Saturday, July 27, 2019

Plastic Components:
General Design
Contents

1. Design Elements of plastics

2. Wall thickness

3. Drafts

4. Ribs

5. Bosses

6. Gussets

7. Undercuts

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Design Elements for Plastics

• Design elements that are common to most plastic parts,

– wall thickness

– Draft

– ribs

– bosses

– Gussets

– Undercuts

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Wall Thickness

• Use a uniform wall thickness throughout

the part (if possible) and avoid thick
sections.

• 10% increase in wall thickness 33% increase

in stiffness

• Increment in
• Weight
• Cycle time
• Material cost

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Wall thickness

• Core or redesign thick areas

to create a more uniform wall
thickness.

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Wall thickness

• make the transition as smooth as

possible

Radius = 0.5 x the wall thickness to internal corners

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Wall thickness

• Above the critical thickness parts made of polycarbonate can show a marked decrease
in impact performance.

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Wall thickness

Suggested Wall thickness for Thermoplastic Material

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Wall thickness

Suggested Wall thickness for Thermosetting Material

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Draft

• Draft — providing angles or tapers on

product features such as walls, ribs,
posts, and bosses that lie parallel to the
direction of release from the mold —
eases part ejection.

• Min. ½° –Max. 3° is recommended.

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Ribs

• stiffness and strength in molded parts without increasing overall wall thickness.

• Locating and captivating components of an assembly;

• Providing alignment in mating parts

• Acting as stops or guides for mechanisms.

• Proper rib design involves five main issues:

– thickness

– height

– location

– Quantity

– moldability.

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Rib Thickness

Sink Mark

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Rib Thickness

Warpage vs. rib thickness in unfilled resins

Warpage vs. rib thickness in glass-filled resins

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Rib size

Rib height is approximately three times

the rib-base thickness

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Rib Size

• Replace large problematic ribs with multiple

shorter ribs.

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Rib Location and Numbers

• A grid of ribs added to ensure part flatness may lead to mold-cooling difficulties and
warpage.

• Ribs added to increase part strength and prevent breakage might actually reduce the
ability of the part to absorb impacts without failure.

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BOSSES

• Bosses find use in many part designs

as points for attachment and
assembly.

• A recess around the base of a thick

boss reduces sink.

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Bosses

• Avoid bosses that merge into sidewalls.

• Open bosses maintain uniform thickness in

the attachment wall.

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Bosses Depth

Excessively long bosses can often be replaced

by two shorter bosses.

Boss holes should extend to the base-wall level.

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Bosses Depth

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Gussets

Gussets are rib-like features that add

support to structures such as bosses,
ribs, and walls.

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Gussets Shape

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Undercuts

• Some design features, because of their orientation, place portions of the mold in the way of
the ejecting plastic part. Called “undercuts”.

• Types:

1. External Undercut

2. Internal Undercut

3. Side wall Undercut

4. Circular Undercut

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Undercut Removal

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Undercuts

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Undercuts

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