This article describes the procedures for rapidly estimating the approximat
e manufacturing cost of a molded part through the utilization of a computer
program developed specifically for this task. The estimated cost includes
the costs of material, mold, and processing. The procedures involve identif
ying those manufacturing-related features or design attributes that tend to
significantly increase manufacturing costs so that costly features can be
avoided. The procedures developed are not dependent on the creation of a ge
ometric model, and can be used to assess quantitatively a preliminary conce
pt sketch. A ease example is presented to illustrate the application of the
cost-estimating procedures developed. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.