Required Clamp Force

Required clamp force affects machine selection (see Machine Feasibility and Selection) and tooling costs (including costs associated with mold borders and tryout time). It is calculated with the following formula:

Required Clamp Force = ((Part Projected Area * Number of Cavities) + Runner Area) *

Material Clamp Force * Clamp Safety Factor / 1000

Required clamp force depends on the following factors:

• Part projected area (obtained from required PSO—see Part Surface Area, Projected Area and Perimeter, and Wall Thickness)

• Number of cavities (see Number of Mold Cavities)

• Runner area (see formula below)

• Clamping force associated with the material

• Clamp safety factor

Runner Area = Number of Cavities * (Part Length + Part Width) * (Nominal Wall Thickness + 1.5)

Runner area depends on the following:

• Number of cavities (see Number of Mold Cavities)

• Part dimensions (obtained from cavity dimensions—see Part Length, Width, and Height)

• Nominal wall thickness (see Nominal Wall Thickness)