Rotational Moulding Design

Rotational moulding is a unique and versatile plastic moulding process. It is often used to make large plastic hollow objects, and has many advantages over other moulding methods for products with these characteristics. As a designer, the moulding process needs to be considered to ensure your product ends up with the required physical properties.

There are numerous rotomoulding techniques that go beyond designing and moulding a simple plastic hollow shape. These include inserts, removable inserts, clever use of part lines, kiss offs, multi layering, foam, alternative materials, complex geometric design, surface finishes and graphics.

If your product will be subjected to stresses during its lifecycle it is recommended to computer simulate these stresses before finalising your design, otherwise called Finite Element Analysis, or FEA. This process will help identify areas that may need specific attention.

Most importantly, we recommend you consult with your rotomoulder before committing to tooling so that you can benefit from their practical experience and ensure that your mould is optimised for production. There may be practical moulding considerations and techniques that can improve processing quality and consistency, optimise part weight, and reduce processing times, which will in turn reduce product cost.