With the amount of work performed in so many different applications, it is only natural that the industry gradually evolve from 2-D to 3-D. while 10 years ago mid-range 3-D solid modeling was becoming mainstream,

the majority of mold designers were still using 2-D design tools.Mold design-specific software packages that automate mold assemblies and facilitate parting surface were still only found in high-end, high-priced systems,The late ‘90s and early 2000s we saw mold design approaching the mid-range, but without integrated manufacturing. It has only been the past six years that the CAD/CAM integration—along with automated mold design—has been available to the mid-range market.

Many mid-range solid modelers still struggle with non-solid, imported, geometry. Some mold design systems provide excellent wizards for designing simple open/shut molds, but they fail when given something challenging. Large files and assemblies sizes are still an issue for many systems, requiring super high-end hardware and graphics cards. Some of the mid-range solid modelers still rely on third party products for rounding out their mold design offering, which can frustrate users for support, training and product updates.

The real benefits come from the ability to maintain a fully detailed model throughout the design and manufacturing process,This minimizes the errors and misunderstandings that are inherent in 2-D drawings. In addition, the high degree of integration between CAD and CAM can be used to automate many of the manufacturing processes.

Many of the changes on the CAM side have come from developments in related technology. For example, 5-axis machine tools have become much more affordable for moldmakers and CAM developers have responded with much easier to use 5-axis programming systems with a wide range of strategies for these new machines.