3-D CAD eases mold-base design.

While part designers have no shortage of 3-D CAD packages to choose from, mold designers until recently have had to rely on 2-D software for many of their CAD chores. But that situation has changed with the emergence of 3-D solids-based CAD software tailored to mold-design work.

The newest packages do more than help create cores and cavities around a solids part model - a capability that has been available for a couple of years. The latest CAD tools for mold design also apply parametric solids-based technology to automating mold-base design. In addition, they have built-in intelligence to ease other design tasks such as parting-line creation.

Here's a look at two such packages that appeared at the Society of Manufacturing Engineers' recent Computer Technology Solutions (formerly AutoFact) exhibition in Detroit.

Parametric mold-base design

Cimatron Technologies Inc. of Burlington, Ont., is shifting its focus away from the general CAD/CAM market to concentrate exclusively on products for toolmakers, according to v.p. Peter Bolger. The current version of Cimatron software contains solid-to-surface tools useful for creating cores and cavities around a solid part model. To these capabilities, an upcoming version of Cimatron software will add a parametric solids-based module for designing the mold base and keeping track of its many components.

Called MoldBase 3D, the new mold-design software has a built-in knowledge base that helps automate mold-design tasks such as parting-line creation and NC tool-path generation for all mold plates. MoldBase 3D is fully parametric - meaning that changes to one component on the moldbase model will update all related components and even the NC tool paths.

Other features include support for a wide range of electronic component catalogs (such as D-M-E), ability to create custom components, automatic generation of a bill of materials, automatic drawing creation, and collision detection.

MoldBase 3D is due for release in January. It will be sold as a $5000 add-on to a $20,000 Moldmaker package that already includes the company's surfacing and three-axis NC capabilities.

More mold-design smarts

IMOLD software, which runs on IMAN CAD/CAM from Unigraphics Solutions Inc., St. Louis, also uses a built-in knowledge base to automate creation of parting lines, cores, and cavities. For example, users can locate parting lines on the part model through a search function and then generate cores and cavities by simply selecting a parting line on the model. IMOLD, which was developed at the National University of Singapore, recently became available in North America through CAD Potential of Westminster, Colo.

IMOLD includes a 3-D mold-base module that automatically generates parametric mold bases using data from standard electronic catalogs like D-M-E's. IMOLD also offers 3-D feature-based electronic libraries of other standard mold components, which can be added to the mold assembly automatically. It also facilitates the customization of non-standard mold bases and components.

IMOLD also offers modules dedicated to specific mold-design tasks. Among them is the "Flexible Filling Module," which aids design of runners and gates, as well as cavity layout. Other modules handle slider and lifter design, parametric cooling-channel layout, and ejector-system configuration.