Once a mold designer has imported and repaired part geometry, moldmakers can save additional time and reduce the volume of back-and-forth communications by using a 3-D CAD package that automates the process of creating a mold model for the part,

evaluating the moldability of the part, and communicating design change recommendations to the customer, before finalizing the proposal. These kinds of capabilities can condense the time and effort required to achieve the baseline mold on which the proposal is predicated, as well as enhance the accuracy of the proposal in comparison with the final production mold.

In most cases, mold designers use the part geometry to design the cavity and core for the mold by applying a shrinkage factor to the part based on its material. Look for CAD packages that can automate the tasks typically associated with developing a mold model from the part, such as suggesting the optimal parting line based on the direction of draft within the part, rectifying areas of insufficient draft by expediting draft angle correction, and generating parting surfaces for molds, either automatically for simple molds or by providing the modeling and surfacing tools necessary for creating parting surfaces manually for complex molds. Can the CAD package conduct undercut analysis to pinpoint captive areas that may require sliders, lifters or cores? Can the designer check part wall thicknesses to address areas that are either too thick or too thin? Does the design platform automate the modeling of inserts, cores and pins, as well as the side core and lifter geometry required to extract finished parts from molds?

These capabilities can help moldmakers accelerate interrogation of the part, identification of necessary changes based on potential production issues, and development of the optimal mold to produce the part at volume. Access to design communication tools that enable moldmakers to communicate these findings to part designers quickly, inexpensively and effectively can further facilitate this processā€”documenting and resolving production issues prior to the actual submittal of the proposal.