Rotational Molding Design

Blue-Reed, LLC
Part Design and

Tooling for
Rotational Molding :
How to Achieve Success in Every Project
Gregory Stout
Blue-Reed, LLC
4191 Courtiff Circle
Stow, Ohio 44224
www.blue-reed.com
Gregory Stout
Rotational Molding Design p. 330.688.1324 e. gstout@blue-reed.com
Introduction
• Greg Stout - designer specializing in

hollow plastic parts.
• Over (17) years experience with

rotational molding process.
• SolidWorks
• This presentation will illustrate how part

design and tooling design influence and
affect each other.
Gregory Stout
Tooling and Part Design
• All design has limitations to obey or

follow.
• Material limitations.
• Mold or Tooling limitations
• Machine or Oven limitations.
• To achieve success in your designs

you must understand and know your
options.
Gregory Stout
Tooling Options
• Cast Aluminum molds.
• Fabricated Aluminum or Steel

molds.
• CNC molds.
Gregory Stout
Tooling Advantages
• Cast Aluminum molds:

1. Can Mold Very Complex shapes
2. Can use Pattern or Model as a design check
before pouring metal.
• Fabricated Aluminum or Steel molds:

1. Can Mold Nearly as Complex shapes
2. Can be lower cost.
3. Requires no Pattern or Model
4. Thinner mold wall makes for faster heat transfer.
5. Extremely large molds can be made
• CNC molds:
1. Very close dimensional tolerances can be held.
2. Requires no Pattern or Model
3. No Porosity
Gregory Stout
Part Design
• The following are examples of how the mold

design was manipulated to help make the parts
be manufactured successfully.
Gregory Stout
Dog Waste Receptacle & Bag Dispenser
• Two parts from two molds that

hinge together to form one part.
The top lid is a dispenser and the
bottom is a receptacle.
Gregory Stout
• An inside look shows how diverse the parts are. The bottom
has no restrictions to shrink while the top has to shrink around
a large core.
Gregory Stout
Features:
• Two large core pins. • Routered hole for bag insertion.
• One small core pin. • Routered holes for bag dispensing.
• Large graphic area. • Pull pins for hinges.
Gregory Stout
• Core is very deep in cavity to accommodate pull pins on

the side of the part and for the head of the router for the
hole to insert the boxes of bags.
• Notice the crown in the graphic area to fight warp.
Gregory Stout
Features:
• Large graphic area • Recess in center for
mounting post
• Drilled holes for hinge to
match molded in holes • Drilled drain holes in bottom.
for lid.
Gregory Stout
Problem:
The lid has restricted shrinkage and the bottom

has no restrictions on shrinkage. How will the
parts mate together if they don’t shrink the
same?
Solution:
Since the top will not shrink as much as the
bottom part, ¼” was taken out of the width of the
bottom and 1/8” was taken out of the depth of the
bottom part.
Gregory Stout
Pontoon Bass Boat
• A Boat that was

originally vacuum
formed in two pieces
and then glued together.
Now molded as one
piece and foam filled.
Gregory Stout
Pontoon Bass Boat
• Boat has to be strong and solid in feel when stood on.

• Walls have to withstand clamping force of motor mount and
forces when motor is running.
Gregory Stout
Pontoon Bass Boat
• Foam filling has to happen in mold and no holes can be left

open.
• Areas in the mold have to be close enough to form a kiss-off
and yet open enough to let both materials flow.
Gregory Stout
Pontoon Bass Boat
• Drop Boxes were used for foaming the part in mold.

• Study was done to find out the optimal kiss-off, foaming
distance.
• Holes from the Drop Boxes were filled with an additional
storage feature for the part.
Gregory Stout
29 Gal. Gas Walker
• Many threaded features

• Had to pass DOT Packaging Certification tests
• Needed to have consumer appeal.
Gregory Stout
29 Gal. Gas Walker
• Many molded in graphics as well as post molded

graphics
• Many ribs for strength also add problems with porosity
at P/L for mold maker.
Gregory Stout
29 Gal. Gas Walker
• Large center core difficult for mold

maker to pour.
• Part had to be stackable for
shipment and for testing.
• DOT Testing spec.: Part had to
withstand 1100 lbs. stacking force
for 28 days with no deformation.
• DOT Testing spec.: Hydrostatic
Pressure of 17.5 PSI for 30 min.
with no deformation.
• Part had to have no more than
.200” wall thickness.
Gregory Stout
29 Gal. Gas Walker
• Ribs to prevent
distortion from tests.
• Must hold at least the
amount on label.
• Limited room for
threaded caps and
bushings
• Be careful of narrow
walls for finishing and
texturing.
Gregory Stout
29 Gal. Gas Walker
• Pull pins for axle

pins through two
walls on each side
for strength.
• Molded in insert for
hose valve is a tight
area for machining in
the mold
Gregory Stout
Sharbade Scooter
• Game scooter for children, adults and for the

physically disabled.
• Has to support 250 lb. athlete.
• Has to approximate design of current foam
covered plywood scooter.
Gregory Stout
Sharbade Scooter
• Part had to be deep enough to allow resin

powder movement and to charge it in one mold
half. 3:1 is standard but can go lower.
• Needed to run FEA to determine amount and
style of slots.
Gregory Stout
Sharbade Scooter
• FEA results were very good in both stress and

deformation. Hint: Red – bad; Blue – good!
• The plastic part could actually hold 440 lbs. easily.
• Warning: FEA is a design guide. Actual behavior of
product could be different. Too many processing variables.
Gregory Stout
Sharbade Scooter
• Slots or holes give you the most added strength.

• If the part were larger, wider slots would give more room for
an opening in the flange in the tool to help with air flow.
Gregory Stout
Sharbade Scooter
• Mounting posts in the slots make for better shut-off, no flash.

• Don’t make slots so narrow that the tool will be solid resulting
in a cold spot which will make for a thin wall.
Gregory Stout
Sharbade Scooter
• Registration in the slot bosses to keep mismatch of P/L to a

minimum.
• Vent hole will be covered up on the finished part by the caster
mounting plate.
• Quick-Sert pins to hold the molded in inserts for the casters.
Gregory Stout
Tank/Skid
• Customer needs large tank in certain

sized footprint.
• Must be able to move with a hand
truck or a tow motor.
• Oh, no! Two sizes are needed!
Gregory Stout
Tank/Skid
• Larger size- no problem. Use an

additional mold piece to enlarge the
tank portion of the mold.
• Whaddaya mean it’s got to fit in the
oven!??
Gregory Stout
Tank/Skid Oven Fit
• Modeled the molders oven

• Expanded the part to include part shrink
• Modeled the P/L flange, mounting posts and spider tubing.
• Insert model assembly into the oven and look for conflicts with
oven limits and the part- remember mold wall thickness
Gregory Stout
Tank/Skid Oven Fit
• Areas that had to be adjusted were the hose hanger

at the top right had to move in and the threaded cap
needed to move closer to the center- a clamp has to
hold it in.
Gregory Stout
Tank/Skid
• Mold with insert for larger size

tank capacity.
• Fabricated aluminum mold.
Gregory Stout
Typical Fab Mold
• Square mounting posts that are

welded on.
• Flat P/L with dowel pin registration.
Gregory Stout
Multi-Piece Fab Mold
• Clamping Parting lines in different planes.
Gregory Stout
Multi-Piece Fab Mold
• Another view
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Round parts are best parted through the

cross section rather than down the length
to ensure roundness. The lengthwise
parting line will make the part come out
oval shaped instead of round.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Large sheet metal mold.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Some parts of a Fab mold may be machined.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Fabricated mold with kiss-offs.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Multiple piece Fabricated mold.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Fab molds are repeatable.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Fabricated molds can be very large and of

complex shapes.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Computer generated 3D models are used

by some fabricated mold makers to make
the sheet metal pieces.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Large fabricated mold with complex

geometry.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• The backside of the same mold.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Bending the sheet metal for the fab mold.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• A Sheet Metal tube mold.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Sheet Metal tube mold spot welded.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• More complex shapes from

a fab mold.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Large pull pins to create holes in the part in

a fabricated mold.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Clamping directly through the parting line

flange on a fabricated mold.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Fine polish of a sheet metal mold.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Complex parting line in a fabricated mold.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Molded in arrow logo in a fabricated mold.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Kiss-offs and other complex geometry.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Duplicates of fabricated molds.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Another very large fabricated mold. Too

large to be cast in one piece.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Nice crisp lines.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Spider tubing bent instead of pieced welded

together. Very clean and strong.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Clamping directly through a very complex

parting line.
Gregory Stout
Fab Mold
• Large cone shaped mold.
Gregory Stout
6 Gal. Fuel Tank – Cast Mold
• A three piece cast mold with

one male thread and two
female threads molded in.
Room must be left for the pins
and bushings.
Gregory Stout
Cabinet – Cast Mold
• Cast mold with

multiple pieces on
slides and hinges,
with pull pins and
molded in inserts.
Gregory Stout
Spider Height Issues
• Die spring within mounting post. A way

to reduce the overall spider height.
Gregory Stout
Spot Teflon Coating
• Spot Teflon coating allows

areas with deep cores to be
pulled easier.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• Multiple piece cast mold.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• Multiple piece cast mold. Notice the

heavy duty slide for the mold piece on
the right.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• Completely removable mold piece.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• The other side.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• Close up of slide for large mold piece.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• Mold opened on slide.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• Another view of the slide.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• The inside of the cast mold with Brown

Teflon coating.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• Another view.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• Kiss-Offs for strength.

• Difficult for the foundry.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• Multiple piece mold on

slides and hinges enable
molding of what would
have been undercut. Nice
mold detail to the right.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• A precision slide for a molded undercut.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• Close up of slide.
Gregory Stout
Various Clamps
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Pneumatic Clamp
• Normally used on multiple cavity spiders

to clamp and unclamp quickly.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• Heat pins or fins attracts more heat

to a particular mold area which will
thicken the part wall in that area.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• Heat pins can be put all over.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• More heat pins! To help reduce cycle time.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• Heat pins used to help heat a deep core

that would be difficult to get hot oven air to.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• The model is
often used to
communicate
parting line and
other info.
• This is a wooden pattern or model -
critical to making the cast mold. The
model has both plastic material shrink
and aluminum shrink factored in so it is
actually larger than what the part will be.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• Foundry tooling to make the sands

that the metal is poured into.
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Cast Mold
• Pouring molten aluminum into the sand

castings.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• Mold polishing. Necessary in all mold

making.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• Another multiple piece mold.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• Close up of a kiss-off in a
cast mold.
• Usually a good idea to
leave metal safe in the
mold to allow the molder
to adjust.
Gregory Stout
Cast Mold
• A cast mold with an insulated

area on top. This will make
the insulated area mold a
large open area.
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Mounting Plate
• A mounting plate.
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Grate
• This is a grate for mounting

numerous dissimilar molds.
Gregory Stout
Grate Mount
• Two molds mounted on a grate.
Gregory Stout
Multiple Mold Spider
• Multiple molds on a spider to make more

parts in the same amount of time.
Gregory Stout
Air Amplifiers
• Air Amplifiers direct the heated air to a

particular area that may be difficult to heat
or to make a particular area’s wall thickness
thicker.
Gregory Stout
Pull Pins
• Pull pins are used to create molded in

holes in parts.
Gregory Stout
European Mold Making
• The following are examples of how the European

mold makers are making strides in our industry.
Gregory Stout
Cast Molds
• A large complex cast mold with a lot of different mold

pieces to produce a lot of different configurations.
Gregory Stout
CNC Molds
• CNC molds
make up
approximately
40% of the
molds sold
there.
Gregory Stout
CNC Molds
• Nice multiple piece CNC mold.
Gregory Stout
CNC Molds
• Another good example.
Gregory Stout
CNC Molds
• A CNC mold for a liquid nylon

part.
Gregory Stout
CNC Molds
• Another complex mold!
Gregory Stout
Model, Mold, and Part Inspection
• Available with
some mold
makers in the Complete Moulds
USA. CTR Dimensional
control, to ensure
Tolerances,
Shrinkage and
correct Shape.
Gregory Stout
Machines
• The next slides will talk about advancement in

automation for the rotomolding machines.
Gregory Stout
Leonardo Machine
• A fully automated
rotomolding
machine – no
operator!
• When will we see
them in the US –
Very soon!
• See the
presentation later
today!
Gregory Stout
Leonardo Machine
• Human resource reduced to machine set-

up, human influence eliminated from the
product quality.
• Improved product quality thanks by the

uniform wall thickness distribution.
• Increased productivity.
• Absence of mould refurbishment needed.
• Clean and fresh working area.
Gregory Stout
Leonardo Machine
• Automatic mould opening/closing.
• Automatic moulds control: product

demolding, inserts loading, material
loading, mould temperature control.
• Alarm signals in case of danger or

Dysfunctions.
• Automatic product demolding.
• Accurate Material dosing system.
Gregory Stout
Summary
Thank-you
Any Questions?
www.blue-reed.com
Gregory Stout

Rotational Molding Design

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Blue-Reed, LLC

Part Design and

• Greg Stout - designer specializing in

• Over (17) years experience with

• This presentation will illustrate how part

• All design has limitations to obey or

• Mold or Tooling limitations

• Machine or Oven limitations.

• To achieve success in your designs

• Cast Aluminum molds.

• Fabricated Aluminum or Steel

• Cast Aluminum molds:

• Fabricated Aluminum or Steel molds:

• The following are examples of how the mold

• Two parts from two molds that

• Core is very deep in cavity to accommodate pull pins on

The lid has restricted shrinkage and the bottom

• A Boat that was

• Boat has to be strong and solid in feel when stood on.

• Foam filling has to happen in mold and no holes can be left

• Drop Boxes were used for foaming the part in mold.

• Many threaded features

• Many molded in graphics as well as post molded

• Large center core difficult for mold

• Pull pins for axle

• Game scooter for children, adults and for the

• Part had to be deep enough to allow resin

• FEA results were very good in both stress and

• Slots or holes give you the most added strength.

• Mounting posts in the slots make for better shut-off, no flash.

• Registration in the slot bosses to keep mismatch of P/L to a

• Customer needs large tank in certain

• Larger size- no problem. Use an

• Modeled the molders oven

• Areas that had to be adjusted were the hose hanger

• Mold with insert for larger size

• Square mounting posts that are

• Clamping Parting lines in different planes.

• Round parts are best parted through the

• Large sheet metal mold.

• Some parts of a Fab mold may be machined.

• Fabricated mold with kiss-offs.

• Multiple piece Fabricated mold.

• Fab molds are repeatable.

• Fabricated molds can be very large and of

• Computer generated 3D models are used

• Large fabricated mold with complex

• The backside of the same mold.

• Bending the sheet metal for the fab mold.

• A Sheet Metal tube mold.

• Sheet Metal tube mold spot welded.

• More complex shapes from

• Large pull pins to create holes in the part in

• Clamping directly through the parting line

• Fine polish of a sheet metal mold.

• Complex parting line in a fabricated mold.

• Molded in arrow logo in a fabricated mold.

• Kiss-offs and other complex geometry.

• Duplicates of fabricated molds.

• Another very large fabricated mold. Too

• Nice crisp lines.

• Spider tubing bent instead of pieced welded

• Clamping directly through a very complex