With nearly 30 years of industry experience, Ben Nel of BP Nel Consulting (3DDFM) leads our Design for

Injection Molding training. Injection molding is widely used for large-volume plastic part design,

especially in industries like medical devices, consumer goods, and automotive . This course provides a

fundamental overview of plastic part design for injection molding – examining plastics, part geometry, and

manufacturing considerations . You’ll learn to optimize designs for uniform wall thickness, proper draft

angles and other key features to reduce cost and defects, ensuring faster time-to-market. Our expert

guidance helps you apply design for manufacturability principles so your designs are easier to tool and

produce at scale.

• Design Fundamentals: Wall thickness, flow length, draft angles, radii and other part features optimized to prevent defects.

• Material & Process: Thermoplastic vs. thermoset behavior, melt flow index, shrinkage and material selection.

• Defect Prevention: Recognizing and avoiding common injection-molding issues like warpage, sink marks, voids and short shots.

• Cost Efficiency: How part geometry and material choice affect tooling cost.

• Industry Best Practices: Practical design checklists and real-world case studies to reinforce robust design-for-manufacture strategies in a plastic design guide format.

Ben Nel is a veteran mechanical engineer (BSc) with almost three decades of experience in product design

for manufacture. He has helped companies worldwide develop innovative plastic products, applying proven

DFM methodologies to reduce cost and improve quality. Recognized as a Top Rated Plus freelancer on

Upwork (top 3% globally), he brings real-world credibility to our courses. You’ll benefit from Ben’s clear,

authoritative teaching style – covering both fundamentals and advanced concepts – backed by the latest

industry best practices. All course materials are 100% digital, so you get instant access, lifetime reference,

and the flexibility to learn at your own pace on any device.

While our flagship course is on injection molding design, 3DDFM Consulting is building a full suite of

design-for-manufacture courses. Forthcoming courses include:

- Advanced Injection Molding Design – deeper into complex mold design and multi-material molding.

- Design for Sheet Metal Fabrication – fundamentals of sheet metal part design and tooling.

- Plastic Blow Molding Design – guide to designing blow-molded parts.

- Rotational Molding Design – principles of rotomolded product design.

Each new course will expand our design for manufacture courses lineup, creating an ultimate plastic

design guide library for engineers and students.

At BP Nel Consulting, we envision a world where innovative ideas seamlessly translate into efficient,

manufacturable products. Our mission is to bridge the gap between design and production by empowering

engineers and designers with knowledge. We are committed to evolving our training platform into the

premier resource for DFM education – a one-stop plastic design guide spanning injection molding, sheet

metal, and all major manufacturing processes. By sharing decades of experience through practical courses

and guides, we aim to raise design standards and streamline product development for years to come.