When designing with plastic, the goal is to achieve a technically accurate design that functions well and can be cost effectively manufactured. Following these basic tips will help in accomplishing these goals and accelerate the designing process
Designing a plastic part for manufacturability involves many important factors that touch on all areas of part design, tooling, material selection and production. First, it is essential to build parts around functional needs by keeping design intent or the end use in mind. Consider weight reductions, the elimination of fabrication and assembly steps, improving structural components, reducing costs and getting products to market quicker. Here are some important factors to consider to meet your plastic part design goals for a successful production process.When designing with plastic, the goal is to achieve a technically accurate design that functions well and can be cost effectively manufactured. Following these basic tips will help in accomplishing these goals and accelerate the designing process
1.Describe Application( Part Design)
Describe the environment, intended use, regulatory compliance, and important mechanical properties. Consider chemical, liquid, and temperature exposure. Determine aesthetics like color and surface appearance.
2.Material Selection
Materials have different shrinkage factors so it’s critical to define it at the outset. Plastic selection is a complex task that involves many considerations, such as:
1)Temperature: Thermal stress that may occur during normal and extreme use conditions, as well as during assembly, finishing and shipping.
2)Chemical resistance: The effects that occur when any solid, liquid or gas come in contact with the part.
3)Customer approvals: Governmental and private standards for properties such as heat resistance, flammability, and electrical and mechanical capabilities.
4)Finish: The material’s ability to produce the desired finish such as gloss, smoothness and other appearance values as it comes from the mold.
5)Cost: Resin pricing as well as the cost calculations for manufacturing, maintenance, assembly and disassembly to reduce labor, tooling, finishing and other costs.
6)Availability: The resin’s availability in regard to amount needed for production.
7)Assembly: The plastic’s cooperation with all assembly steps like bonding, mechanical fasteners and welding. Such as, if need ultrasonic welding, ABS is better PP, we must be consider many factor then make a decision
3.Mold Design & Making
The successful design and making of your tooling is one of the most significant factors that will determine the success of your project. This critical piece has a substantial impact on your tooling cost and piece cost. We must look at every option to take cost out by eliminating unnecessary complexity and reduce secondary finishing steps. Some key mold design point.
1)Cavities, Gate types, Location, Quantity
The number of mold holes depends on the number of products. The more cavities, the more test mold making. Gates are critical to ensuring the resin flows properly into the mold. Type of gate and placement has an important impact on the part’s overall quality and viability. According to products and production request make a suitable gate, such as, tunnel gate is suitable for automatic production. or in order to products can be make, must be use direct gate. Use what gate must be according to part request. Here is some gate types in common.
2)Gate location and quality
It also very important, it have some principle, usually, fit gate at the thick place of part, to the benefit of material flow and shrinkage. For some thin wall parts, maybe be multip injection gate is a nice solution.
3)Correctly cores pulls
For some complex products which with undercuts, thread. We have to use Slide, lifter, Unscrewing action, Collapsible Core, bump off side action making.
4)Right mold core material
Before mold making, we must understand part’s request, including color, material, expect quality and so on. Choose proper mold material is a high level action. it not only can save cost, but also can help mold manufacturer develop parts successful. Such as if quantity between 500000-1000000pcs,can be consider us H13 or better, heat treatment hardness 45-50HRC steel. quantity more than 1000000pcs, mold core material muse be use S136H or better. heat treatment hardness 55-60HRC steel. If the part is transparent, must be considering core can use Nak80. heat treatment hardness 50-55HRC. These detail will direct affect mold quality and product quality.
5)Precision reliable processing tolerance
Mold insert tolerance is the most important in mold manufacturing program, any more or less than tolerance will affect mold assembly directly. more than tolerance won’t assembly, less than tolerance will due to part have flash. So tight tolerance mold making basic.
4. Advanced Injection Machine and Automation
1)Advanced machine can meet a high level of good parts and less rejects are guaranteed. It have many advantages, High repeatability and precision,Faster and more efficient process, Shorter start-up times, Cost savings, Quieter operation, Typically higher injection speeds (up to 800 mm/sec) and even faster clamp motion.
2)Automation solutions play a major role for injection molders striving for better productivity, consistent cycle times, or less part-to-part variation while keeping molding, labor and parts costs to a minimum. Automated production can have a huge impact on your output and might be the key to being one step ahead of your competitors. Automation in injection molding guarantees fast, consistent and repetitive process steps, shorter removal times and 24/7 production. A reliability and workload that humans are not capable of. The result, a higher amount of good parts in higher volumes and a reduction in cycle time.
5.Scientific production process
Choose scientific molding processes, automation, and any secondary services to efficiently produce and finish your part. A scientific injection molding approach is most essential in the production of complex parts and components where even the smallest variation in molding variables can have a remarkable impact on the process or finished product. Scientific molding practices are essential to achieving outcomes that deliver faster cycles, higher volume, and a more efficient injection molding process
Conclusion
Injection molding continues to be a complex manufacturing process that requires perfect harmony of part design, mold design, material selection, and the molding process itself. Unfortunately, getting it correct out the gate can be extremely difficult to accomplish on the first attempt, which is why it's important to partner with an experienced injection molder and tooling manufacturer
At Amazing Plastics, We offer a range of comprehensive services for you plastic parts. These include:
Product development, Prototyping, material selection
DMF, mold design, mold making
Injection Molding, Automation Production
assembly and packaging, And some more Kitting services
Contact us today for a quote to create a product you can be proud of.
