Chapter Four: Mold Layout Design

Mold layout design assumes that the number of mold cavities and the type of mold has been determined. To
develop the mold layout, the mold opening direction and the location of the parting plane are first determined.
Then, the length, width, and height of the core and cavity inserts are chosen. Afterwards, a mold base is selected
and the inserts are placed in as simple and compact a layout as possible.

4.1. Parting Plane Design

The parting plane is the contact surface between the stationary and moving sides of the mold. The primary
purpose of the parting plane is to tightly seal the cavity of the mold and prevent melt leakage. This seal is
maintained through the application of literally tons of force that are applied normal to the parting plane. While
the term “parting plane” implies a flat or planar surface, the parting plane may contain out-of-plane features.

4.1.1. Mold Opening Direction

In fact, the mold usually opens in a direction normal to the parting plane since the moving platen of the molding
machine is guided by tie bars or rails to open in a direction normal to the platen. Accordingly, guide bushings
and/or mold interlocks are almost always located on the parting plane to guide the mold opening in a direction
normal to the parting plane. There are two factors that govern the mold opening direction:

1. The mold cavity should be positioned such that it does not exert undue stress on the injection mold.
So that, the mold cavity is typically placed with its largest area parallel to the parting plane.
2. The mold cavity should be positioned such that the molded part can be ejected from the mold. As
well, the part ejection requires that the mold opening direction is normal to the part’s largest
projected area.

If the molded part is a cup, then there are only two potential mold opening directions relative to the part, as
shown in Figure 4.1.

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 Figure 4.1: Mold opening directions for a cup molding.
One mold opening direction is in the axial direction of the cup, in which the two halves of the insert are split to
form the cavity insert (top) and the core insert (bottom). While the second direction is in the radial direction of
the cup, in which the cavity insert can be separated into three pieces that move along two different axes in order
to remove the molded part. This design is sometimes used in practice since it allows for a more complex part
design as well as more options in locating the parting line. This design is known as a “split cavity mold.”

4.1.2. Parting Line

Parting line is the location at which the cavity insert, the core insert, and the plastic molding meet. Any
significant deflection of the cavity insert away from the core insert will result in a gap into which the plastic will
flow and form a thin film of plastic known as “flash.” Imperfections in the core and cavity inserts at this
location, for instance due to wear or improper handling, will also create gaps into which the plastic will flow.
Even with new and well-crafted molds, the location of the parting line usually results in a very slight “witness
line” along its length.

For this reason, the parting line should be located along a bottom edge of the part, or some other nonvisual,
nonfunctional edge. For a cup molded part shown in Figure 4.2 (a), placing the parting line very close to the lip
would result in a witness line and possible flash that might make the molded cup unusable. A better location for
the parting line is at the bottom of the rim.

Figure 4.2: Parting line locations for (a) A cup and (b) A laptop bezel.

For a laptop bezel, the parting line will be located around the bottom edge of the part as shown in Figure 4.2 (b).
It is observed that the parting line for the bezel is not in a single plane. Rather, the parting line follows the
profile of the features on the side walls. This nonplanar parting line is required to fit the core insert, which
hollows out the mold cavity to form the holes required for the various connectors. This complex parting line
shape will cause a more complex parting plane.

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4.1.3. Parting Plane

Parting plane is projected outwards from the part so as to separate the core insert from the cavity insert. The
preferred parting plane for the cup is shown in Figure 4.3. The cavity insert will form the outer and top surfaces
of the part, while the core insert will form the rim and inner surfaces.

Figure 4.3: Parting line for a cup.

For the laptop bezel, the parting line can be radiated outward to form the parting surface shown in Figure 4.4
(a). All of the out-of-plane features along the parting line become complex surfaces on the parting plane. These
surfaces pose two significant issues during mold operation. First, any misalignment between the sharp features
on core and cavity inserts will cause wear between the sliding surfaces. Second, the clamp tonnage exerted on
the core and cavity inserts can cause excessive stress and potential mold deformation. To avoid excessive stress,
interlocking features on the parting plane should be inclined at least five degrees relative to the mold opening
direction. Therefore, lofted surface are used to provide the required features at the parting plane and the
necessary draft down to the parting plane as shown in Figure 4.4 (b).

Figure 4.4: Parting plane for a laptop bezel, (a) Ordinary parting plane, (b) Modified parting plane.

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4.2. Cavity and Core Insert Creation

4.2.1. Cavity Shape and Shrinkage

Plastic material shrinkage (S1) occurs in the contraction of a molded part as it cools after injection (cooling
stage). All materials have different shrink rates depending on resin family (amorphous or crystalline), mold
design, and processing conditions. As well, extra shrinkage (S2) will be occurred after ejection as the produced
moldings cool to the room temperature. After Injection pressure has a direct effect on shrinkage rates. The
higher the injection pressure, the lower the shrinkage rate. In order to produce the moldings with their
specifications, mold cavity must be machined with dimensions greater than real ones. Shrinkage coefficient is
measured by mm/mm, in/in, etc. Cavity dimensions can be calculated as follows:

 External walls and features: Dmold = Dpart + ( Dpart * S1 + Dpart * S2)

 Internal walls and features: Dmold = Dpart - ( Dpart * S1 + Dpart * S2).
 Pins and similar features: Φmold = Φpart + (Φpart * S1 + Φpart * S2).
 Blind and through holes: Φmold = Φpart - (Φpart * S1 + Φpart * S2).

 If the dimension is less than 6 mm, then a tolerance of ± 0.2 mm is used.

 If the dimension is greater than 6 mm, then a tolerance of ± 0.4 mm is used.
 For dimensions with one decimal a tolerance of ± 0.1 mm is used.
 For dimensions with two decimal a tolerance of ± 0.02 mm is used.

4.2.2. Dimensions of the Cavity and Core Insert Retainer Plates

The height dimension is often determined by two requirements:

1. The core and cavity insert should have enough

height above and below the molded part to
safely pass a cooling line. The minimum
height dimension between the molded part and
the top or bottom surface of the insert is
typically three times the diameter of the
cooling line, as shown in Figure 4.5.

2. The core and cavity insert should have a height

that is matched with the height of available

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 cavity and core insert retainer plates (the “A” Figure 4.5: Insert height allowance.
and “B” plates).

The length and width dimensions are determined by two requirements:

1. If a cooling line is needed around the exterior of the mold cavity, then the length and width allowances of
three cooling line diameters per side are preferred, as shown in Figure 4.6 (a).
2. The width and length dimensions of the inserts should provide side walls that are thick enough to withstand
the lateral loading of the melt pressure exerted on the side walls of the mold cavity. This requirement will
become dominating for deep parts that need tall side walls. A safe guideline is that the thickness of the side
wall in the length and width dimension should equal the depth of the mold cavity, as shown in Figure 4.6
(b).

a b
Figure 4.6: Insert length and width allowance, (a) With external cooling, (b) Without external cooling.

Sometimes, it’s desirable to adjust the cavity insert dimensions to provide a more efficient mold design. In
general, the length and width dimensions of the inserts are more critical than the height dimension, since these
dimensions will drive the size of the mold base in multicavity applications and contribute more to the material
and machining costs. As such, these dimensions may be decreased somewhat by effective cooling and structural
designs.

Figure 4.7 (a) provides the core and cavity inserts for the cup. Since the molded part is round, the design of the
core and cavity insert may also be round. This shape provides a benefit with respect to ease of manufacturing,
since both the core and cavity inserts can be turned on a lathe. While the allowances in the axial and radial
dimensions are sufficient to fit cooling lines, the allowance in the radial dimension for the cavity insert may not
be sufficient to withstand the pressures exerted on the side wall by the melt. The side walls of the cavity insert
will tend to deflect outward during molding unless it is closely fit to a pocket in the mold base that provides
lateral support.

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The core and cavity inserts for the laptop bezel are shown in Fig. 4.7 (b). In this case, rectangular inserts are
designed, and the thickness of the surrounding cheek will be barely sufficient to provide cooling around the
periphery of the mold cavity while also providing space for other mold components.

a b

Figure 4.7: Cavity and core inserts (a) for cup and (b) for laptop bezel.

4.2.3. Cavities Layout

The goal of cavity layout design is to produce a mold design that is compact, is easy to manufacture, and
provides molding productivity. “If a single cavity mold is being designed, then the cavity is typically located in
the center of the mold, though gating requirements may necessitate placing the mold cavity off center”. For
multicavity molds, there are different cavity layouts:

a. Series layout. In this design, mold cavities are placed along one line, as shown in Figure 4.8, this
design is simple but poor. Unless the insert geometries are long and narrow, the resulting mold
layout produces a mold that has a high aspect ratio (maximum aspect ratio 2:1). Higher aspect ratios
will require the use of large molds that are significantly underutilized while at the same time
producing structural loadings across the mold for which molding machine platens may not be
designed. Furthermore, the use of such a line layout can result in an unbalanced feed system with
uneven cavity filling and poor molded part quality.

Figure 4.8: Series layout of mold cavities.

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 b. Grid Layout. In this design, mold cavities are placed in a gird, as shown in Figure 4.9, this design is
most common for applications requiring high production volumes when the number of cavities is a
multiple of 2, for example, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc. There are two primary benefits to a grid layout. First,
the grid layout will result in a compact mold with an acceptable aspect ratio. Second, the grid layout
lends itself well to naturally balanced feed system layouts.

Figure 4.9: Grid layout of mold cavities.

c. Circular Layout. In this design, mold cavities are placed around a circle, as shown in Figure 4.10, this
design provides more balanced melt filling, a circular layout is sometimes used when the molded parts
are relatively small or when the number of mold cavities is relatively low, for example, eight or less. All
cavities are provided at an equal distance from the center of the mold. The primary disadvantage is that
such a circular layout requires a larger mold surface area than the grid layout.

Figure 4.10: Circular layout of mold cavities.

d. Hybrid Layout. In this design, a combination from the aforementioned layouts is used to provide mare benefits.
Figure 4.11 shows a combination of a line layout plus a circular layout. The resulting layout is a very compact and
balanced design for six cavities.

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 Figure 4.11: Hybrid layout of mold cavities.

4.2.4. Mold Base Sizing

The size of the mold base is determined primarily by the area required to accommodate all the cavity inserts per the
designed cavity layout. A primary issue, however, is the potential for conflict between the placements of the cavities and
other mold components (such as leader pins, guide bushings, and others). Furthermore, there is the potential for conflict
between cavity support systems (such as cooling lines, ejector pins, support pillars, etc.) and other mold components (such
as leader pins, guide bushings, and others). Due to these conflicts, mold bases are often sized larger than what would first
be considered.

The shaded area in Figure 4.11 (a) represents the usable area of the parting plane into which the core and cavity inserts
can be placed. Ejector return pins are located to the left and right of this area, while guide pins and socket head cap screws
are located above this area. A dimensional allowance equal to at least one-half of each component’s diameters is provided
between the mold cavity and the surrounding components to avoid excessive stress during the mold’s operation.

Given the cavity layout and its geometric envelope, a mold base with a feasible length and width is selected. When
specifying a mold base, it is also necessary to specify the height of the “A” plate, the height of the “B” plate, the height
of the support plate, “S,” and the distance of the ejector travel, “E,” as shown in Figure 4.11 (b). The total stack height is
defined as the distance from the bottom of the rear clamp plate to the top of the top clamp plate.

With respect to mold base selection, the height of the “A” and “B” plates are respectively matched to the height of the
cavity and core inserts. The height of the support plate, “S,” is normally determined from the mold base supplier based on
the height of the “A” and “B” plates, though the height of the support plate can be special ordered to varying dimensions.
The travel of the ejector plate should be selected to eject the part from the mold. Often, the ejector travel is set to be equal
to the depth of the molded part. From the ejector travel, the height of the ejector housing, dimension “C,” is assigned by
the mold base supplier. When selecting a mold base, it is also necessary to specify an orifice diameter for the sprue, this
dimension is of lesser importance since the sprue bushing may be replaced or machined, or the molding machine nozzle
changed, to match the sprue to the nozzle.

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 a b
Figure 4.11: (a) Usable parting plane area, (b) Height dimensions of the mold base.

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