A purchase order has been promised by the customer for weeks, and finally the green light has been given to the mold design team. No sooner has the design started and the shop foreman is asking when steel can be ordered, as the shop needs work. […]
The design of an extrusion profile has a large impact on how readily it can be extruded. The maximum size for an extrusion is determined by finding the smallest circle that will fit around the cross-section, this is called the circumscribing circle. […]
Thickness analysis software is a CAD tool that facilitates the measurement and validation of wall thickness of 3-D CAD models. It accelerates the design review process for manufacturability, enabling designs to move to prototyping and production stages much faster. Unlike the traditional measurement tools, the right thickness analysis software should be fast and easy to [...]
It is somewhat ironic that software companies are promoting closer integration when an increasing number of toolmakers are separating design and manufacture by putting responsibility for CAM onto the shop floor. This approach gives a number of potential advantages. […]
Designing a product for high production tooling involves considerations that must be closely evaluated: gating location, part ejection, wall thickness, material flow characteristics, cycle time, hot runner feasibility and assembly at high rates. […]
The following guidelines should be considered:Resins UsedDepending on the emissions or gas residue given off during the molding process and flash point of the resin, the molder will have to evaluate whether to use 7- or 20-micron pore size. Resins such as ABS, polypropylene, soft type PVC, polyethylene, acrylic, polyurethane, […]
Whether designing the mold for an iPod or a refrigerator door, moldmakers are always looking for faster methods to help them produce molds. […]
The old fashioned way but still being used by some mold manufacturers. Designing a mold cavity and core in 2D. Some mold designers may use different procedure. […]
General Rapid prototyping is the method for the creation of parts derived from 3D CAD data. The derived part is decomposed into slices (down to 0.003 inches thick), and SLA, STL builds the part a layer at a time. The contour and interior of a slice are created using a laser to solidify liquid polymer [...]
Snaps allow an easy method of assembly and disassembly of plastic parts. Snaps consist of a cantilever beam with a bump that deflects and snaps into a groove or a slot in the mating part. Snaps can have a uniform cross-section or a tapered cross section (with decreasing section height). The tapered cross-section results in [...]