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INJECTION MOLD
DESIGN
BDD 40903 Prepared by : Mohd Hilmi Othman
CHAPTER 2
2. Plastic Part Design(2 hours)
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Product design
Design requirement
Rib design
Boss design
Corner design
Draft
Undercuts
Surface finish and textures
Product design
To insure a quality final product, it is necessary to start out
with quality components. Injection molded parts can be
molded to a high quality standard by focusing on these areas
of plastic technology:
1) Correct Part Design
2) Accurate Selection of Material
3) Processing Plastic Processing
Only by drawing on expertise from these three areas of plastic
technology can a product designer create quality molded parts
that maximize performance and are cost effective. The
purpose of this design guide deals with the first of these three
issues - part design.
http://injectionmoldingva.com/Plastic-Part-Design.php
BDD 40903 Prepared by : Mohd Hilmi Othman
Design requirement
Correct Part Design Guidelines
If there was only one rule for the injection molding process it would have to be to maintain uniform wall
thickness. Here are some examples of problems associated with part designs that feature a non-uniform wall
thickness.
Rib design
Many times the stiffness of a part must increase because of the load applied to the part design. One of the
easiest ways to cure this problem is change the part geometry by adding ribs. The use of ribs is a practical
way and economical means of increasing the structural strength of a part. But there are guidelines that govern
adding ribs without causing sink marks or surface blemishes to the molded parts.
1) Rib thickness should be less than wall thickness. A rib
thickness of 60% to 80% of nominal wall thickness is
recommended.
2) To increase stiffness increase the number of ribs or
'gusset plates', another feature designed to strengthen
the plastic part.
Boss design
Bosses are used for locating, mounting, and assembly purposes. There are boss design guidelines that must
be followed to insure the highest quality in molded parts. Again, one of the main points to consider is
nominal wall thickness. Too many times bosses are designed with thick wall sections that can affect the
appearance of the plastic part and the final product.
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Corner design
Radius All Corners
For any plastic part featuring corners, strong part design is heavily dependent upon radius. Sharp corners create
high stress areas; when a plastic part breaks, the break often occurs at or near a sharp corner. The radius of a
corner generally should be designed as large as possible without inadvertently creating a thick wall section.
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Draft
Plastic parts are always designed with a taper or draft in
the direction of mold movement to allow part ejection or
removal from the mold. Since plastics shrink when
cooled, it is common for parts to shrink (or grip tightly)
to cores.
A good definition for draft would be the degree of taper
of a side wall or rib needed to allow the molded plastic
part to be removed from the metal mold.
Without proper draft, plastic parts may be difficult to
remove from the mold. A draft angle of 1/2 degrees is
regarded as minimum for most applications. Draft angles
of 1 1/2 to 2 degrees per side are considered normal for
plastic injection molding.
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Undercuts
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Any indentation or protrusion that prohibits an ejection of a part from a one-piece mold.
Reducing the number of undercuts often helps to reduce the initial cost of tooling.
If possible utilize other mold design features that can offer similar operation without the need of moving
slides.
Most commonly categorized by either an internal undercut or external undercut and requires an extra
component of the mold to capture the detail.
Undercuts are features that prevent a straight ejection at the parting line of mold.
Undercuts typically lead to increased mold complexity and can lead to higher mold construction costs.
A simple re-design or modification can often eliminate or reduce the number of undercuts a part has and
can potentially save in tooling costs, leading to better designed plastic parts and a more efficient molding
process.
When an undercut feature simply cannot be removed from the part design, the tooling will most likely
require internal mold mechanisms to help facilitate the ejection.
http://www.xcentricmold.com/resource/injection-mold-undercuts.php
BDD 40903 Prepared by : Mohd Hilmi Othman
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Undercuts (2)
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http://www.protolabs.com/injection-molding/fundamentals-ofmolding/molding-surface-finishes
BDD 40903 Prepared by : Mohd Hilmi Othman
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http://www.quickparts.com/LearningCenter/BasicsofInjectionMoldingDesign.aspx
BDD 40903 Prepared by : Mohd Hilmi Othman
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http://www.quickparts.com/LearningCenter/BasicsofInjectionMoldingDesign.aspx
BDD 40903 Prepared by : Mohd Hilmi Othman
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http://www.quickparts.com/LearningCenter/BasicsofInjectionMoldingDesign.aspx
BDD 40903 Prepared by : Mohd Hilmi Othman
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