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223. Part design process

Many factors affect plastic-part design. Among these factors are: functional requirements, such as mechanical loading and ultraviolet stability; aesthetic needs, such as color, level of transparency, and tactile response; and economic concerns, such as cost of materials, labor, and capital equipment.

Like a successful play in football, successful plastic product design and production requires team effort and a well-developed strategy. When designing plastic parts, your team should consist of diverse players, including conceptual designers, stylists, design engineers, materials suppliers, mold makers, manufacturing personnel, processors, finishers, and decorators. Your chance of producing a product that successfully competes in the marketplace increases when your strategy takes full advantage of team strengths, accounts for members' limitations, and avoids overburdening any one person. As the designer, you must consider these factors early in strategy development and make adjustments based upon input from the various people on the design team.

Solicit simultaneous input from the various "players" early in product development, before many aspects of the design have been determined and cannot be changed. Accommodate suggestions for enhancing product performance, or for simplifying and improving the various manufacturing steps such as mold construction, processing, assembly, and finishing. Too often innovative design pass sequentially from development to manufacturing steps with features that needlessly complicate production and add cost.

When designing and developing parts, focus on defining and maximizing part function and appearance, specifying actual part requirements, evaluating process options, selecting an appropriate material, reducing manufacturing costs, and conducting prototype testing.