CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive

April 2005

Product News

Delcam's PS-Moldmaker Offers More Intelligent 3D Mould Design

Delcam's PS-Moldmaker 3D mould design software, PS-Moldmaker provides a combination of in-built intelligence to ensure the most appropriate components are used, automation to speed the design process and flexibility to manage design changes efficiently. Together with the other programs in Delcam's Power Solution range of CADCAM software, PS-Moldmaker allows designers of injection mould tools to move successfully from processes based on two-dimensional drawings to more productive methods based entirely on three-dimensional computer models.

Like other mould design systems, PS-Moldmaker allows users to create the core and cavity design from the CAD model of the product and then build up the remainder of the mould using standard components from catalogues of leading suppliers. Drawings of the general assembly of the mould and the individual components are generated automatically as the design progresses, including a complete, associative set of fully-ballooned drawings for all the plates, together with the related hole schedules for drilling cycles.

The Bills of Materials for the various suppliers are also generated and updated automatically as the design is developed. This enables components to be ordered as soon as they are specified so allowing earlier delivery of the main plates, possibly even before the overall design has been finalized.

However, PS-Moldmaker offers a broader solution than other similar systems. It includes catalogues from a wider range of standard component suppliers. In addition, the built-in intelligence allows the software to recommend suitable standard component sizes at every stage and ensures that appropriate clearances are added between components automatically. PS-Moldmaker also includes a range of Wizards to simplify many parts of the process, including the Die Wizard for the creation of the die blocks, the Slide Wizard for slide design, and the Cooling Wizard for the placing of cooling channels.

The software also incorporates full knowledge of each component, its function and its relationship to other components. If, for example, an ejector pin is placed in the model, the necessary clearance holes are added to all plates through which it passes but a sealing-fit hole placed in the die block. If the ejector pin is moved or deleted at a later stage, all the associated holes are moved or deleted accordingly.

As well as speeding the design process and helping to avoid mistakes, the system's intelligence means that it can cope with design changes much more effectively than systems based purely on parametric design. With the associative, parametric approach, changes are managed through strict mathematical relationships. This means that any alterations to the product design will often result in components with non-standard sizes. These need to be made to order and so are more expensive and take longer to acquire than standard components.

With PS-Moldmaker, in contrast, the software will recommend the nearest standard size that can accommodate the change. While this can require more operator input than the parametric approach, it does ensure that standard components can be used as far as possible and so reduces the overall cost and time to produce the tool. It also maintains the user's control over the tool design.

The other key benefits of PS-Moldmaker come from its close integration with the other software within Delcam's Power Solution range. While many other systems struggle with product designs generated in other software, Delcam's PS-Exchange data translation service gives fast, reliable transfer of design data from all the major product design programs, including CATIA, UG, SDRC, Pro/Engineer, SolidWorks and Autodesk Inventor.

If there are any problems with the translation or, as is often the case, the designer has not completely finished the design, Delcam's PowerSHAPE hybrid modeler provides a wide range of tools to repair any problems, such as missing, duplicate or poorly-trimmed surfaces, fillets or blends. PowerSHAPE can also be used to improve processability, for example, by adjusting draft angles or wall thicknesses, before work begins on the mould design.

In cases where non-standard components or mechanisms cannot be avoided, for example, with larger or more complex moulds, PowerSHAPE can also be used to produce a model of the required part. Alternatively, the automated processes within PS-Moldmaker can be exited at any stage so that manual adjustment can be made to the design of an existing part with PowerSHAPE. In either case, the new component or assembly can be added to the user's personal catalogue for use in future designs.

Direct links from PS-Moldmaker to Delcam's PowerMILL CAM system ensure highly reliable machining of both holes and pockets. Company-specific templates can be established to provide automated feature-based machining that takes full account of the machine tools available and the preferred manufacturing methods.

In addition, Delcam's PowerINSPECT software can be used to inspect each component as it is produced. This allows any problems to be resolved immediately, so ensuring that the final assembly of the mould proceeds smoothly.

 

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