As plastic part assemblies become more sophisticated, individual part design becomes more complex. This complexity can create challenges for designers with nominal wall thickness as a goal in their part designs. In this lesson we will learn about the use of flow leaders. Also called internal runners, they are a design feature that help achieve uniform filling and packing. So, instead of increasing overall nominal wall thickness to allow for lower pressure but potentially adding material weight and cost, part designers can use flow leaders to assist flow where needed with only minimal weight increase.
This lesson covers when and why to include flow leaders into a part design, the potential process defects that can result from incorrectly designed and implemented flow leaders, and why flow leaders are instrumental in achieving uniform fill patterns in non-uniform designs.
