How do you incorporate aesthetic and functional features into your part design?

2 Optimize your geometry

The geometry of your part plays an important role in its shape, size, thickness, and complexity. It also affects the moldability, quality, and functionality of your part. To optimize your geometry for injection molding, you should avoid undercuts, sharp corners, and deep ribs that can make the part difficult to eject or cause stress concentration and cracking. Additionally, use uniform wall thickness to minimize warping, sinking, and internal voids. If you need to vary the wall thickness, opt for gradual transitions to avoid abrupt changes. Draft angles should be used to facilitate the ejection of the part and prevent damage to the mold or the part. Rounded edges and fillets also help improve the flow of material and reduce stress and wear on the mold and the part. Lastly, ribs and gussets can be used to reinforce thin walls and increase the stiffness and strength of the part but should be avoided if they are too thick or too deep as they can cause warping, sinking, or cosmetic defects.

3 Choose your surface finish

The surface finish of your part affects its appearance, texture, and feel, as well as its friction, wear, and adhesion properties. You can choose from a variety of surface finishes for injection molding, such as polished for a smooth and glossy look that can enhance the transparency or color of the material but may also highlight any flaws or defects; matte for a dull and rough look that can hide minor imperfections or scratches but reduce clarity or brightness; and textured for a patterned or embossed look that can create visual or tactile effects but may also affect the flow and shrinkage of the material and require more draft angles and maintenance on the mold.

4 Consider your assembly

The assembly of your part refers to how it fits or connects with other parts or components in your product, which can influence its functionality, reliability, durability, and aesthetic appeal. Different methods for assembling injection molded parts include snap-fits, inserts, and over-molding. Snap-fits are interlocking features that allow the parts to snap together without the need for screws, glue, or welding, which can simplify the assembly process and reduce the cost and weight of your product. Inserts are metal or plastic components that are embedded or inserted into the molded part to provide threads, holes, or other functions, making your product stronger and more stable. Over-molding is a process that involves molding a second material over a previously molded part to create a single part with multiple materials; however, it can require special molds and equipment and increase the cycle time and cost of production.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?