Fundamentals of Material Selection
and Product Design

This seminar is designed to provide basic product design guidelines and instruction for developing manufacturable plastic molded products. This is a thorough of all the aspects of product design concerns, such as snap fits, specific material limitations, wall thickness guidelines, and a variety of other subjects. The charts and diagrams alone are features that can't be found elsewhere.                                                          

Section 1 - Determining Product Requirements 

1 - Brainstorming activities
2 - Defining the product
3 - Defining and charting the activities
4 - Why products and/or projects fail

Section 2 - Defining Product Design Aspects 

1 - Typical project examples
2 - Functional aspects
3 - Color, fit, appearance
4 - Physical and mechanical aspects
5 - Thermal aspects
6 - Electrical aspects
7 - Flammability considerations
8 - Weather and exposure limits
9 - Safety and environmental issues

Section 3 - Specific Product Design Considerations  

1 - Wall thickness recommendations
2 - Generation of knit lines
3 - Sharp corner stress-concentrators
4 - Causes of sink marks
5 - Minimizing warpage and bowing
6 - Draft angle definition and requirements
7 - Restricting ejector pin marks and gate vestiges
8 - Dimensions and drawing notes
9 - What does the vendor need?
10 - Product design checklist

Section 4 - Determining Costs And Selecting A Vendor 

1 - Is it worth it?
2 - What information is needed?
3 - Determining material costs
4 - Determining labor costs
5 - Determining machine costs
6 - Determining tooling costs
7 - Secondary operation considerations
8 - What to look for when selecting a vendor
9 - Dedicated specialty or "full service"
10 - What to expect from a vendor
11 - Vendor qualification form

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PLEASE NOTE: There is an additional instructors travel expense fee of $1,500 for every seminar. The 2-day attendee fee shown below includes all handout materials and a hardcover textbook for the specific seminar chosen. Lunch and break accommodations are the responsibility of your company.

Our rates are  shown in the following chart. All fees are payable in advance by check or credit card. Please contact us directly if you have requirements for other subjects.

Please contact us by phone (512) 863-5933
if you wish to discuss these programs.

Attendee Comments:

"Mr. Bryce has a very effective style of communication, making everything easy to comprehend. He obviously understands the industry and its complexities.".

"Doug was extremely knowledgeable on the subject and very good at answering all questions presented." 

"Overall, the seminar offered a terrific learning experience. It raised a lot of questions to ask our suppliers, and generated further interest in injection molding."

"Very much worth the money. Less expensive than attending regional seminars, and I can start increasing profits right away with the things I learned."

"I have 30 years experience and still learned a lot from Doug. Well worth the fee."