Plastics10 min read
Assembly FAI and PPAP: the pack for a multi part build
How to run a first article on an assembly, link the BOM to the ballooned drawing, and build a PPAP pack that proves the process, not just the parts.
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Sourcing notes for custom parts
Drawings, tooling, quality and landed cost, from the team that runs the programmes.
All guides, page 14
Browse the full library.
Plastics9 min read
Gate location and weld lines
How the gate position sets the fill pattern, where weld lines land, and what each gate type leaves on the part.
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Plastics10 min read
Mixed-material assemblies: thermal expansion and corrosion
Why a joint between aluminium, steel and copper moves and corrodes, and the design details that keep it tight through temperature cycles and a wet service life.
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Plastics8 min read
Mould flow analysis: what it catches
A fill, pack, cool and warp study can find a short shot, a hot spot or a bowed cover before the steel is cut. It can also be run on the wrong inputs and answer a question nobody asked.
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Plastics9 min read
Tooling for injection moulding: cavity, steel and cost
How cavity count, steel grade, runner type and side actions move a mould quote, and how to compare tooling on total cost rather than price alone.
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Plastics10 min read
Assembly cost model: labour, fixtures, test and yield
A line by line way to build an assembly cost, check a supplier quote and see which input is really moving the unit price.
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Plastics9 min read
Assembly testing: pull, torque and function
A test plan for mechanical assemblies: what each test proves, how to set the sample and the acceptance, and how to keep the fixture from inventing failures.
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Plastics8 min read
Bridge tooling vs production tooling
An aluminium or soft steel tool can put parts in customers' hands months before a hardened tool is ready. Here is what it can hold, what it cannot, and how to plan the handover.
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Plastics9 min read
Overmoulding: grips, seals and strain relief
Material pairs, bond lines and geometry for soft-touch overmoulds that stay attached, seal reliably and protect a cable at the entry point.
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Plastics9 min read
Undercuts and side actions: cost impact
Why an undercut blocks ejection, the four ways to mould one, and how a side action changes tool cost, cycle time, maintenance and the tolerance you can hold.
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Sourcing10 min read
Landed cost formula: every cost line between FOB and your warehouse
A line by line model for comparing suppliers on the same basis, with a worked example and the costs most quotes leave out.
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Plastics10 min read
Assembly tolerance stack-up: worst case and statistical methods
How to add up the tolerances in a multi part assembly, when the worst case answer is the honest one, and how to read the result back onto the drawing.
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Go from reading to checking
The guides are built around the same questions as the free tools. Size a busbar, check an ISO 2768 callout, build a first article report or compare landed cost.
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