5 THINGS TO CONSIDER IN THE DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING REVIEW

THE DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING REVIEW

The Design for Manufacturing review is intended to maximize the quality and performance of your parts and help you control your production costs. This is helpful for large and small-scale manufacturing alike, and is most effective in the beginning stage of product design and production. DFM allows you to improve your manufacturing and maximize return on your investment. It includes:

  • Material selection: When it comes to plastic injection molding, the materials you choose make a huge difference when it comes to price, efficiency, and performance. During the Design for Manufacturing review, you’ll have the opportunity to consider the price of a given material as well as its availability and how it will behave for your application. Learn more about materials selection at KASO Plastics.
  • Components: Carefully consider the number of unique components included in your product and remember, there is often room to reduce the number of components for easier manufacturing. Your manufacturer’s engineering team can help simplify your design and minimize non-essential components. This allows you to reduce cost and manufacture more efficiently.
  • Wall thickness: When injection molded parts are manufactured on a large scale, they must be as uniform as possible. Even a slight variance in parts may cause problems, so it’s important to retain uniform wall thickness. Variations can lead to shrinkage and warping.
  • Gate location: It’s important to design your gate placement strategically for manufacturing. Since the placement of gates will impact the way resin interacts with the rest of your mold, it’s a good idea to go over placement with your manufacturer’s engineers. As a general rule, you should place the gate in the thickest part of your mold since this is the part that will undergo the most stress.
  • Radius: The radius of your component’s corners will affect its strength and durability. If the radius at the corner is too small, the component is far more likely to break under stress. You should make sure that the corner of your component is between 0.9 and 1.2 times the normal thickness of your part to prevent part failure.

DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURE AT KASO

When it comes to design for manufacturing, the expert engineering team at KASO is on the leading edge. Since we were founded in 1962, our team has worked hard to help you maximize efficiency, minimize costs, and streamline manufacturing processes all while maintaining the quality and performance of your components. Learn more about KASO’s engineering and Design for Manufacturing capabilities.

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