Part Design and Rapid Prototyping for BMC
Reducing the Time to Market for
New BMC Applications
Part Design Guidelines for BMCs
Design Considerations for BMCs
• Design to optimize inherent properties
of material
• Use structure as-opposed to mass
wherever possible
• Keep “Line-of-draw” in mind to
minimize reduce or eliminate undercuts
and/or trapped steel conditions in mold
• Add molding draft based on line-of
draw to insure minimum wall sections are
maintained
Wall Stock for BMCs
• Maintain nominal wall stock as
consistently as possible.
•Use structure wherever possible
to increase directional strength
and/or combine part features
Wall Stock for BMCs
Wall Stock Recommendations:
• Minimum recommended wall stock 2mm
• Thicker nominal walls required for larger parts with
extended flow lengths
• Wall stock for small parts can be as low as .5mm
• Dependent on part configuration and material selection
Wall Stock for BMCs
Parts with Varying Wall Stock
Parts with significant variances in
wall stock can be successfully molded
in BMC.
•Avoid multiple thick-to-thin transitions
•Avoid thin-to thick gate placement
•Minimize or eliminate wall stock variations near dimensionally
critical features
Molding Draft
Draft: Angle or taper added to vertical surfaces on a part
to allow for release from mold during ejection.
• Line-of-draw draft angle required on all vertical
part surfaces
• Minimum recommended draft 1-degree P/S
• The more draft the better!
• Add draft where possible to small vertical walls
• Linear distance vs. angular draft
• Draft vs. tolerances ( + draft / - draft)
Molding Draft
No-draft Requirements
• Can be successfully molded on BMC
• Eliminates secondary machining
• Commonly used for bearing bores &
brush-box applications.
• Use only where necessary
• Minimal length-of-draw
• Ejector pins surfaces adjacent to feature
Undercut Features in BMC Part Designs
• Common in today’s BMC part designs
• Complex shapes not a problem
• Multiple undercuts common
• Tooling technology capable
• Linear or rotary (unscrewing)
• Avoid “trapped steel” conditions
• Consolidate multiple undercuts where
possible into same line-of-draw
Fillet Radii
Blend intersections with fillet radii
wherever possible.
• Increases part strength
• Improves material flow
• Mold construction benefits
• Mold integrity / maintenance benefits
Molded In Inserts
• Injection, transfer or
compression process capable
• Configuration dependent
• Large inserts my require pre-
heating
Commonly utilized in automotive and electrical switch-gear applications
Mounting Hardware for BMCs
BMCs are hardware-friendly
materials that are capable of
accepting a number of common
types of mounting hardware
Mounting Hardware for BMCs
Self-Tapping Screws
• Widely used method of mounting to BMC
• BT-style thread cutting screws
recommended
• Thread-forming screws not recommended
• High torque values
• Excellent torque retention
Mounting Hardware for BMCs
Mounting Boss Sizing for Self-Tapping
Screws
• Wall stock (not boss diameter) to be a
minimum of 1 1/2-times the screw diameter
• Thread engagement to be a minimum of 2 1/2-times the screw
diameter
• Pilot hole to be .002” P/S larger than root-diameter of screw
• Minimal draft in mounting holes
• Blind holes to be 25% deeper than installed screw engagement
Mounting Hardware for BMCs
Rivets
• Commonly used to attach non-
stressed components onto BMC parts
• Used in assembly of household
circuit breaker housings
• Refer to hardware manufacturers recommendations for mounting
geometry
Mounting Hardware for BMCs
Insert-Molded & Secondary-Installed Threaded Inserts
Commonly used in BMC applications
where service or installation requires
multiple assembly / disassembly
• Insert-molded
• Secondary installation
• Excellent retention in BMCs
Refer to hardware manufacturers specifications for hole sizing &
application-specific information
Snap Features in BMC Part Designs
Given the range of flex modulus achievable in BMCs,
snap details are possible provided that they can be
designed with an interference that can operate within the
flex-range of the material grade selected.
Feel free to contact BMCI’s Technical Group if you have
a proposed snap design and would like to review it for
feasibility in BMC.
Direct Conversion from Metal Design
• Common in BMC
• Configuration dependent
• May require design modifications to
accommodate molding of features
previously formed by secondary
machining operations
• Significant savings potential associated
with elimination of costly secondary
machining operations
Direct Conversion from Metal Design
Vacuum Gearbox Housing
• Direct conversion from metal
• Eliminated nine-(9) secondary
machining operations
• Implementing as running change
• Minimal design changes
• Annual volume 600K
• Annual savings : $690K
Part Consolidation Through Conversion
Part Consolidation Through Conversion
• Incorporation of multiple part features
into one design
• Part count reduction
• Lower assembly tooling costs
• Reduced assembly labor
• Elimination of secondary machining
operations
• Overall lower assembly cost
Surface Finishes & Appearance Treatments
As Molded Finishes
• High gloss
• Satin
• Textured
• Colors
• Faux finishes (as molded)
• Paintable
• Platable
Rapid Prototyping for BMC Materials
From Art to Part
Rapid Prototyping for BMC Materials
Overview:
The ability to quickly provide customers with prototype parts
in our materials has proven to be both a valuable sales tool,
and an effective method of shrinking product development
lead times. Since BMC thermosets do not lend themselves to
traditional “Rapid Prototyping” processes such as SLA
(Stereo Lithography) of SLS (Selective Laser Sintering), we
have developed our own prototyping process for providing
net-shapes to our customers for evaluation.
Rapid Prototyping for BMC Materials
Process:
Our process first involves the pre-molding of plaques, or blocks of the BMC
formulation selected for the application. These “Billets” of material are then
laminated together using epoxy adhesives, or parent resin to form a “Blank”
that is roughly the size and shape of the part. Lastly, the blank is 3D machined
in our mold shop from the customer part file to produce a net-shape prototype
part. We have used this process to produce parts as small as a plumbing fitting,
and as large as a stove top frame.
Rapid Prototyping for BMC Materials
BMCI In-House Tooling / Prototyping
• Part / product design assistance
• Mold design
• Prototype / production tooling
• Prototype part construction
• Tooling conversion for BMC materials
Rapid Prototyping for BMC Materials
BMCI In-House Tooling / Prototyping
Contact Information:
Mark Bieberstein
Technical Sales Engineer
(630) 377-1065
(630) 377-7395
[email protected]
