Designreferences.
The design rules, tooling tradeoffs, and quality standards our engineers work from. Written for the people speccing the part, not for search engines.
Engineer reviewed, one business day reply
Reference,
not marketing.
Real design rules and real numbers, pulled from the same reviews we run on production programs. Each guide links back to the process it belongs to.
- 01
Injection Molding Design Guide
Wall thickness, draft, ribs, bosses, and gate location for injection-molded parts. The design rules our 12-point DFM review checks before steel is cut.
- 02
Sheet Metal Design Guide
Bend radius, bend relief, hole placement, K-factor, and a gauge-and-material chart. How to design a sheet metal part that forms right the first time.
- 03
PPAP vs APQP
What PPAP and APQP are, the five PPAP submission levels, how FAI and AS9102 fit, and when each applies. A plain-language reference for buyers and engineers.
- 04
Prototype vs Production Tooling
MUD, bridge, and SPI tooling compared: mold classes 101 to 105, tool life, tolerances, and where volume and cost cross over. When to move from a soft tool to hardened steel.