While STEP-NC is in its earliest phases and moving at a steady pace, there are a variety of its components that can be explored by the moldmaking industry. In the long run, manufacturers will have a choice as to how they provide STEP-NC data to their machine tools. […]
Visualize this e-capable manufacturing scenario. A job shop downloads a 3-D model in the STEP file format from a website. The STEP file provides direct input (STEP-NC) for the machine tool – product information such as geometry, features, machining steps and toolpaths. […]
In a nutshell, STEP defines a standard for CAD product design data including geometry, topology, tolerances, relationships, attributes, assemblies, configuration and more. STEP-NC is an extension of STEP that annotates product design information with manufacturing information such as tooling, stock, manufacturing features and process sequence. […]
Generally, users of this new online translation will evaluate this new service in several areas including: results, ease-of-use, time savings, and of course, cost. […]
Fortunately, valuable information and related services are now being provided via the Internet. Businesses of all types and sizes can access sites customized for their specific interests and needs. These sites cut through all of the clutter, offering a single source for industry-specific information, tools and services. […]
Usually the designer begins with a preliminary part design, which means the work around the core and cavity could change. After the calculation of the optimal draft of the part, the position and direction of the cavity, slides and inserts have to be defined. The 3-D system supports the designer with the calculation of a [...]
Three dimensional-based mold design solutions are being used for the development of injection molds, allowing mold tooling companies to shorten their development times and automate mold manufacturing. […]
Stress relieving is an intermediate heat treatment procedure to reduce induced residual stresses as a result of machining, fabrication and welding. The application of heat to the steel during its machining or fabrication will assist in removing residual stresses that will, unless addressed during the manufacturing by stress relieving, manifest themselves at the final heat [...]
Normalizing is a process that makes the grain size normal. This process is usually carried out after forging, extrusion, drawing or heavy bending operations. […]
Annealing is the process of heating the steel to a particular temperature in the austenite region and cooling down the steel very slowly. There are many derivatives of the annealing process, but generally the process is a slow cool process. […]