Design for Manufacturability in Plastic Injection Molding: Early Collaboration with DPI Engineers

One of the best ways that anyone can reduce their production costs and improve their lead times when it comes to plastic injection molding is getting the part design right as early in the process as possible. Product design plays a big role in injection molding, and the later in the process that changes are made, the harder it is, and the more costly it is, to make those adjustments.

At Distinctive Plastics, our engineers have experience working with all levels of product design, and our goal is to reduce costly redesigns for our customers as much as possible. One of the strategies that our team uses is DFM analysis.

Design For Manufacturability

It is not always an easy transition between a concept for a part to an actual, manufactured product. That is where design for manufacturability (DFM) analyses come into play. These are especially important for plastic injection molding, where even minor adjustments to the part can be costly down the line. We utilize DFM to help steer the direction of mold tooling and product development based on the production needs of our customers.

Before production, our engineers will examine the product design to find ways to optimize it for injection molding, reducing the chances for defects during production. DPI has worked with several different resins over the years, so we also have a good idea of what resins are best suited for different applications and how they perform during the actual molding process.

Another tool that our engineers use as part of DFM is mold flow analysis. Once we know what resin our customers want to use, our team uses CAD software to simulate how well the resin will flow throughout the mold. This way, we can test both single and multiple cavity molds before we even cut steel and fix costly mistakes before they actually become a major problem.

Looking for an expert in full-service plastic injection molding?

Distinctive Plastics, Inc. (DPI) specializes in full solutions for plastic injection molding, helping our customers with everything from design to delivery. We take every step to ensure our customers receive quality products in a timely manner, without the headaches of production issues and design flaws. If you are interested, please get in touch with a member of our team!