Plastic Cover
A moulded cover with button apertures and a textured face, the kind of part where aperture position and texture consistency decide whether it is accepted.
The problem
A cover full of openings is a cover full of weld lines.
A cover full of openings is a cover full of weld lines. Each aperture splits the melt, and where the two fronts meet you get a line that is both a cosmetic defect and the weakest point in the wall.
Gate position is chosen so the weld lines land away from the visible face and away from any aperture that carries load, and the choice is verified in simulation rather than argued about after the first trial.
How this part is tooled
This cover carries a row of button apertures, a larger opening at one end and a textured outer face. It is a straightforward part to mould badly and a demanding one to mould consistently.
The apertures are formed by steel that touches off between the two mould halves. Those shut-offs wear, and worn shut-offs flash. The angle and the amount of steel behind each shut-off is set at design time, because a shut-off with too little steel will not survive a production run no matter how well the tool is maintained.
The textured face means draft angle is no longer a formality. Deeper grain needs more draft to release, and getting that wrong shows up as drag marks down the side walls. The required draft for the specified grain is written into the DFM report before the cavity is cut.
Part and tooling data
| Part type | Cover with button apertures |
|---|---|
| Process | Plastic injection moulding |
| Features | Multiple through apertures, textured outer face |
| Mould action | Shut-offs for the apertures; slides per your geometry |
| Surface | Textured; grain code per your specification |
| Material | Per your drawing or part specification |
| Colour | Matched to your reference sample or colour code |
| Cavitation | Quoted to your annual volume |
Values marked “per your drawing” are set from your data at quotation stage. TJ-Teck does not publish assumed dimensions for a customer part.
Typical applications
- Remote control and keypad covers
- Appliance and audio equipment covers
- Automotive interior trim covers
- Switch and socket plates
Industries
Engineering that applies here
Frequently asked questions
How do you stop flash around the button openings?
By giving each shut-off enough steel and the correct touch-off angle at design stage, and by reviewing those shut-offs as a named item in the DFM report.
Can you texture the tool to a specific grain code?
Yes. Supply the grain code with your data and the draft angle is set for that grain depth before the cavity is machined.
Can one tool make left and right hand versions?
Where the geometry allows, a family or interchangeable-insert layout is quoted as an option. It is listed as a mould layout choice in the quotation.
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View partQuotation for the plastic cover
Attach 2D and 3D data, tell us the annual volume and the material, and a quotation comes back in 1-3 working days.