Wall thickness

Ideally, a plastic part should have an even wall thickness across the entire part otherwise quality problems can occur.

The wall thickness of the part impacts on the filling and cooling of the part.

Molten plastic will prefer to flow through thick sections of the mold. Excessively thin areas could have problems filling or may fill at a slower rate than thicker areas. Problems of short shots, underflow, and weld lines can result from variation in part wall thickness.

Excessively thick areas will take longer to cool. This can lead to longer manufacturing cycle times, and the part deforming as the molten plastic solidifies. Excessively thin areas require a higher injection pressure to fill the mold cavity, increasing the possibility of unfilled sections of the part.

The wall thickness element examines the part thickness and its variation to highlight regions that could cause molding problems.

To view the wall thickness contribution to the indicator value, click Home tab > Manufacturability panel > Information. The Alerts icon on the same panel will define any wall thickness alerts.

Wall thickness alerts

There are three different wall thickness alerts depending on the part geometry. Click on the alert to view where the problem occurs. Sections of the part that are outside the thickness criteria are highlighted in red.

Part walls are too thin

Highlighted sections of the part are thinner than normally allowed for an injection molded part. If the highlighted sections are in areas such as hinges, consider flow directions to avoid hesitation or short shot problems.

Note: The recommended minimum wall thickness is 0.9mm. A wall thickness less than 0.05mm will not display animations correctly.

Part walls are too thick

Highlighted sections of the part are thicker than normally allowed for an injection molded part. Extensive thick areas will cause extended cooling times and possible warpage or sink problems.

Part shows high thickness variation

The nominal thickness variation check of the part geometry indicate that the part has areas of different thicknesses. A uniform thickness across the part will result in a part with potentially less shrinkage, warpage, and sink marks. Where possible, consider re-designing the part incorporating a uniform wall thickness.

Wall thickness visualization

The thickness of different areas of the part can viewed. Click on Home tab > Manufacturability panel > Information. Click on the Wall thickness option in the Information pop-up tab.

The part is displayed with a colored representation of the local thickness of the part. A legend is displayed to help with the part assessment.

Note: Highly complex models might display areas where wall thickness is of concern, as a wire frame box.