RULES OF THUMB FOR PLASTIC PART DESIGN

Each plastic part is unique. To follow all the "Rules of Thumb" that the plastic industry develops
would probably not result in the desired design. The rules listed below are simply a starting place
for designers.

This listing is not complete or thorough. "Rules of Thumb" spell out the ideal world for plastic
molding. This could result in a very expensive mold. Trade-offs might be necessary to bring
benefits in-line with the project's budget. Steinwall engineers are available for early design
meetings. It is at this beginning stage that the trade-offs can be effective. Call on us to help.

WALLS

• Should have a uniform wall thickness throughout the whole design: Core out thick
sections.
• Must have draft - a good starting point is at least one degree of draft for every inch (.0175
per 1"). Any draft angle is better than no draft angle.
• Texture - 1 1/2 degree draft for .001" texture depth.
• If nominal wall must change, the change should be gradual and should not exceed 15%
of the nominal wall.
• Expect a flowline on a smooth surface when plastic flow came from a textured surface.
(Opposite the gates and holes.)
• Typical wall thickness ranges from .060" to .125". However, molding is possible with wall
thicknesses of .020" to 1.50" depending on material.

RADIUS

• No sharp corners; Radius all inside and outside corners.

• The radius of an inside corner of a part should be 50% of the nominal wall.
• The radius of an outside corner of a part should be 150% of the nominal wall.
• Radii can be as large as the design can allow.
• Radii are impractical in certain mold locations such as parting lines or side-cored
shutoffs.
• Radius a minimum of 25% of nominal wall at the junction of wall and a reinforcing rib.

HOLES

• All holes will create a weldline. (Quality concern)

• Any depression that passes 2/3 of the way through the wall will create a weldline.
• Irregularly shaped or square holes are not recommended.
• The space between two holes should be the greater of two times the wall thickness or
two times the hole diameter.

BOSSES

• Boss height should be 2.5 times the I.D. of the boss.

• Separate the bosses from the walls in order to maintain a uniform wall.
• The receiving hole diameter of a boss should be equal to the self-tapping screw pitch
diameter.
• The boss O.D. should be equal to twice the insert or screw major diameter.
CAVITIY IDENTIFICATION

• Multi-cavity molds should always have cavity identification.

WELDLINES

• Parts with weldlines are weaker than parts without weldlines.

RIBS

• Reinforcing ribs should not be thicker than 2/3 the nominal wall thickness. Any thicker will
create sink marks.
• The distance between two ribs should not be less than two times nominal wall.
• A strengthening gusset is typically two times the wall thickness deep, four times the wall
tall, and half the wall thick.

The definition of a successfully molded part is - "a part which performs its intended
function within the limits of the achievable properties of the chosen raw material."

How do you like your ribs? We recommend well done because failure to observe basic design rules on
thickness, height and radii could lead to premature failure of an otherwise flawlessly designed part. Poor rib
design could also create cosmetic problems in a part or slow molding time.
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The primary purpose of ribs in plastic design is to improve the stiffness of the structure. Ribs do this by
increasing sectional properties, specifically the moment of inertia. Because stiffness is a function of moment
of inertia and Young's modulus, you can also improve stiffness by increasing the modulus of the material.
You can do this either by using more glass fiber or by using a material with a higher modulus. However,
there are often practical and economic limitations to this approach

When evaluating the use of ribs, first consider potential causes of stress.

"When we work with customers on parts that failed, we need know if it was due to excessive load or
excessive deflection," explains Sebastien Petillon, CAE engineer for Solvay Advanced Polymers of
Alpharetta, GA. "These are two different reasons for part failure and cannot be dealt with in the same way."

Failure due to excessive load can be remedied by adding a rib, which increases the moment of inertia and
improves stiffness. Failure when deflected, often seen on mating parts of a snap-fit design, requires a
change in geometry to decrease the moment of inertia and reduce stress on the part.

Start with rib thickness, which can affect part weight, cosmetics, warpage and moldability. Thick ribs can
cause internal voids as well as sink marks on the part surface opposite from where they are attached. The
amount of sink is also affected by the type of material, processing conditions, surface texture and relative
location to a gate. Materials with high stiffness and low shrinkage rates, such as IXEF® polyarylamide,
create less sink. One rule of thumb, as shown in the diagram at the top of this page, is to limit rib thickness
to 40% of the thickness of the wall to which it is attached to minimize sink marks. Go up to 60 percent to
maximize strength. Consult your materials supplier for a recommendation specific to your application.
The guidelines apply to the thickness at the base of the rib. The rib should be tapered as it rises from the
wall to create a draft angle for easier ejection

Keep in mind the surface characteristics of the opposite wall when considering rib thickness. If the
appearance is critical or glossy, play it safe with thinner ribs. Another idea: You can disguise slight sink
marks with steps, a textured surface, or through the use of product markings on the opposite wall.

Rib thickness can also affect moldability of the part. "It is a common misunderstanding that ribs act as flow
leaders and help balance flow in a complex part," comments Kirit C. Desai, CAE manager at Solvay
Advanced Polymers. As stated, ribs should be thinner than the intersecting wall. By definition, a flow leader
is a local increase in thickness to improve flow in a required direction. "Therefore, most of the time, ribs with
thickness less than base wall thickness do not enhance the flow," continues Desai. "In the majority of cases,
it winds up acting as a stiffener rather than the intended flow leader."

One thought: If this is a gas-assist application, location of gas channels at the base of thick ribs can avoid
problems associated with excessive shrinkage, such as sink marks or warpage.

Additionally, very thin ribs-particularly those located close to a gate-can create filling problems. Melt flow
entering a thin rib can slow down and begin to freeze off while thicker wall sections are still filling. Thickness
of the rib (or any type of plate) also affects shrinkage, and as a result the tendency to warp.

Consider Rib Height

Tall ribs are a good idea, but height should generally be no more than four to five times the thickness of the
adjoining wall. Ribs that are too tall can create mold filling and venting problems. One option is to design
multiple, smaller ribs that can provide the same level of stiffness.

It's always easier to add ribs to a design than to remove them. Incorporate a minimum number of ribs in your
original design, then add them as testing dictates.

Another design consideration is radii for the internal corners of ribs. Corners with small or no radii are a
major cause of failure under load because they concentrate stress. It's important to calculate the stress
concentration created by an internal corner. Use handbooks on strengths of materials to obtain formulae that
estimate the stress concentration factor for different geometries.

Rule of thumb: Choose an internal corner radius equal to or greater than one-half of the thickness of the
part, or at least 0.6 mm. This rule applies to all internal radii, including those for ribs.