Design for manufacture · draft and parting lines
Where the tool splits, and how the part comes out.
Draft and parting lines decide whether a part releases cleanly, where the witness line shows and how long the tool lasts. We review them for the route your part will actually run on.
The detail
DFM: draft and parting lines, at group level.
Flexible materials forgive a lot, which is why silicone parts are often drawn with no draft at all. That works on a hand-poured tool and fails on a compression or injection tool. The review looks at your drawing through the lens of the real route.
We also look at where the parting line lands on the part — on a cosmetic face, a sealing edge or somewhere nobody will see — and suggest moving it where it matters.
Back to Design for manufacture, across five moulding routes.
What's involved
Six parts of the work.
Draft for the route
What's fine for a flexible silicone mould and what a steel tool needs.
Parting line placement
Kept off sealing faces and cosmetic surfaces where possible.
Flash control
Shut-off design so flash is minimal and in a trimmable place.
Split moulds
Where a flexible tool needs cutting, planned so it registers every time.
Texture and draft
Textured faces need more draft; we check both together.
Marked-up drawing
Changes shown on your drawing, ranked by how much they matter.
How it runs
Four steps, in order.
- 01
Send the model
STEP, IGES or native CAD; a drawing is fine to start.
- 02
Review
Draft and parting lines assessed for the intended route.
- 03
Mark-up
Suggested changes returned, ranked.
- 04
Freeze
Agreed design signed off before tooling.
Is it right for you?
An honest fit check.
A good fit when
- Your part was designed without draft
- A witness line is showing on a cosmetic face
- Parts are tearing or sticking on release
- You're moving a part from a flexible tool to a steel one
Probably not the answer when
- The design is locked by a customer and can't change
- You need industrial design, not manufacturability review
- The part isn't silicone, PU or rubber
At a glance
The idea in a picture.
One enquiry, the right team
- 01One enquiryTell us what you need
- 02Right divisionWe bring in the specialists
- 03One quoteCovering every part of the job
- 04Named contactOne person keeps it moving
- 05DeliveredMoulds, parts or both
Swipe to see the whole diagram
FAQs
Common questions.
Do you need a 3D model?
It helps. A dimensioned drawing works for a first review.
Will you change the look of my part?
Only with your agreement. We rank changes so you can protect what matters.
Is the review charged?
Not for a first pass on a job we're quoting.
Related
The rest of this service.
Undercuts, internal features and inserts, worked out before tooling.
Flexible moulds let us release undercuts that rigid tools can't. Steel tools need cores, side actions or a redesign.…
How many cavities, and how to make them all fill the same.
More cavities per shot lowers unit cost — if every cavity fills, cures and releases the same. The layout review sets…
Design for manufacture, across five moulding routes.
A part designed for one process doesn't necessarily suit another. Our DFM review covers all five moulding routes we run…
The group
Delivered across the group
This work is coordinated by TCI Group and carried out by whichever of the four divisions suits your part.
Get in touch
Not sure which division? Tell us what you're making.
Send us a sketch, a photograph, or a paragraph. We'll come back with the right division, the right route, and an honest sense of what it will take.
Real people, a real workshop
You deal with the people who make it.
No call centre and no middlemen. When you contact TCI Group, you speak to the team who design, build and check your mould.
- A real Warwickshire workshopUnit 15, Waterloo Park, Bidford-on-Avon, Alcester B50 4JG.
- Real people on the phoneCall the team on 01789 224228, Monday to Friday.
- The same team on every jobDesign, production and aftercare come from the people you see here.
- Five brands, one teamMoulds, culinary, construction and contract products, all run from Bidford-on-Avon. See the divisions.
Thomas LaneManaging Director
George PrestonDesign & Project Manager
Kelly BallingerHead of Partnerships
Jim AndertonProduction Manager
TheodoreEmployee Welfare