Designing Complex Injection Molding Features

29 Jul.,2024

 

Designing Complex Injection Molding Features

Designing for plastic injection molding is like raising teenagers&#;some parts (and some teens) are more challenging than others. But by following a few simple rules, even the most difficult of these challenges can be overcome (parenting aside).

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For injection molding, there are some common troublemakers during part design:

  • Clips and snap fits
  • Living hinges
  • Bosses and stand offs
  • Text on parts
  • Overmolding

Look familiar? This list just happens to correspond with some of the more engaging features you can incorporate into your part designs, which is one reason why it&#;s so important to master them. Another is that, depending on your application, these features often provide more functional and aesthetic parts while reducing production costs. The following tips and techniques will help you do just that.

Clips and Snap Fits

There are plenty of examples where molded parts need a clip or snap fit. The cover for an electronics device. A snap-on lid for a tool set. Both rely on a flexible, hook-like piece of material that extends into and catches on a female pocket or slot in the mating part. In either case, probably the best way to create these features is with a sliding shutoff, which as the name implies slides into the mold and prevents material from flowing into the desired area. This design also requires a hole in the part beneath the snap, the portion of the mold that passes through the part shutting off with mating features, which creates the snap fits.

However, this approach requires that the part feature is aligned with the direction of mold opening and that a relief hole at the base of the clip is allowable. Additional draft may also be required. If none of these are feasible, a side-action might be possible, but this must be aligned with the mold&#;s parting line and oriented perpendicular to the pull direction. Additionally, the side action must be accessible and remain in constant contact with the part.

Finally, hand-loaded inserts can be used. These are small chunks of machined metal that must be manually inserted and removed from the mold at each cycle. And consider the material&#;a flexible polymer-like ABS makes a better clip than does acrylic or PEEK, although some clever design tweaks such as adjusting the clip length or its geometry can get around many material constraints. Check with Protolabs&#; applications engineers for other design tweak ideas (see customer service number and address below).

Note: This whole discussion on clips applies equally well to any undercut or recessed part feature. This includes O-rings, side holes and pockets, windows, and so on. Based on the orientation of the part feature relative to the mold pull and parting line, various advanced molding techniques such as side-actions, telescoping shutoffs, inserts, and pins might be needed. All are perfectly acceptable and well-understood solutions, although, due to the added complexity, some of these resolutions may have an effect on molding and part cost.

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Exploring 5 methods to manufacture plastic prototypes

When do we need to make the plastic prototypes?

Businesses and entrepreneurs may benefit significantly from prototyping. It is a method of testing your concept before moving forward with large-scale manufacturing. Additionally, it enables the designer to present his idea to potential investors.

Additionally, prototyping is a crucial step in the creation of a product. A CAD model is a computer-generated illustration of your concept. Using a CAD model, you may evaluate how your prototype or model will fit together. It will also demonstrate how your product will work, which is more important.

A product&#;s usability and popularity among customers are improved by strategically placing interface elements.Prototyping also helps to save a lot of time. Additionally, it facilitates the design creation process, and during the prototyping phase, it is easy to spot extraneous components that are best left out. The workload of the designer during the manufacturing process is greatly reduced by this technique, ultimately resulting in cost savings for the client.

After checking the prototypes, the designer and client can more precisely assess the outcome. That&#;s why we need to make plastic prototypes.

Create a plastic prototype, there are five effective techniques, and these are listed below:

  • Rapid prototyping
  • CNC machining
  • Injection molding
  • 3D printing
  • Vacuum casting

Since there are some methods to get the desired objective, each has its unique benefits and drawbacks that should be considered. How to choose the suitable one? Continue to read!

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Rapid prototyping