Tips to Design Plastic Products for Injection Molding

Injection molding is one of the most popular approaches to plastic product design in Utah, and for a good reason. If you’re planning on a large enough scale of production, injection molding offers enormous benefits.

First, the production costs associated with injection molding are much lower than alternative plastic design methods. Second, the process produces fewer scraps than traditional manufacturing, which is good for the environment and lowers your costs. Finally, injection molding is terrific because you would be hard pressed to find a method of plastic forming that’s more versatile.

Of course, if you want to make the most of the injection molding process, you’ll have to correctly design your part.

How does injection molding work?

To get an idea of how to design the perfect injection molded part, you need a basic idea of how the process works. First, a custom-made mold is clamped in place. Then, plastic is melted to the point where it becomes liquid, and is injected into the mold. The plastic is quickly cooled down so it can harden. Then, it is ejected from the mold so the process can begin again.

As you might imagine, the most significant hurdle in the injection molding process is designing and building the perfect mold. Once you’re over that bump, product design is a matter of picking colors, patterns and textures—you know, the fun stuff!

Three primary factors go into designing your mold.

Wall thickness

One of the reasons why injection molding is so versatile is its ability to customize the thickness of a part’s walls. This is a critical step in plastic product design in Utah. If your walls are thin, your part will cool faster and increase your production speed. Of course, it may also be too thin for your real-world needs. Thicker walls are sturdier, but take longer to cool and could end up costing more.

The ribs

When working with your plastic contractor, make sure to discuss the ribs in your part. These additions to your piece will make it sturdier without having to make the part thicker. This can save you money in the production process, provided you follow a few simple rules:

• Rib thickness shouldn’t be more than 60 percent of the nominal thickness.
• The position should be perpendicular to your bend point.
• Round the corners on your attachment points.

Your plastic contractor can help explain more of the details involved in picking the right ribs.

Choosing the right team

The most important decision you can make when it comes to plastic product design in Utah is selecting the right partner. At D&D Plastics, we take immense pride in working alongside our customers to design and build the perfect plastic parts for their needs. Since we opened our doors in 1980, we have remained committed to innovation and customer service. That’s how we continue to deliver state-of-the-art products with a friendly approach.

It doesn’t matter what kind of plastic part you’re after—D&D Plastics can help. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Categorised in: Injection Molding

This post was written by Writer