Resources by Ichiplas
Ichiplas' resources section provides all the best information on designing plastic parts for manufacturing. Each article focuses on a particular plastic injection manufacturing concept, with expert advice stemming from our decades of experience in serving world-class customers.
From guides to plastic materials to injection molding 101, this is a free resource for all our customers. For specific queries, please contact us anytime.
Our Guides
Oct 2025
What to Expect When You Order a Mold: The Pilot Run and Mold Modification Process
Learn what to expect during T1 samples and pilot runs. Understand the steel safe rule, mold modifications, and how to review first shots from your injection mold.
Oct 2025
From Prototype to Production: How to Reduce Your Injection Molding Costs
Learn how to balance tooling costs and unit costs in injection molding. Understand bridge tooling, multi-cavity molds, family molds, and cycle time optimization to reduce overall project costs.
Oct 2025
Can You Add Threads to Plastic Parts?
Learn how to design threaded plastic parts for injection molding. Understand interrupted threads for cost-effective design and unscrewing molds for high-performance applications.
Oct 2025
A Guide to Designing Snap-Fits for Injection Molding
Learn how to design snap-fit joints for injection molded parts. Understand cantilever hooks, stress concentration, material selection, and release angles for reliable assembly.
Oct 2025
How to Design Functional Features: Ribs and Bosses
Learn how to design ribs and bosses for injection molded parts. Understand proper thickness ratios, coring techniques, and gusset design to add strength without sink marks.
Oct 2025
A Designer's Guide to Part Aesthetics: Surface Textures, Finishes, and Weld Lines
Learn how to specify surface finishes and manage weld lines in injection molding. Understand SPI finish standards, texture requirements, and how to control part aesthetics.
Oct 2025
Designing for Complexity: An Engineer's Guide to Undercuts
Learn how to design undercuts in injection molding. Understand side-actions, slides, lifters, and shut-offs to manage complex features while controlling tooling costs.
Oct 2025
The Golden Rule: Why Uniform Wall Thickness is Key to Quality Parts
Learn why maintaining uniform wall thickness prevents sink marks and warping in injection molded parts. Understand differential shrinkage and how to design parts that cool evenly.
Oct 2025
What is Draft Angle and Why is it Critical for Your Part?
Learn why draft angle is the most critical design rule in injection molding. Understand how proper draft prevents drag marks, breakage, and ensures clean part ejection every time.
Oct 2025
An Introduction to the Mold Tool: The Heart of Injection Molding
Understand the anatomy of an injection mold tool. Learn about the A-side and B-side, ejection systems, cooling channels, and why tooling is your most significant upfront investment.
Oct 2025
The Journey of Plastic: Understanding Sprues, Runners, and Gates
Learn how molten plastic travels through sprues, runners, and gates in injection molding. Understand how this delivery system impacts part quality, cycle time, and material costs.
Oct 2025
Your Design vs. The Machine: A Practical Guide to How Injection Molding Works
Understanding how injection molding machines work is fundamental to good part design. Learn about injection units, clamping units, and why the forces at play are the reason we talk so much about design for manufacturability (DFM).
Apr 2024
Understanding Applications of Plastics
We explore key applications of plastics, providing insights into their functionality and the technology behind their success. From anti-static to aerospace applications, each use case requires a specific plastic type tailored to meet functional, environmental, and regulatory demands.
Mar 2024
Troubleshooting Common Issues in Injection Molding
Injection molding is a versatile manufacturing process, but defects can arise due to material properties, tooling design, or process parameters. This guide identifies common defects in injection molding, their causes, and practical solutions to ensure high-quality parts and efficient production.
Feb 2024
Introduction to Plastic Injection Mold Design
A well-designed mold ensures high-quality parts, optimizes production efficiency, and minimizes waste. We provide an in-depth look at the fundamentals of mold design, covering mold types, runner systems, gate design, cooling systems, and practical considerations.
Jan 2024
Plastic Materials for Injection Molding
Choosing the right material is essential to ensure product performance, cost-efficiency, and manufacturability. We explore the properties of commonly used plastics and highlights key considerations for selecting materials for injection molding.
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