Required Change: Minimum Thickness

Your part has thin features that need to be increased in thickness to the minimum indicated by the color code.

Earlier, we talked about how some required changes are driven by the thickness needed to maintain machinability. In this case, the BLUE wall faces are less than 0.020 in. (0.508mm) in thickness. To machine this feature, we need to use our smallest endmill. The thinnest feature that we’re able machine is 0.020 in. (0.508mm), so to resolve this change, you would just need to increase the thickness of the circular features to a minimum of 0.020 in. (0.508mm).

Required Change: Draft and Thickness

0.5° minimum draft is required on faces with arrows. Arrows indicate the pull direction for faces in the mold.

Unsurprisingly, draft and thickness are exactly what you think. If you recall our tip on types of endmills, many of them require draft in order to mill a feature of a certain depth. In the case of a draft and thickness requirement, the feature thickness must be increased to fit the tool diameter required to mill it, but the vertical faces on the feature must also be drafted to facilitate the draft angle of the cutter. These required changes are most common on features that are both thin and deep.

One thing to note: We do have some flexibility when it comes to required changes for draft and thickness. Specifically, we can reduce the draft needed in exchange for a higher thickness requirement, and vice versa. Review those possibilities with one of our applications engineers to see if your part would qualify.