How to Optimize Your Plastic Parts Assembly

At Thermal Press International, we often advise customers on how to optimize their plastic parts assembly and manufacturing process. If you are joining plastic parts to form a single assembly, you need to understand the factors that can influence the quality of the bond and possibly lead to product liability issues.

Thermal Press has the experience and equipment to help you succeed in optimizing your entire plastic parts assembly process for any kind of application. Let’s look at what you must consider when you want to create high-quality plastic part assemblies.

Factors that Affect the Quality of Your Plastic Parts Assembly

Joining two or more plastic parts together starts with a design for manufacturability (DFM) assessment of the assembly. The parts need to fit together but due to the nature of the plastic molding process, there may be a variation between each part and the CAD designs.

Design Elements to Consider for Plastic Parts Assemblies

Here’s what you should keep in mind when optimizing the design of your plastic parts assembly.

• Shrinkage – When molding parts, the material selection will determine the shrinkage and warpage of each piece and you’ll have to understand this when calculating the tolerance for the finished assembly.
• Colors – Matching the colors of each part can be challenging when using different resins or molding processes. If parts aren’t an exact match, your finished assembly may appear to be low quality.
• Joining – Many different fastening techniques are available and will have an impact on your assembly’s quality. Screws and mechanical fasteners may rattle and shake loose, making a heat staking solution a better option for plastic part assemblies.

Creating a Quality Plastic Parts Assembly with Thermal Press

When you need the highest quality bonds between two plastic parts, Thermal Press can assist. Our technicians have decades of experience with heat sealing and hot (or heat) staking manufacturing processes along with the equipment that can help you automate your assembly line. We also provide engineering support and contract manufacturing services.

Contact Us or call (925) 454-9800 to speak with a Thermal Press engineer.

Tags: high-quality plastic part assemblies, optimizing the design for your plastic parts assembly, Plastic parts assembly and manufacturing process