The defining characteristic of a stack mold is the two mold parting surfaces or mold split lines. A stack mold does not require much more clamp force than a single-face mold because the projected part surface areas of the cavities on both sides of the center block cancel out each other’s force. […]
1. Doubled Part OutputInstead of increasing the mold size by adding more cavities, a stack mold maintains mold size and machine size by adding a second layer of cavities parallel to the first layer. […]
The main advantage of having your tool designer involved earlier is the ability to influence the product and processes being developed. This approach results in added value to your services and creates strong ties with your customer as he becomes more reliant on you to oversee his design process. […]
TeamworkProduct and mold designers can work through most of the manufacturing issues in advance by teaming up in the early stages of product development as one engineered process. A team of engineers with diverse backgrounds concurrently working together is far more capable, […]
In most applications, feature technology and feature recognition are utilities intended to improve the programming performance for simple geometry like holes and pockets. In many systems, this may be limited to 2-D machining. […]
The best way to avoid these walls is to build the CAD and CAM application on the same 3-D database. This avoids the process of translating data from one format to the other, which could delay the project and increase the risk of errors. It also enables associative CAD/CAM usage, where modifications in the CAD [...]
By developing on a 3-D CAD mainstream platform, a CAM supplier can focus its resources 100 percent to support advanced manufacturing technologies. A good example is high-speed machining (HSM), […]
It is up to the high-speed machining software to make the most of these components, and to drive the process for maximum benefit. To do this, the software should excel in four areas: (1) optimizing tooling stability, (2) promoting toolpath efficiency, (3) maximizing operating performance and (4) enhancing ease of use—both in programming and operations. [...]
Success with high-speed machining requires a thorough under-standing of the required tools and methods and of their benefits and limitations. […]
Although a number of CAM systems have implemented or are implementing KBM, the level of automation and input required from customers varies. A CAM system may require a high level of front-end effort by users to embed their machining practices and rules. Some may require computer programming skills and the setup of custom databases and [...]