Design for manufacture of a cost-based system for molded parts

Abstract

This article describes the procedures for rapidly estimating the approximate manufacturing cost of a molded part through the utilization of a computer program developed specifically for this task. The estimated cost includes the costs of material, mold, and processing. The procedures involve identifying those manufacturing-related features or design attributes that tend to significantly increase manufacturing costs so that costly features can be avoided. The procedures developed are not dependent on the creation of a geometric model, and can be used to assess quantitatively a preliminary concept sketch. A case example is presented to illustrate the application of the cost-estimating procedures developed. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 18: 33–42, 1999