature or the flow rate. Also, in case of some quality concerns, the team can find out the cause of degraded quality and take the corrective measures to meet the expected standards. Hence, in order to create a better plastic industrial design, using sample mold must be your top priority.

 A proper planning and knowledge is the key to the better manufacturing processes. It can also save you from the burden of extra cost and labour. Hence, if you want to ensure a premium quality plastic parts design, don’t miss out on the above-mentioned guidelines.