Part

Design
Guide
 Part
Design
Guide
Contents
General Part Design Principles

Uniform Walls, Fillets and Radii 6

Draft Angle 8

Bosses 9

Ribbing 10

Holes and Coring 11

Shrinkage & Warpage 11

Secondary Operations: Assembly

Mechanical Fasteners 14

Bolts 15

Molded-in Threads 16
Self-Tapping Screws 17

Threaded Metal Inserts 18

Riveted Assembly 20

Press Fit 21

Snap Fit 22

Welding 24

Finishing & Decoration

Painting 32

Metallization 34

Printing 38

Machining 41
 General
Part Design
Principles
6

Uniform Walls, Fillets and Radii

Uniform wall thickness has a substantial impact on many key part parameters, such
as surface quality, molded-in stress, sink marks, flow in the mold and mechanical
properties. Moreover, a rapid change in wall thickness may cause voids and/or entrapped
air in the part, which may further compromise chemical resistance and lower mechanical
properties. Semi crystalline plastic materials can tolerate wall thickness change up
to 15% and thickness transition should be gradual. Amorphous plastic materials can
tolerate wall thickness change up to 25%, but thickness transition should still be gradual.

Effect of Uniform Wall Thickness Mechanical Aesthetic Moldability Weight

Bad Design

Good Design

Better Design

Flow Direction

increase decrease no effect no effect/decrease

 7

Additionally, the attention to detail must be exercised to avoid X

sharp corners in part design. The part corners should maintain
uniform wall thickness and should be designed with a
minimum inner fillet radius of 50% of the wall thickness and
outer fillet radius of 150% of the wall thickness. In addition,
fillets should be co-centric to maintain a uniform wall R=X/2

thickness. Another important function of fillets and radii is

to prevent stress concentration and to eliminate the “notch
effect” which could cause part failures. Moreover, smooth
radii and fillets included in the design of a part provide easy
R=1,5X
plastic flow in the mold and enable easy demolding.

X/2 - X/3

X/2
ss
Bo

4
X/
R=
X n
tio
ec Rib
nn
Co

X
>2 le
Ho
b
Ri
4X

2X t >2
e X
R=1.5X ss
Gu
R=X/2
8

Draft Angle
Draft is indispensable for the smooth ejection of parts
from the mold. Draft should essentially be applied on all
surfaces, including ribs and holes of the part. Normally,
the recommended minimum draft angle is 1° with 1/2°
on ribs. If a minimum draft is desired, a good polishing
process would be needed to help clean ejection and the
depth of the form should not exceed 15 mm. If, however,
the mold surface has textures, then draft angle should
be increased. When the draft is applied on the part walls,
they should be kept at the same angle to generate uniform
wall thickness.
min. 0.5

Incorrect
X

Correct
 9

Bosses
Bosses are generally designed to accommodate inserts,
self-tapping screws, drive pins or other types of fastening
elements. These features are used to reinforce holes. As
a general rule, bosses should not stand alone, and their
outer diameter should be 2.0 to 2.4 times larger than the
hole diameter. If, however, the wall thickness of bosses is
higher than 50% of the part wall thickness, then visible
sink marks will occur. In that case, a sink recess can be
used to prevent or minimize visible sink marks. Bosses
should not merge with side walls, because they will form
thick sections which will lead to voids or sink marks.
Instead, they should be reinforced with ribs and gussets.
If sink mark is a concern, thickness of the ribs and gussets
should not be higher than 50% of the wall thickness. Inner and
outer walls of bosses should have 1/2° draft angle for smooth
demolding.

2.0-2.4 B

<0.5 A

Cutaway

0.3 A max

A
10

Ribbing
Ribs are an effective means of enhancing stiffness and
strength of the part. In addition, ribs can make savings on
2X
material and weight, shorten molding cycle and assist
in filling difficult areas, if properly used. However, the >1/2”
unnecessary and inappropriate use may cause warpage
and stress on the part. The use of ribs just for safety X
>2.5-3.0 X
purposes should be avoided. General rules for rib design
are as follows:
• Rib thickness will affect the sink mark that occurs on the
adjacent wall. If sink marks are concern, the recommendations X/2-X/3

given in table X should be considered. If the wall thickness is less

than 1.5 mm, thicker ribs are tolerable.
• Rib height should be between 2.5 to 3 times for an effective R>1/2mm
support.
• Multiple ribs should be spaced at least 2 times the wall
thickness.
• Draft angle should be 0.5° on each side.
• Fillets at the base of the ribs should be minimum 0.5 mm.

Resin Type Minimal Sink Mark Slight Sink Mark

Amorphous 0.40X 0.60X

Semi Crystalline (unfilled) 0.30X 0.40X

Semi Crystalline (filled) 0.35X 0.50X

Rib Thickness as a Percentage of Wall Thickness

 11

Holes and Coring

Cores are used to form the features, such as holes,
pockets and recesses. While designing through-holes,
one of the mating cores should be slightly larger
than the corresponding core to prevent any mismatch
whenever possible. If, however, if cores are used to form
tight tolerance through holes, they cannot be stepped. So,
two sides of the core should interlock each other to provide
enough stiffness against the molten plastic flow. Additionally,
the length to diameter ratio for these types of cores should be
kept around 6:1 to provide enough support against injection process.
The flow of molten plastic could be an issue for blind holes. If the core
is too thin and long, the flow of the molten plastic could result in the
misalignment of the core due to lack of support from the other half
of the mold. Therefore, the depth to diameter ratio of the blind holes
should not exceed 3:1. If, however, the flow is symmetrical around the
unsupported core, then 5:1 is possible. If a higher hole depth is needed,
then the core can be stepped with a shorter diameter extension.
Bottom thickness of the blind hole should be at least 1/6 of the
diameter of the hole to prevent any bulging.

Shrinkage & Warpage

Shrinkage is a general characteristic of thermoplastic material that occurs during the
cooling phase. Although the amount of shrinkage of a thermoplastic material depends
on its chemical structure and formulation, the final shrinkage of a component is also
affected by processing conditions, geometry of the part, and mold design. Shrinkage is
usually anisotropic, and depends on flow direction especially for glass fiber reinforced
materials. Moreover, different wall thicknesses may also lead to difference in shrinkage,
which causes internal stress on the part. Furthermore, the rate of cooling in a mold is
generally very high and non-uniform, generating additional internal stress. All these
generated stresses will be released after ejection from the cavity, and this relief of stress
is called post-mold shrinkage which is the main contributor to warpage on the part. For
the considerations described above, shrinkage is very complex phenomenon; therefore, it
should be analyzed with computer simulations before finalizing the final part design. Yet,
final shrinkage could still easily be affected by the mold and injection machine design.
Therefore, the final part geometry should be validated by production trials.
 Secondary
Operations:
Assembly
14

Mechanical Fasteners
Mechanical fasteners (bolts, screws, rivets, pins, etc.) are the most common assembly
method. Although conventional mechanical fasteners can be used for plastic parts, care
must be taken in design to avoid failures.

No Frequent Dissassembly Need Frequent Dissassembly Need

Snap-fits

Moulded in threads Bolts

Push-on fasteners Nuts

Rivets Threaded metal inserts

Press-fits

Self tapping screws

 15

Bolts Elastomeric
Grommet

When assembling and disassembling a component

frequently, bolts and nuts can be used. These connectors
need tightening, but overstressing the plastic part must be
avoided. If two hollow plastic components are assembled
with bolts, bosses should support the part walls and prevent
them from buckling. Moreover, assembly must be limited to Spring
Washer
a prescribed torque level and rate of torque application must be
controlled. Rapid application of torque should be avoided.

The use of conical head bolts should be avoided. These fasteners result
in a wedging action that can lead to part failure. Instead, stress under the
bolt head has be to be dispersed over a wide area with washer. If spring
washers are used, the stress relaxation and loosening of the assembly can
additionally be prevented.

If parts from metals are assembled with plastic parts, the difference in
the coefficient of thermal expansion must be considered. Elastomeric
grommets and/or oversized holes should be used to handle thermal
expansion mismatches. If this issue is not handled properly, compressive
strengths in the assembly may exceed the yield strength of the plastic part
and will result in cracking.

Deflection
X Incorrect

Compression Correct
16

Molded-in Threads
If avoiding the expense of thread cutting operation justifies the cost and complexity of
mold, molded-in threads can be used for assembly. There are two main types of threads
that are called external thread and internal thread. The general rule of thumb for both
is having a lead-in thread relief and including radii at the thread roots. A 0.8mm – 1mm
lead-in thread relief is the common practice and prevents the generation of a high level of
stress at the end of the thread.
 17

Self-Tapping Screws
Self-tapping screws are different from traditional screws as they cut or form their own
threads while screwing. Although they eliminate the use of nuts and have better aesthetics,
the number of repeated assembly and disassembly is limited.

The method of generating threads divides these screws in two types: thread forming screws
and thread cutting screws.

Thread forming screws generate threads by removing material out of the way. Therefore,
they need to be used in low filled to unfilled materials. Also because of the deformation, they
have a limited repeated assembly and disassembly performance.

Thread cutting screws cut the material while generating threads. During the process, chips
are also produced. These screws should not be retightened and a chip reservoir should be
included in the part design.

For both screw types, the boss diameter should be 2 – 2.5 times larger than the pilot hole
diameter and the thread engagement length should be 2.5 times the screw diameter.
18

Threaded Metal Inserts

A metal component is inserted, if the connecting part will be assembled and
disassembled repeatedly throughout its lifetime. There are different insertion techniques
that can be used as listed below;

Ultrasonic Inserts
During ultrasonic installation, a small amount of force is generated by a pneumatic
cylinder. This cylinder also acts as a horn and presses the insert into a predrilled or
molded hole, while vibrating at an ultrasonic frequency. These vibrations deliver energy to
the insert-plastic interface through direct contact and melts the plastic around the insert.

Heated Inserts
Inserts are heated by a special press. When the desired temperature is achieved, the press
pushes the insert to pre-drilled hole. Temperature melts the plastic, and the molten plastic
flows into the undercuts and secures the component. Although the heated insertion has a
longer cycle time than ultrasonic insertion, it generates low stress on the plastic part and has
low equipment cost.
 19

Cold Inserts
These inserts can be pressed as cold, but this is not recommended since they generate too
much stress.

Molded-In Inserts
The insert is placed in the mold cavity before the injection cycle and thus creates a strong
bond with minimal internal stress. This process also minimizes the secondary time, but it is
important to heat the insert to the mold temperature before molding. Heating the insert will
eliminate post internal stresses by reducing the difference in thermal expansion.

Self-Tapping Inserts
Self-tapping screws have an external thread which enables the insert screw itself to a
molded or drilled hole via its cutting edge.

Expansion Inserts
Like cold inserts, expansion inserts are pressed into the plastic and expand when
the assembly screw is tightened. This method also generates high stress and is not
recommended for stiff plastic materials consequently.
20

Riveted Assembly
Riveting is a strong and permanent mechanical joint between two components. This
process is carried out by compressive loading of both sides of the rivet that causes
permanent deformation. Riveting can be performed either at ambient or elevated
temperatures. Under ambient temperature conditions, riveting generates high internal
stress. So, when using a reinforced PA material, it should be conditioned to its equilibrium
moisture level before riveting. For other brittle materials, riveting should be carried out at
elevated temperatures. If the rivet and the substrate are made from different materials,
it is advisable to use 0.25mm clearance between the hole and the rivet. Because it may
result in a wedge effect, rivet heads should not be conical. Additionally, introducing
washer at the both ends minimizes the stress on the parts.
 21

Press Fit
A hub and a shaft or a bush and a housing can simply be connected by press fitting them
together. Although press fitting can be done between plastic hub to plastic shaft, plastic
hub to metal shaft or metal shaft to plastic hub, the difference in coefficient of linear
thermal expansion (CLTE) and creep residual clamping force should be calculated for the
end of design life time due to inherent plastic properties like stress relaxation. While press fit
assembly technique is used, heating the hub and cooling the shaft would make it easier. Also,
the difference in coefficient of linear thermal expansion should be considered, if two different
materials are press fitted. This difference may result in cracks or loosen the assembly.
Therefore, press fit should always be tested in their actual working temperature range.
22

Snap Fit A. Cantilever (Filled &

Unfilled Materials)

Snap fits are economical and effective elements that

can be integrated into the design to eliminate additional
fasteners. They can be designed for repeated use or
permanent assembly according to the need. In general
terms, snap fits can be divided in two categories;

A. Cantilever snap fits can be used for either filled or

unfilled materials.

B. Cylindrical snap fits can be used for only

unfilled materials.
B. Cylindrical (Unfilled Materials)

L
h

Beam Cross Section Permissible Deflection

2 L2
rectangular h= x x
3 t 100

L2
half round h = 0.576 x x
t

L2
one third round h = 0.580 x x
t

L2
one quarter round h = 0.555 x x
t
 23

The key points for designing snap fits are as follows;

• Their permissible strain should not exceed the allowable strain of the material.
• If repeated use is needed, snap fit undercut should be drafted.
• Flexing cantilever should not continue to deflect after assembly.
• Sharp corners should be avoided and a minimum radius of 0.5 mm should be used.
• While removing sharp corners, uniform wall thickness should be kept to avoid sink marks
and voids.
• Snap arms should not exceed 50% to 60% of the attached wall thickness.

The allowable strain is determined by yield strain for unfilled materials and by maximum
strain for filled/reinforced materials. It is also affected depending on if there will be a single
snap or repeated use.

Material Destription Allowable Strain - ε (%) Yield Strength (Mpa) Yield Strain (%)

PA (dry as molded) 2.50 80 4.0

PA GF30 (dry as molded) 1.50 190 3.0

PBT 2.00 50 3.5

PBT GF20 1.50 115 3.0

PBT GF30 1.25 135 2.5

24

Welding
Welding permanently joins two plastic components
through the phase change from solid to liquid and
then re-solidification. There are several welding
techniques that are described below.

Ultrasonic Welding Fixture

Ultrasonic welding process is the conversion of electrical

energy into high frequency mechanical motion. This rapid
motion coupled with applied pressure generates heat due to
friction in the joint area of plastic components. Heat melts
the plastic in the mating area and creates a bond during
re-solidification.

Semi-crystalline materials are more difficult to ultrasonically weld than amorphous

materials for two reasons. First, they require extra energy for dissolving the crystalline part of
the polymer. Second, their orderly molecular structure absorbs vibrational energy, making it
more difficult to transmit motion from the horn contact point, through the plastic, to the joint
interface of the parts being welded. With amorphous materials, the random arrangement of
molecules allows the vibrational energy to pass through them smoothly with little attenuation.
Properly designed energy directors or shear weld features are needed for consistent and
strong welds. In general, shear weld features are used for semi-crystalline plastics.

Polymer Type Range of Vibration Amplitude at 20 kHz (µm)

PA 60-80

PBT 60-125

PP, PE 70-90

PPS 80-125

PEEK 60-125

POM 75-125

PC 50-70

ABS 40-60

PS 20-40
 25

Vibration / Spin Welding

Vibration / spin welding is a preferable practical method for assembling large structural
parts. This welding technique is most suitable between same or similar thermoplastics and
especially useful for rigid material welding. In vibration / spin welding, parts are to be joined,
vibrated or spun against each other at a chosen frequency, amplitude and pressure. This
results in frictional heating and melting at the interface. When vibration stops, the molten
polymer cools down and generates a strong hermetic bond.

Hot Plate Welding

Hot plate welding generates a non-cosmetic, cost-effective and single plane bond. In this
method, a heated plate contacts two joint areas and slightly melts them. Then the heated
plate is removed, and joint areas are pressed against each other. During this process, the
molten plastic is subjected to air which makes the material prone to thermal oxidation.

Material Combination Exemples for Vibration Welding

ABS PMMA

ABS PC

ABS PC+ABS

PC PMMA

PC PC+ABS

PC PC+PBT

PPO+PS PC+ABS

PPO+PA PA

PE PP
26

Laser Welding
Laser welding is an aesthetic method of welding that combines two parts with little
thermal stress. The process can weld 3D shapes, and physical performance of the part is
affected minimum since heat is applied to a very small area.

In general, overlap welding and butt welding are the two types of laser welding
techniques. Overlap welding technique requires overlapping of one laser transparent
material and one absorbent plastic for welding. The laser beam penetrates the first part
which should be transparent to laser radiation with a wavelength between 800 and 1100
nm. The second part absorbs the laser beam and converts it into heat energy. This heat
both melts transparent and opaque parts and joins them together after cooling. Butt
welding technique is not ideal for polymers due to their lack of thermal conductivity.
Laser beam must melt all connecting surfaces to achieve a good joint. Thus, only semi-
transparent plastic materials can generally achieve a good joint strength, and this limits
the color of parts.

Laser beam

Transparent
material

Weld seam

Absorbing
material

F
 27

Electromagnetic Welding
This welding technique requires a specially designed bonding agent which must be of the
same or compatible material as the parts to be welded and must be magnetically active.
The process is done by placing the bonding agent in a groove between the two parts and
then applying inductive energy to heat both plastic parts and the bonding agent. This creates
a strong and hermetic seal. Hydroscopic materials such as polyamides should be dried prior
to electromagnetic welding to prevent welding failures.

Before Weld After Weld

Stopper

Bonding agent
28

Solvent Bonding (Welding)

The solvent bonding process is done by applying suitable solvent to the joint interface to swell the
interface and then join the parts by applying pressure until curing finishes.

Suitable solvents for Polyamide and PA blends are concentrated formic acid, alcoholic calcium
chloride, concentrated aqueous chloral hydrate, or concentrated alcoholic phenol and resorcinol. A
slurry made from five to ten percent by weight of unreinforced PA with the solvent makes it easier to
use and creates a smooth filling.

Polyester materials and their blends, such as PBT, PET and PBT+PET, are not suitable for solvent
bonding due to the high chemical resistance. Aggressive solvents must be used for bonding for
these resins which can cause low bond strength.

Polycarbonate and Polycarbonate+ABS blends can be used in solvent bonding. Methylene chloride
or ethylene dichloride are the suitable solvents than can be used to bond parts made from
them. Methylene chloride has a faster evaporation rate than ethylene dichloride, which prevents
solvent vapor entrapment. If, however, the assembly is complex and requires longer curing time,
ethylene dichloride should be used. Therefore, the mixture of both solvents is used for efficient
bonding in general. When solvent bonding is used with these materials, parts can show some
embrittlement and lose their impact strength at the bonding joint. A five to ten percentage solution
of polycarbonate in methylene chloride can be used to fill the joint when parts do not fit perfectly,
but it should not be used for aligning severely mismatched joints. If the slurry concentration rises
by more than ten percent, it can create bubbles at the joint.

Styrenic materials like ABS, SAN and ASA can be solvent bonded typically with methylethylketone
(MEK), acetone or a mixture of these two. Furthermore, a paste made of MEK and the base resin
can be used to fill small gaps in a part or assembly.

Adhesive Bonding
Parts can also be joined by using adhesives. With adhesives, two similar or dissimilar materials can
be joined together by a strong and leak tight bond. However, it is easier to achieve a good adhesion
with amorphous polymers than semi-crystalline polymers since molecular interdiffusion is limited
in polymer crystallites. The adhesion of non-polar polymers like polyolefins can considerably be
improved in the surface, if treated with corona, UV, plasma or flame. Additionally, poor bonding can
occur, if the adhesive layer is not in contact with the substrate properly. Therefore, pretreatments
like cleaning, degreasing and sanding will improve the bond strength considerably. The choice of
adhesives depends on the application and operating conditions of the part. The information about
some of the adhesives can be found below.

Polyurethanes; these adhesives are usually two parts with high strength and good impact
resistance and good low temperature flexibility. These resins have a limited moisture resistance and
long curing times, which usually creates a need for a fixture.

Epoxies; these adhesives also consist of two parts and they provide a high thermal resistance with
high strength values. However, they do not have a good impact strength. Due to long curing times,
they also need to be fixtured.

Cyanoacrylates; this is a one-part, highly strong and fast curing adhesive with limited service
temperature generally around 95°C and poor impact resistance and low moisture temperature.

Silicones; they are generally two-part adhesives with high temperature resistance, good low
temperature resistivity, good impact strength and good sealing capability. They also require long
curing times and they need to be fixtured during curing.
 29

Stress Cracking Resistance of Various Plastics

Polymer Type Cyanoacrylates Acrylics

ABS

PA

PBT

PET

PC

PEEK

PES

PE

PPO

PPS

PP

PS

POM

Stress cracking should be checked

Normally compatible
 Finishing
& Decoration
32

Painting
Parts made from pre-colored thermoplastics can be made in vast variety of colors but there
are certain reasons for the performance of paintwork as a secondary operation, such as;
• Color matching adjacent assembled parts that are made from different materials and/or
by different processes
• Hiding irregularities in the substrate
• Improving chemical, abrasion or UV resistancea

On the other hand, if a brittle paint and/or primer is used on a ductile plastic, crack in the
paint would propagate through the plastics and reduce its impact strength. Furthermore,
solvents in the paint could cause stress cracking especially near gates, weld lines and
wall thickness transition points.

Pretreatment of the surface is very important, and the parts to be painted must be clean
and free of any contaminants. Therefore, cleaning is necessary in most cases, and painting
should be done in a dust free environment. There are several other pretreatments to
enhance the adhesion of the paint, such as flaming, low pressure plasma treatment,
corona treatment, priming and sanding.

There are basically four components in paints and these are base resin that forms the
coating; pigments and/or dyes for coloring; a solvent for thinning and delivery; and some
additives to modify the paint. Although there is a vast variety of paints in the market, the
common types of paint used on plastics are;
• Polyurethane paints do not require heat for curing and provide a flexible and tough
finish. They are not only compatible with most plastics, but also a good choice for
amorphous substrates.
• Epoxy paints provide a hard and durable finish with a good gloss.
• Vinyl paints provide a soft and rubbery finishes.
• Acrylic paints deliver hard and scratch-resistant surface and are resistant to most
common oils.
• Polysiloxane paints provide scratch- and chemically resistant finish which can be also
transparent.

Different solvents can be used for paint systems, but they are generally divided in two
groups, such as;
• Organic solvents swell the substrate to form strong coatings that have a very good
adhesion. But if the solvent used is very aggressive, they can damage the substrate.
• Water as a solvent is generally less aggressive, but it provides a weak adhesion to the
part. The most important advantage of water-based systems is that they prevent most
health and safety issues and have very low emissions.
 33

Semi-crystalline plastics like polyamides have a high chemical resistance to many

solvents and therefore, they require special pretreatments or especially primers. The
allowable moisture level should be determined especially for polyamides. Amorphous
plastics have a lower chemical resistance and thus provide a better adhesion. If, however,
the solvent system in the paint is too aggressive, it can cause stress cracking.

The most common method for applying the paint is spraying, because it can be easily
automated to improve consistency. There are three type of spraying process, such as;
• Conventional spray painting; high pressure air generates and delivers small paint
droplets.
• Airless systems; paint is forced through the nozzle at a high speed.
• Electrostatic system; the part and the paint are oppositely charged so that droplets are
attracted to the part surface.

In practice, the surface tension of wet paint must be higher than the substrate surface
tension for good wetting. If the paintwork ambient is too hot or dry, the solvent in the paint
system could evaporate quickly which can cause irregular paint thickness distribution
known as dry spray.

Plastic Surface Painting Steps

Surface Pretreament Adhesion Promoting Paint Application Curing

Claning Flaming Spray painting Air curing

Low pressure plasma Airless systems Heat curing

Corona Electrostatic systems Two component systems

Priming

Sanding
34

Metallization
Plastic parts are metallized for a variety of functions, such as aesthetics, conductivity
and/or EMI/RF shielding. These parts can be an economical and lightweight alternative
to metals and improve component’s visuality and texture. Functional coatings can also
provide electrically conductive surface and provide EMI/RF shielding. The process can be
carried out with several techniques, but the primary ones are electroplating, electroless
plating, vacuum metallizing and sputter coating.

Electroless Plating
By electroless plating process, a metallic coating can be deposited on electrically
nonconductive plastic. The process requires a series of pretreatment parts which should
clean, etch and surface activate the plastic part prior to plating. This process is generally
used for either creating a conductive layer for electroplating or providing EMI/RF
shielding. The common plating combination is nickel over copper.
 35

For this process, the following items should be considered regarding special part design;
• All plated edges should have a radius of 0.25 mm minimum,
• All outer edges of the part should have a radius of 1.60 mm minimum,
• Flashes on the part should be minimized,

To prevent variation in coating thickness, the design of the part should prevent air
entrapment during immersion in baths and clamping points should be designed so that
they can secure the part on the rack without flexing it.

Additionally, the molding process directly affects the coating quality. High molded-in
stresses should be minimized by using high mold temperatures and slow filling speeds.
The design should allow for demolding without using mold release agents. Ejector pins
should be self-lubricating to prevent any oil contamination on the part surface. Another
key point in mold design is the gate position which must be in a non-visible position. In
addition, a satin-finish on the mold surface improves adhesion of the coating.

Electroless Plating Steps

Surface Cleaning Etching Surface Activation Metal Plating

(thin layer)
36

Electroplating
This process requires either electrically conductive plastic part or electroless plated
plastic part to provide a durable coating on the part. Same design and molding
considerations as electroless plating are also valid for electroplating.

Electroplating Steps

A- Electrically Insulative Plastic

Surface Cleaning Etching Surface Activation Metal Plating Metal Plating

(thin layer) (final layer)

B- Electrically Conductive Plastic

Surface Cleaning Metal Plating

(final layer)
 37

Vacuum Metallization
Vacuum metallization is widely used to deposit a thin layer of metal onto plastic parts in
a vacuum chamber. During the process, tungsten filaments or electron beams evaporate
metal, commonly aluminum, and then these metal particles condense onto the plastic
part. After the process, another top coat is often applied to protect the coating. The key
point in part design for vacuum metallization is keeping in mind that the process only
coats in a line of sight pattern. Therefore, shadowed or undercut features will not be
coated. Moreover, the part must be rotated for two side coating.

Sputter Deposition
Sputtering is also a vacuum coating process in which the evaporated metal is deposited
via an inert gas plasma. Sputtering provides thicker layer of metal coating and offers more
metal choices like chromium, copper, gold, tungsten, stainless steel and brass. Because
sputtering is also a vacuum deposition, the process only coats in a line of sight patterns,
but in general provides better adhesion than standard vacuum metallization.

Compressed atomising air Coating

Wire Oxygen fuel gas mixture

Spray stream of molten

atomised particles
38

Printing
Pad Printing
Pad printing is an efficient process for single color printing which can be carried out by
two methods. In the first method, the patterned ink pad picks up a layer of ink which is
deposited onto a transfer plate by a roller. In the second method, a smooth pad picks up
a pattern of ink from an etched imprinted plate which is filled with ink. In both processes,
the pad transfers ink to the part by pressing on it.

Screen Printing
In this process, ink is pushed through a mesh or a stencil made from silk, polyester or
stainless steel to print a specific pattern on the plastic part. Multi-color printing is only
possible with sequential overprinting.

Sublimation Printing
In this process, ink sublimes (goes directly from solid phase to gas phase) with a pattern
to a transfer film. Then the film is placed on the plastic part with heat and pressure
application. Dye penetrates the plastic surface and is sealed as the part cools down.

1 2
Pad Printing
Silicone Stamp Process
Paddle
Paste

Mold

3 3

5 6
 39

Flexography
This is a high-speed printing technique which is commonly used in plastic film printing.
Multi-color printing is possible with successive printing stations.

For all the printing techniques above, it is most important that surface energy of the wet
ink should be lower than that of the substrate. Printing on polyamides is easy thanks to
their high chemical resistance and strong polar characteristics. However, acceptable mold
release agents and moisture levels should be determined during test runs. For PBT and
PET materials, a primer is needed for a good printing quality. Because inks contain various
solvents, solvent compatibility should be checked when printing amorphous materials.

Flexography
Plate Cylinder

Flexible Plate

Doctor Blade

Fountain Cylinder
Impression Cylinder

Ink

Anilox Cyinder Substrate

Ink Tray
40

Laser Printing & Marking

Laser marking is a flexible way of marking plastic parts either by direct contact or selective
evaporation of a coating which should be applied prior to marking. In direct contact, various
colors of marking are achieved with a specially formulated compound.

The combination of wavelength, power, spot size, frequency and the marking speed parameters
has a strong effect on produced mark quality in laser printing.

Wavelength (λ): Plastic materials absorb different wavelengths and therefore different
wavelengths interact differently with the plastic substrate.

Power (p): Laser beams are generally not continuous and sent as pulses. Power defines the
energy per pulse.

Frequency (q): Pulses per second is defined as frequency. A higher frequency represents a
higher energy release on the plastic substrate.

Marking speed (v): The speed of beam travel on the plastic substrate is defined as marking speed.

Spot size of the laser beam also plays a major role in laser printing, which determines line width
of the mark and power density of the pulse.

Dpi (image resolution) number of the laser printing is a function of pulse frequency and marking
speed of the process. A table is given below to show the correlation between them.

Pulse frequency (Hz) as a function of laser marking speed and dpi

v (mm/s)
5 7 9 11 13 15 20 25 30
dpi

300 423 593 762 931 1101 1270 1693 2117 2540

400 318 445 572 699 826 953 1270 1588 1905

500 254 356 457 559 660 762 1016 1270 1524

600 212 296 381 466 550 635 847 1058 1270

700 181 254 327 399 472 544 726 907 1088

800 159 222 286 349 413 476 635 794 952

900 141 198 254 310 367 423 564 705 847
 41

Machining
In general, machining is often used for the products which are produced by extrusion and
blow molding processes. Plastic machining techniques require extra precautions and the
following points should be considered;
• Although HSS (high-speed steel) tools or carbide tools can be used, the tools specially
designed for plastic machining would yield higher production rates. If machining will be
carried out on a filled/reinforced plastic material, carbide or diamond tipped tools should
be used.
• Especially for reinforced resins, tool sharpness is critical.
• Plastics are thermally insulative materials. So, cooling the work piece is critical to avoid
local melting and gumming. Because reinforced semi-crystalline materials are more
resistant to gumming, they are generally easier to machine. Cutting oils and cooling
liquids used in the metal industry should be avoided as they might not be compatible with
the plastic. Forced air stream or a compatible cooling liquid should be used.
• Plastic materials have a high coefficient of linear thermal expansion. Therefore, the final
part dimension should be checked after cooling.
• Cutting force should be minimal to avoid stress accumulation.

Carbide or diamond tippe Tool sharpness is critical.

tools should be used.

Cooling the work piece is The final part dimension Cutting force should be
critical. should be checked. minimal.
Notes
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