Mold Design Software to Automate the Mold Development Process
By combining industry knowledge and the best practices of process automation, the mold design software application in NX streamlines the mold development process – from core and cavity creation to production and design validation. Integration with NX allows you to automatically create manufacturing processes for mold and die machining.
Product Analysis
Mold design begins with the model and with NX, you can import 3D part data from other systems, open many native-format CAD files or select parts designed in NX. You can then easily model and perform changes to ensure the desired design and manufacturability.
Core and Cavity Development
The automated functions in NX enable you to streamline the core and cavity design process. More specifically:
- Utilize automated shut-offs and parting of the core/cavity based on manufacturability considerations.
- Design parting surfaces quickly and associatively.
- Split the mold to accommodate complex slider designs.
- Automatically check the core/cavity design for interferences.
Mold Structure
NX helps automate mold design including shrinkages, runners, gates, sliders, lifters and sub-insert designs. Libraries provide you with access to a wide variety of standard parts, component systems and mold bases. You can position mold components within the assembly based on simple selection, while downstream pocketing and clearance management is automated.
The mold design process is assisted by powerful visualization and assembly management tools, making it easy for you to navigate a complex assembly.
Design Change and Propagation Control
Using associativity with the design model, NX mold design software facilitates fast and efficient design change propagation across the entire process – from tool design through machining.
Teamcenter software provides a single source of data and process knowledge that insures your whole team is working with the right data.
Re-Use of Company Standards
With NX you can shorten tool design and manufacturing cycle times through the re-use of company standards. You can:
- Accelerate and optimize the mold design process by standardizing processes and components
- Automate the generation of parts lists, drawings, project data structures and NC toolpaths
- Build your own re-usable parts and register them in custom libraries
- Develop your own re-usable mold base configurations
Design Validation
To eliminate costly physical rework, design validation is a crucial step to ensure that parts, tools, and manufacturing processes have been properly defined.
Using NX, you can analyze the part design for manufacturability using wall thickness checking functions, draft analysis and undercut region detection and radius evaluation.
You can validate the mold design within the assembly context for proper clearances and reliefs in various positional states, as well as analyze the electrode requirements. You can also improve tool longevity with strength analysis and sharp corner detection.
NX helps you visualize and manage resolution of identified clearance and interference issues within the mold assembly. NX’s embedded motion simulation technology allows you to verify the mold’s full range of motion, including dynamic collision detection.
Manufacturing Integration
NX offers a complete and integrated NC programming solution. With NX CAM, you can generate advanced cutting strategies for mold and die machining.
Key capabilities are provided for high-speed machining, applying special toolpaths and optimum cutting parameters. For example, the trochoidal roughing maintains high metal removal rates while managing tool loads.
The automated feature-based machining (FBM) is ideal for mold base machining. FBM automatically recognizes and programs a wide range of machining features, including pockets, slots and holes, which can reduce the programming time by up to 90 percent.
