Top Considerations For Injection Mold Design in Ontario

Understanding Injection Mold Design

There’s no doubt that injection mold design can save businesses time and money. Products can be produced en masse to the exact same specifications and it can be done quickly and repeated time and time again until the design changes. Although the end process of injection mold design is streamlined and simple, getting to that point takes a lot of planning and cooperation between Baytech and our customers.

The biggest factors in the success of a project are the product design and tool design. These two components are arguably the most important part of injection mold design at Ontario plastics manufacturers; influencing project cost and quality as well as cycle time and assembly needs. Taking time to consider the following 5 design factors will prevent headaches and hassles down the road.

5 Important Injection Mold Design Considerations

Wall Thickness

While there is a tendency to think thicker is better, in the case of injection molding, thinner walls improve the process. Thinner walls can be completed faster, cool quicker, weightless and require less plastic or resin per piece. This reduces production time allowing more parts to be produced per hour. It is vital to keep wall thickness consistent to prevent warping.

Ribs

Ribs are often added to designs to increase bending stiffness in certain areas of the product without increasing overall wall thickness. Design engineers must consider rib thickness in relation to nominal thickness, height of the ribs, orientation in regard to the axis and the draft angle in order for ribs to perform as expected.

Corners

Corners can influence the success of a design. Sharp corners, for example, can cause stress inside the mold. Rounded corners fare better in injection molded designs because they eliminate this stress point, reducing the chance of fractures.

Surface Textures and Lettering

Textures, logos, images and lettering can all be used to enhance the look of a part, hide defects or promote your company. Texturing, in particular, is a smart way to hide imperfections. If you do decide to add textures or lettering, specific design considerations must be followed because the additions can affect wall thickness or parts removal from the mold.

Bosses

If the product will be attached to something else, it will need bosses. Bosses are locations where screws or other fasteners are attached. Molded designs should avoid thick sections in these areas because they can lead to sinking and voids. In general, a bosses’ wall thickness should be 60% of the main wall thickness or less to avoid this problem. Ribs or gussets may be needed to support the section.

Contact Baytech Plastics For Professional Injection Mold Design in Ontario

Close consultation with the injection molding manufacturer early in the design process can help prevent problems by avoiding many of the most common design flaws. Baytech Plastics’ design team and engineers have decades of experience designing high-quality plastic injection molds for a multitude of industries. If you need design advice or even want to hand the entire design process over to an experienced team, contact us at 705) 526-7801 or online to get started. Find out why companies around the world rely on us for top-quality injection mold design in Ontario.

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