Custom mouse shell moulding

We have design and production capabilities related to Custom mouse shell moulding, such as: CAD design, mold manufacturing, injection molding, plastic product production, assembly and other technologies. In addition, our company has established cooperative relationships with plastic raw material suppliers, printing manufacturers, etc. to ensure the supply of raw materials and printing quality. Through our rich experience and perfect supply chain, our company can provide customers with high-quality customized Custom mouse shell moulding products to meet their specific needs. At the same time, we have 10 years of professional foreign trade service experience, understand the foreign trade process, and better serve our customers. For Custom mouse shell moulding products, we can make corresponding plastic parts, which is mainly done through injection molds.

Custom mouse housings fall under the category of small, thin-walled cosmetic structural components for consumer electronics; they consist of parts such as the top shell, bottom shell, button mounts, side covers, and scroll wheel trim. Materials typically include ABS or PC/ABS, with high-end models utilizing PC, while anti-slip side grips can be produced via TPU dual-material overmolding. These housings must meet strict aesthetic standards (Class A surfaces free of weld lines, sink marks, or scratches) while ensuring precise assembly clearances, tactile button feedback, and resistance to drops and creep. Furthermore, as **custom components**, they often feature complex styling, numerous curved surfaces, and significant wall thickness variations, making them more prone to molding defects than standard mouse housings. The following sections outline key molding considerations, covering preliminary structural review, mold design, raw material control, injection molding processes, post-processing, and quality risk points.

## I. Pre-production Phase: Structural Design Review (The stage most prone to pitfalls)

The primary challenge with custom mouse housings is that clients often prioritize aesthetic creativity over injection molding feasibility. Designs frequently incorporate complex curves, sharp angles, and ultra-thin features; while visually appealing, these designs may be impossible to mass-produce reliably. Therefore, a **DFM (Design for Manufacturability) review is mandatory before mold fabrication

Wall Thickness Contro

The recommended wall thickness for the main mouse housing is **1.2–1.6 mm**; uniform thickness is crucial for molding stability. Custom designs often feature localized areas exceeding 2.0 mm or falling below 1.0 mm in thickness. Thick-walled areas cool slowly, making them highly susceptible to sink marks, depressions, and internal vacuum voids. Conversely, wall thicknesses under 1.0 mm are considered ultra-thin; they are difficult to fill, requiring extremely high injection speeds, which increases the risk of material burning or short shots.

Transitions between wall thicknesses must be gradual; abrupt right-angle changes are prohibited. Use radius (R) fillets to transition from thick to thin sections to prevent stress concentration. The thickness of screw bosses and reinforcing ribs should be less than 70% of the main wall thickness, and rib bases should feature R0.2–R0.3 fillets to prevent sink marks on the opposite surface.

Draft Angles

The draft angle for the outer surface of the housing (Class A cosmetic surface) must be at least **1.0°–1.5°**. If the mold cavity features a textured finish, the draft angle must increase with the texture depth: ≥2° for fine textures and ≥3° for coarse textures; otherwise, demolding may cause scuffing or tearing on the cosmetic surface. For internal structures, snap-fits, and ribs, the draft angle should be 0.5°–1°. Given the custom housing's complex free-form surfaces—where draft angles vary across different locations—each surface requires individual inspection; localized undercut features must utilize sliders or lifters rather than relying on forced ejection.

Snap-fits and Assembly Structures**

The custom mouse's upper and lower housings are joined via snap-fits. As thin-walled cantilever structures, these snap-fits are prone to post-molding deformation, which can result in uneven gaps or misaligned steps (mismatches) at the mating seam. To mitigate this, the base of the snap-fit should be thickened and filleted, with the wall thickness controlled between 0.8 mm and 1.0 mm. Snap-fits should be positioned as far as possible from the gate to minimize deformation caused by holding pressure.

Openings for mouse buttons, the scroll wheel, and side buttons cause the melt to flow around the voids, creating weld lines. These weld lines are structurally weak points prone to fracturing during drop tests. During the design phase, weld lines should ideally be positioned in non-cosmetic, low-stress areas; adding flow-directing fillets to the edges of openings can improve melt convergence.

Fillets and Sharp Corners**

Sharp corners on cosmetic surfaces are difficult to fill during injection molding; trapped air at these points can cause burning, while stress concentration on sharp mold corners makes them prone to chipping during production. All sharp cosmetic corners must be rounded with a radius of at least R0.3, and transitions between cosmetic curved surfaces should have a radius of R ≥ 0.5 mm.

Mold Design Essentials (Custom housing molds directly determine cosmetic quality and dimensional yield)

Parting Line and Gate Design

The custom mouse features complex curved surfaces; the parting line must avoid the Class A cosmetic surface on the top of the product and instead be placed on the bottom or side—areas not visible during normal use—to prevent flash or parting line marks from compromising the appearance. **Submarine gates** (or tunnel gates) are the preferred choice, positioned on the inner side of the bottom shell or the underside of the top shell to avoid leaving gate marks on visible surfaces. For large, thin-walled top shells with complex curvature, **fan gates** may be used to improve melt flow and reduce jetting marks. Gate dimensions must not be too small; undersized gates cause excessive shear heating and high internal stress. Conversely, gates must not freeze off prematurely, as this prevents the transmission of holding pressure, leading to sink marks.

balanced runner system** is required for 1-cavity-2 or 1-cavity-4 mold configurations to ensure consistent filling across all cavities and prevent discrepancies in weight or dimensions between the left and right shell components.

Venting System**

Mouse shells feature complex curves and numerous openings; air entrapment frequently occurs at melt convergence points, the ends of flow paths, rib locations, and snap-fit areas, potentially causing burn marks, weld lines, or bubbles. Vent depth should be set to 0.02mm for ABS and 0.015mm for PC/ABS, with a width of 8–12mm and an expansion channel at the vent's end. Dedicated venting inserts should be placed at weld line locations; venting must also be provided at slider and lifter positions, as sliders are often overlooked sources of air entrapment.

Cooling System**

Due to the irregular curvature of the custom shell, cooling channels cannot simply follow a straight-hole layout; **conformal cooling channels** that follow the product's shape should be used whenever possible to ensure uniform cavity and core temperatures. Temperature differentials between the top and bottom shell molds can lead to uneven shrinkage and warping; once warped, the assembly may suffer from visible gaps or sticking buttons.

Cooling channels for visible surfaces should be positioned 8–12mm from the cavity surface. Baffles or cooling pins should be added at screw bosses and thick rib locations to reduce localized hot spots and mitigate sink marks. Independent mold temperature controllers are required to manage cavity and core temperatures separately.

Mold Materials and Surface Treatment**

For high-gloss shells, NAK80 or S136 steel should be used for the cavity, finished with mirror polishing; for matte or textured finishes, pre-hardened steel is used, followed by texturing (etching). Polishing the curved surfaces of custom housings is challenging; the process must avoid defects such as "orange peel" and waviness. Molds require proper protection after polishing, and the mold cavity must be cleaned prior to production.

Slides and lifters are employed to handle undercuts, side buttons, and concave surface features. Since custom mice often feature irregularly shaped side buttons, the clearance between slides must be strictly controlled to prevent flash. Additionally, slides require wear-resistant treatment to ensure dimensional stability and prevent wear during long-term production.

We are a Custom mouse shell moulding manufacturer, providing high-quality Custom mouse shell moulding manufacturing. As long as you want to customize/develop Custom mouse shell moulding products, you can find us. We have professional injection mold design and mature manufacturing technology, providing you with one-stop service, from product design-mold making-product production-product packaging-product transportation, we can help you in every link. As long as you come to us, we will provide you with the ultimate service and satisfy you in terms of product quality, production time, information dialogue, etc.

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We are Custom Plastic Mold factory. Our factory is plastic injection mold maker. we has 17 years of experience in professional custom plastic mold and 10 years of foreign trade experience. We are custom Plastic Mold supplier. We can provide custom Plastic Mold service. Our factory can make the Injection molded plastic parts, and the quality of the products will satisfy you.

We have more than 50 high-end machines and hundreds of engineers and designers. We can provide one-stop service, from product design - mold making - product production - product packaging - transportation. We have a complete production chain. We can meet all your requirements.

Services we provide:

Professional custom mold service, Plastic mold design and manufacturing .plastic product production, product design, mold design, blow mold customization, rotational mold customization, die-casting mold customization. 3D printing services, CNC manufacturing services, product packaging, customized packaging, shipping services.

We always adhere to the principles of quality first and time first. While providing customers with the highest quality products, try to maximize the production efficiency and shorten production time. We are proud to tell every customer that our company has not lost any customer since its establishment.If there is a problem with the product, we will seek a solution actively and take responsibility to the end.

FAQ

Q1: Are you trading company or manufacturer ?

A: We are manufacturers.

Q2. When can I get the quotation?

A: We usually quote within 2 days after we get your inquiry.

If you are very urgent, please call us or tell us in your email so that we can quote for you first.

Q3. How long is the lead-time for mold?

A: It all depends on the products' size and complexity. Normally, the lead time is 25 days.

Q4. I have no 3D drawing, how should I start the new project?

A: You can supply us a molding sample, we will help you finish the 3D drawing design.

Q5. Before shipment, how to make sure the products quality?

A: If you don't come to our factory and also don't have the third party for inspection, we will be as your inspection worker.

We will supply you a video for production process detail include process report, products size structure and surface detail, packing detail and so on.

Q6. What is your payment terms?

A: Mold Payment: 40% deposit by T/T in advance, 30% second mold payment before sending out the first trial samples, 30% mold balance after you agree the final samples.

B:Production Payment: 50% deposit in advance, 50% before sending out the final goods.

Q7: How do you make our business long-term and good relationship?

A:1. We keep good quality and competitive price to ensure our customers benefit for best quality products.

2. We respect every customer as our friend and we sincerely do business and make friends with them, no matter where they come from.