Mold Testing Kits - Reimagined.
How Did Wellstronics3D Help?
The team at got mold? came to Wellstronics3D looking for help with some CAD management and some redesign help on the Air Sampler Pump that they sell with their kits. The mold collector cassettes (MCC) all have slightly different housing dimensions and therefore, when mounting to the Air Sampler Pump, all fit slightly different. In order for the got mold? kit to work properly, the Air Sampler Pump must "Pump Air" into the MCC. In order to make this work with the different types of MCC, we updated the design of the MCC Mount to work with all various types of MCC, allowing the pump to have fewer parts.
This MCC Mount was designed to be made of high pressure injection molded ABS. In order to verify that the new manufacturing ready design worked with various Mold Collector Cassettes, several prototypes were 3D printed out of ABS like material and tested on a large sample of various types of MCC. After having much success with the new MCC Mount design, a .STP file was along with a 2D drawing that detailed the material, dimensions and specific tolerances on the critical dimensions. The 2D drawing also detailed which surfaces could not have ejector pin marks and gate locations as well as the specific surface finish.
Because this more universal designed worked with the various MCC, got mold? did not have to make Air Sampler Pumps for specific MCCs, saving well over $10,000 in additional mold tooling costs.
Air Sampler Pump Design Project Details
Providing Design Modifications and CAD Documents.
Saved - $10,000 by eliminating multiple mold tools.
Designed for High Pressure Injection Molding
Created detailed 2D drawing
Validated design uisng 3D printed Prototypes
Start to finish timeline was less than 6 months
https://www.gotmold.com/
FAQs
How can universal design reduce injection mold tooling costs?
Universal design simplifies manufacturing by creating a single component that works across multiple product variations. For the Air Sampler Pump, we redesigned the MCC Mount to fit various cassette dimensions, eliminating the need for multiple mold tools and saving the client over $10,000 in upfront tooling expenses.
Why are 2D engineering drawings necessary for injection molding?
While 3D models define shape and are required for CNC machining molds, 2D drawings provide critical manufacturing data, including part tolerances, material, surface finish requirements, ejector pin and gate locations. At Wellstronics3D, we provide detailed .STP files for CNC machining and 2D drawings to ensure every part meets strict quality standards during the high-pressure injection molding process.
Can you update an existing product design for better manufacturing?
Yes. We specialize in CAD management and redesign to improve "Form, Fit, and Function." By analyzing existing prototypes—like the Air Sampler Pump—we can refine geometry to solve assembly issues, reduce part counts, and ensure the product is fully optimized for mass production.
How do you validate a new design before starting mold production?
We use 3D-printed prototypes made from materials like ABS, Polypropylene, Polycarbonate, HDPE as well as CNC machined parts from aluminum, Delrin and much more to validate designs in real-world conditions. This allows us to test critical dimensions and fitment with existing hardware before committing to permanent mold tooling, significantly reducing the risk of costly design changes later in the process.