DESIGN PROCESS
Like a successful play in football, successful plastic injection molding 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...