Welcome Guest!

Select Level

Lesson 1: Nominal Wall Thickness

In this lesson you will learn about nominal wall thickness and how it relates to designing functional plastic parts. Although parts can have various wall thicknesses to accommodate fit and function, designers are generally tasked with minimizing thickness to lessen material consumption, achieve a faster cycle time, and reduce manufacturing costs. But parts with thin walls are more challenging to manufacture. Difficulties can arise in molding, ejection, post-molding handling, and structural integrity.  Let’s see how part designers can design a part with nominal wall thickness.

The first part of this lesson covers the importance of designing parts with nominal wall thickness, what factors play a role in determining nominal wall thickness, and how different materials and molding machine requirements impact nominal wall thickness.

You are not signed up for this course. Subscribe here!

Nominal Wall Thickness Lesson Play Screen

Learn the basics of part design and how various design elements impact a molded part. Build your  Circle of Knowledge lesson by lesson. 

Goals of Part Design (Level 1): 

  • Learn the basics of part design and how various design elements impact a molded part
  • Learn how to optimize different design elements to achieve high-quality molded parts
  • Analyze real-life simulations and learn to determine optimal outcomes

Section Description: 
As plastic part assemblies become more sophisticated, individual part designs become more complex. This complexity can create challenges for part designers, mold designers, and process engineers. Early in the part design phase, designers must establish design parameters, a necessary step for molding high-quality parts that meet specifications and expectations.

This section covers explanations, simulations, cause-and-effect analyses, and the uses of various design features. Understanding these design features is important because they influence a part’s moldability, function, appearance, and quality.

Recommendation: Entry-Level Operators, Technicians, & Designers

Length: Lessons are approximately 15-20 minutes long each

The Kruse Training platform delivers knowledge and expertise developed over three decades in plastic injection molding. Now, companies and individuals can access a state-of-the-art online training program suited for all levels of expertise.