Design for Manufacture in Injection Moulding: Getting Your Part Right Before Tooling
A part can look perfect as a CAD model and still cause problems once molten plastic is forced into a steel tool. Design for manufacture, often shortened to DFM, is the stage where those problems are found and fixed before any metal is cut.
At Plas-Tech Injection Moulding, every project goes through a DFM review so that your parts mould cleanly and your tooling budget is only spent once.
What Is Design for Manufacture in Injection Moulding?
DFM is a detailed review of your component design against the realities of the moulding process. Our tool design team looks closely at your CAD models and checks how the plastic will flow and cool inside the tool.
If anything is likely to cause a fault, we suggest tweaks to the part and present them to you with drawings, so you can see what has changed and why. Nothing moves forward until you have approved the final design.
Common Plastic Part Design Issues
Wall thickness is one of the most frequent issues we see. Walls that vary too much cool at different rates, which can lead to sink marks and warping. Keeping walls as even as the design allows gives a more stable part.
Draft angles matter too. Faces without a slight taper can drag against the tool as the part is ejected, leaving marks on the surface or making the part stick. Sharp internal corners concentrate stress and restrict flow, so adding a radius often improves both strength and finish.
Undercuts and fine details can usually be moulded, but they may need extra tool features such as side actions. Spotting these early lets us plan the tool properly and keep costs under control.
Why DFM Saves Time and Money
Changing a steel tool after it has been machined is slow and expensive, whereas changing a CAD model is quick. By settling the part design first, our in-house tool room can build your tool with confidence, and trial samples are far more likely to be right first time.
DFM also links closely with your choice of plastic. Different injection moulding materials shrink and flow in different ways, so we consider the material and the design together.
Start Your Injection Moulding Project With Us
With experienced tool makers and designers on site, we can guide your part from the first design review through to full component manufacture.
Request a quote and send over your CAD files to get started.