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Mold Tools Introduction

Question asked by Paul McGarr on Aug 18, 2008
Latest reply on Aug 23, 2008 by Matt Lombard

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What would be a good resource, or tutorial for me to use to learn the basics of the mold tools available in SolidWorks? I don't need detail on each, but I am interested in learning the best approach to starting a mold design from a plastic part.

Currently I take advantage of the cavity feature only. I draw a cavity block and core block, insert them into an assembly along with the plastic part and from there I take advantage of the cavity feature to remove material from the core and cavity. I'm doing this to get by as I need to get work done, but I am sure that there are "proper" ways to do this. The problem isn't my ability to learn, but the experiance to know what's available to me.

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Matt Lombard Aug 18, 2008 7:56 PM
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Paul,

The Cavity feature is not Mold Tools tool, it's just an assembly based part feature.

The Mold Tools are on their own toolbar, and are done in the part environment.

You start with the Parting LIne feature, which does a draft analysis and finds the PL of the part.

You add shut off surfaces to seal holes.

Then you create the Parting Surface, which is the most difficult part. SW is fairly limited in the kinds of parting surfaces that work well using the automated tools. Most real mold people do this manually (I'm not a real mold person, but I know a little bit about the process).

Then you use the Tooling Split to make the cavity and core blocks.

Finally you can use the Core tool to make core pins or side actions or whatever.

You've got to be pretty well versed in the basics of surface modeling to make much use of the Mold Tools.

There are other ways of making molds geometry manually, and you often have to use a lot of manual techniques even with the semi-automated tools.
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- Paul McGarr @ Matt Lombard on Aug 18, 2008 8:15 PM
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  I consider myself well versed in surfacing, etc. I am new to SolidWorks, but have been involved in CAD for many years. I was using surfacing tools because it's all that was available when I started. I am a moldmaker by trade, though I've moved away from the shop environment a while back.
  
  The tools you mentionde are the ones I was refering to. I'll spend some time learning them, and I'm sure I can make good use of them once I get started. My main concern is knowing what's available so once I finish a part design I can go straight to mold design with as few stwps as possible. I want to maintain as much associativity to the part model as I can.
  
  Are you aware of a good tutorial on this process from plastic part to core and cavity? It can be a simple example because I don't need to learn how to design a mold. I just need to learn how to use the tools. I think I'll mess around with it now, at home where I don't need to be productive.
  
  Paul
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  - Matt Lombard @ Paul McGarr on Aug 18, 2008 8:34 PM
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    I only know of a couple of sources of good info.
    
    Catch JK at SWW and buy him a couple beers.
    
    SW has a training manual for molds, but it is ... well... constrained.
    
    The SW 2009 Bible will be published in late fall/winter, with a brand new chapter on plastics and mold tools.
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    - Paul McGarr @ Matt Lombard on Aug 18, 2008 10:14 PM
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      I've been anticipating your book since I started to use SolidWorls. I started at 2008 SP0. I will definately buy it when it comes out.
      
      I looked at the tutotial within SolidWorks and even that was somewhat helpful. I probably should have done that before posting, but I didn't realize it was there.
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      - John Kreutzberger @ Paul McGarr on Aug 21, 2008 3:27 PM
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        Here is my quick response in regard to Mold Tools. I tend to take a more manual approach than a lot of folks-so bear with me.
        
        Before even using the partingline feature, I apply a shrinkage factor to the model. Then I do a visual inspection to make sure I can get a p/l around the part. Often I will need to split some faces. I know there is an automatic way to go here, but I don't use it. I have also learnbed to not always trust the silouette splits. Sometimes as a complex part wraps around with fillets all around the p/l-the edges don't quite match up. Therefore I then will skip some problem faces and project a split onto them so that there will be a continuous p/l.
        
        After the parting line feature-you need to close up the openings. This feature takes some getting used to but works OK. The key to remember here is that SW will only really do well automatically with completely planar openings. Anything that will jog around or has a shape is better left as `no fill' and dealt with manually.
        
        If you are going to try and use SW parting surfaces then don't choose the knit option in the shut off surface dialog. However-they don't work-so I always knit at this point and proceed manually from this point. I have been using ruled surfaces a lot for parting surfaces and am starting to get a feel for where boundary surfaces are a better choice. I know Matt is a big fan of fill surfaces-but for me they are a last resort.
        
        All manually shut off surfaces and parting surfaces need to be copied (offset-distance=0) and knit with the cavity and core surfaces separately.
        
        I also do not do the core cavity command in part mode. Here I will start my sub-assembly and create a cavity block and place the part(s) where I want them. Then I proceed with core/cavity split in the context of this assembly. Sometimes I use the core or split feature for sub-inserts and core pins-sometimes I don't.
        
        This is really short and meant to start a discussion. I will check back in a day or so. I'll also be seeing Matt in Orlando to collect my beer.
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        Matt Lombard @ John Kreutzberger on Aug 23, 2008 2:31 AM
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        John Kreutzberger wrote:
        
        I'll also be seeing Matt in Orlando to collect my beer.
        
        And well deserved. JK is one of a handful of guys from whom I have learned most of the really useful things I know.
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        Matt McKendrick @ Matt Lombard on Aug 23, 2008 2:37 AM
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        I also do not use the parting surface feature in favor of manual parting line definition, unless it is a very simple, open and shut tool with a single plane parting line. Our tooling engineer does the same. That's not to say it isn't useful, or that the mold tools provided aren't any good, it's just personnal preference.
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Ben Shaw Aug 22, 2008 12:41 PM
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I make all sorts of molds and plastic parts on a regular basis now.

Right now i just do everything manually but i do use most of the mold tools in my everyday RP CAD work all the time except for parting lines - parting surfaces - core - shutoff surfaces -

I would love to be able to use all the mold tools to split a mold but i find each mold i make is a little different and i can just plow right through with surfacing and Boolean operations.
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1-8MMYCK Aug 23, 2008 4:10 AM
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has anyone used automated mold tools in more advanced CAD systems like ProE mold design modules or CATIA? and how do you compare them with solidworks mold tools? are they more robust or just the same functionality?
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- Matt Lombard @ 1-8MMYCK on Aug 23, 2008 1:25 PM
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  I have used applications like SplitWorks and FaceWorks. There was also an iMold application which I looked at. It was powerful, but rather inflexible. All of these are more sophisticated than the SW mold tools. The main problem with the SW mold tools in my view is the Parting Surface limitations. If you follow through most of the SW documentation, they wind up using PL interlocks on everything mainly because it offers a convenient way to get around the Parting Surface limitations.
  
  SplitWorks was my favorite because it allowed you to intervene manually, plus it has a huge mold building wizard which I thought had a lot to offer. I don't have any business ties to the organization, I just liked the product, and did training on it from time to time. www.rnbusa.com.
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