What Do Plastic Parts Structural Design Engineers Need to Understand?

Structural design of plastic products refers to the design of the internal structure and mechanical parts of the product; A good product must first be practical, so product design is primarily about function, followed by shape. The realization of various functions of plastic products completely depends on an excellent structural design. Structural design is one of the basic contents of mechanical design, and it is also the most complex part of the entire product design process. It plays a crucial role in the product formation process. So, what do structural design engineers need to understand in the research and development process of plastic parts?

1. Use of software:

If the structural design of a plastic product is to be expressed and realized through three-dimensional models and two-dimensional drawings, the use of engineering design software is essential. The mainstream 3D engineering software includes Pro/E, Solidworks, UG, etc., and the mainstream 2D engineering software is AutoCAD. The requirement for engineering software is to be able to construct complex exterior surfaces and to operate the software quickly.

2. Skilled in mechanical drawing:

"Mechanical Drawing" is a professional basic course for mechanical majors, and of course, it is also the first course to enter structural design. It is necessary for every structural design engineer to master it very skillfully.

3. Have a certain knowledge of plastic injection mold manufacturing.

The plastic products we design are manufactured through injection moulds, so structural engineers need to understand about plastic injection molds, but they don't necessarily have to design molds themselves. Mold design is a highly technical content that is completed by specialized tooling design engineers. However, plastic parts structure engineers still need to understand the basic knowledge of injection molds, such as the structure of molds. The most basic requirement is to ensure that the designed plastic products can be smoothly manufactured and produced through molds. The best way is to turn to a professional injection mold manufacturing factory, as a China injection molds factory, we have tooling design team can support customer avoid product design failure of making mould.

4. Plastic injection molding process

Structural design engineers need to be familiar with plastic parts technology. The knowledge of injection molding technology mainly involves the problems that occur during injection molding production, the causes of the problems, and the solutions to the problems. For example, how to solve the surface shrinkage of plastic injection molded parts from a design perspective? Contact our professional engineers to help solve the plastic defects;

5. Surface treatment process:

Structural engineers need to have a certain knowledge of surface treatment processes, such as what are common surface treatments for plastic parts?

6. Raw materials:

Structural design engineers need to master various common plastic and metal materials. When designing a product structure, they need to select materials reasonably based on actual product requirements to achieve the lowest cost requirements while meeting product requirements.

7. Product development process:

Structural engineers need to be familiar with the entire process of product development and be able to complete it independently. Each company has its own set of product development processes. Although the types are different, the basic principles are similar.

8. Industry specifications:

Structural design engineers need to be familiar with the industry design specifications in their industry, such as product reliability, product durability, product strength, and service life.

9. Communication skills:

Structural design engineers need to have strong communication and coordination skills, because in the development process of a product, there are not only structural design aspects, but also other aspects such as electronic control design, system design, and so on. During the design of structural engineering, timely communication with other design departments is required to ensure the smooth progress of product design.

Injection mold manufacturing process is too complex, for plastic products structure designers, finding a professional injection mould factory can achieve twice the result with half the effort.

As China injection mold factory, we have the advantage of a complete product industrial chain, we can help our customer in any stage of the project development.