Thread Clear Part
A transparent moulded cup with fine external ribbing and a threaded feature, run in a mirror-polished cavity where every tool mark ends up visible in the wall.
The problem
Clear parts have nowhere to hide.
Clear parts have nowhere to hide. Flow lines, a polish scratch, a weld line behind a rib or a slightly cold gate all read straight through the wall, and a transparent part gets rejected for things an opaque part would pass.
Transparent tooling is treated as a separate discipline: mirror-polish steel grades, gate position validated in simulation, and rib geometry reviewed against wall thickness before cutting.
How this part is tooled
The part is a clear cup with a band of fine vertical ribs around the wall and a threaded feature at the base. Each rib is a place where the melt splits and re-joins, and in a clear material that re-join is a visible line unless the fill pattern puts it somewhere harmless.
Steel choice matters more here than on any other part in the range. Mirror polish needs a grade that will take and hold it, which is where S136, 1.2083 and 1.2316 come in rather than a general 1.2738 mould steel.
Rib thickness relative to the wall is the other lever. Ribs that are too thick pull a sink into the outside face that is invisible on a black part and obvious on a clear one, so the ratio is set in the DFM report and not left to the moulder to fix with pressure.
Part and tooling data
| Part type | Transparent ribbed cup with threaded feature |
|---|---|
| Process | Plastic injection moulding |
| Surface | Mirror polish in the cavity, as shown |
| Suggested cavity steel | S136, 1.2083 or 1.2316 for polish retention |
| Mould action | Straight pull with thread feature per your drawing |
| Material | Transparent grade per your drawing or part specification |
| Cavitation | Quoted to your annual volume |
| Simulation | Gate position and weld line study included on request |
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
- Measuring cups and dosing chambers
- Sight glasses and level windows
- Transparent housings for small appliances
- Clear covers on laboratory and agricultural equipment
Industries
Engineering that applies here
Frequently asked questions
Which steel do you recommend for a transparent part?
S136, 1.2083 and 1.2316 are the grades used where the cavity has to take and hold a mirror polish. The grade is stated in the quotation so you can see what you are paying for.
Can Moldflow show where the weld lines will land?
Yes, that is one of the reasons the simulation is run. The result view marks weld line positions and air trap locations before the gate is committed.
Do you run the moulding as well as build the tool?
TJ-Teck is a mould maker that also supplies moulded parts. Tell us whether you want the tool shipped or the parts supplied, and the quotation is written for that scope.
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View partQuotation for the thread clear part
Attach 2D and 3D data, tell us the annual volume and the material, and a quotation comes back in 1-3 working days.