Virtual concurrent product development of plastic injection moulds

Abstract

This paper describes three approaches for virtual product development of plastic injection moulds. The first is characterized by the use of three-dimensional computer aided design (CAD) for product design, two-dimensional drafting for mould design and three-dimensional computer aided design/manufacture (CAD/CAM) for mould manufacture. The second is characterized by the use of three-dimensional CAD models by all three participants, but between any two participants some form of file conversion is normally required because different CAD systems are used. The first two approaches share one common feature: the models are passed serially from the product designer to the mould designer and on to the toolmaker. They represent current practice in industry. The third approach is a proposed collaborative design process. Participants can work concurrently on the same model, sharing their knowledge and experience. The process is currently being refined and will be validated later this year with a prototype system based on Unigraphics iMAN software.