A moldmaker typically creates simple subplates with dozens, even hundreds, of holes that must be drilled, bored and tapped. Using conventional CAM to program all of these features for manufacturing on a CNC mill could take several hours. Today, he can import a model of the subplate from his CAD program, bring it into the [...]
Stereolithography is a 3-D layering manufacturing process that applies ultraviolet lasers to cure liquid photopolymer resins to produce solid, plastic, 3-D objects that simulate properties of polyethylene, polypropylene and polycarbonate materials. […]
Laser scanning has demonstrated the ability to address all of these challenges. Laser scanning systems work by projecting a line of laser light onto surfaces while built-in arrays continuously triangulate the changing distance and profile of the laser line as it sweeps along, enabling the object to be accurately digitized in 3-D. […]
“Radical” is not a word one expects to hear from a plastic injection molding company. Yet, it pops up more than once in conversation with Steven, CAD/CAM application engineer from First-rate Mold company. […]
More mold work going overseas may bring manufacturing cost savings, but it opens up the possibility of intellectual property (IP) being compromised. Fortunately there are ways to protect IP—some more efficient than others. This article will discuss how to best protect your shop’s IP. […]
Recent years have seen a number of articles on the benefits of closer integration of CAD and CAM. Of course, integrated CAD/CAM systems from a single company have been available since 1972. […]
The secret of hard milling has been around for awhile. The problem is that people often don’t want to accept the requirements because of the necessary investment. You can’t take any shortcuts and expect to get results. […]
These all meet the dictionary definition of “optimization”. However, one of the fastest ways for a moldmaker to achieve a dramatic improvement in efficiency and reduce NC program cycle time is to automatically optimize their NC program feedrates. […]
Some CAM vendors refer to optimized software as the software best suited for the types of machines, processes or parts being programmed. […]
Digital prototyping gives designers and engineers the ability to virtually explore a complete product before it is built—so they can design, visualize and simulate products from the conceptual design phase through the manufacturing process. By using a digital prototype, users access real-world performance of a design with less reliance on costly physical prototypes. [...]