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Plastic Part Design Guide.
A few fundamentals go a long way toward a part that molds well, performs, and costs less. Here's how to design for plastic manufacturing.
Design for the process
The best parts are designed with the manufacturing process in mind from the start. A handful of fundamentals — uniform walls, draft, generous radii, sensible tolerances — prevent the most common (and most expensive) problems down the line.
Use these as a starting point. When you’re ready, send the part over and we’ll review it against the specifics of your geometry, material, and process.
- Keep walls uniform. Even wall thickness reduces sink, warp, and internal stress.
- Add draft. A degree or two of draft on vertical faces eases release from the tool.
- Radius internal corners. Fillets cut stress concentrations and help material flow.
- Core out thick sections. Replace solid mass with ribs to keep strength without sink.
- Size ribs correctly. Keep ribs around 50–60% of the adjoining wall to avoid sink marks.
- Set realistic tolerances. Tighter-than-needed tolerances add cost — we’ll tell you what’s achievable.
Not sure your part is moldable? Send it over for a free DFM review — we’ll flag issues before you commit to tooling.
Have a design to review?
Send your files and we'll review manufacturability — and recommend the right process and material.