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IMOLD V8: training guide

Manusoft Technologies

Copyright 2000-2007, Manusoft Technologies Pte Ltd All rights reserved. Information is subjected to change without notice. No materials may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose without the express written permission of Manusoft Technologies Pte Ltd. As a condition to your use of this software product, you agree to accept the limited warranty, disclaimer and other terms and conditions set forth in the Manusoft Technologies License Agreement, which accompanies this software. If, after reading the License Agreement, you do not agree with the limited warranty, the disclaimer or any of the other terms and conditions, promptly return the unused software and all accompanying documentation to Manusoft Technologies and your money will be refunded. 1st Edition (IMOLD 2003) March 2003 2nd Edition (Service Pack 1) May 2003 3rd Edition (IMOLD2004) February 2004 4th Edition (IMOLD2004 Service Pack 2.1) September 2004 5th Edition (IMOLD 2005) January 2005 6th Edition (IMOLD 2006) March 2006 7th Edition (IMOLD V8) August 2007 IMOLD is a registered trademark of the Manusoft Technologies Pte Ltd. Other brands and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

Table of Contents
Lesson 1 IMOLD Overview ............................................................................ 1 Lesson 2 Using IMOLD.................................................................................. 8 Overview ...................................................................................................... 9 Highlights ................................................................................................... 10 About the Part: ........................................................................................ 10 Process: Pre-Process Considerations ........................................................... 11 Process: Split Lines ................................................................................... 15 Process: Project Control ............................................................................ 18 IMOLD Assembly Structure: ....................................................................... 21 Lesson 3 Parting .........................................................................................24 Overview .................................................................................................... 25 Highlights ................................................................................................... 25 Draft Analysis. ............................................................................................ 25 Process: Draft Analysis. ............................................................................. 26 Parting ....................................................................................................... 26 Process: Parting Lines ............................................................................... 27 Process: Parting Surfaces .......................................................................... 29 Process: Sidecore Surfaces ........................................................................ 31 Process: Patching ..................................................................................... 34 Process: Runoff Surfaces ........................................................................... 36 Process: Create Inserts. ............................................................................ 38 Process: Copy Surfaces. ............................................................................ 39 Side Cores .................................................................................................. 43 Process: Create the side core. .................................................................... 43 Sub Inserts. ................................................................................................ 47 Process: Using Split Wizard ........................................................................ 49 Lesson 4 Layout and Feed System Design ...................................................51 Overview .................................................................................................... 52 Highlights ................................................................................................... 52 Process: Adding and Editing a Layout .......................................................... 52 Process: Adding Corners to the Inserts ........................................................ 54 Process: Add and Modify Gates ................................................................... 55 Process: Add and Modify Runner System ..................................................... 57 Lesson 5 Moldbase Design...........................................................................68 Overview .................................................................................................... 69 Highlights ................................................................................................... 69 Process: Loading a Moldbase ...................................................................... 70 Process: Purge ......................................................................................... 72 Lesson 6 Slider and Lifter Design ................................................................79 Overview: .................................................................................................. 80 Highlights:.................................................................................................. 80 Process: Slider Design.................................................................................. 80 Process: Create Slider Pockets Automatic .................................................... 84 Process: Create Slider Pockets - Manual. ........................................................ 85 Process: Lifter Creation ............................................................................. 91 Lesson 7 Ejector System Design .................................................................96 Overview: .................................................................................................. 97 Highlights:.................................................................................................. 97 Process: Add Ejector Pins .......................................................................... 97 Process: Modify and Transform Ejectors ....................................................... 101 Process: Trim Ejectors ............................................................................... 102 Lesson 8 Cooling Design ............................................................................104 Overview: ................................................................................................ 105 Highlights:................................................................................................ 105

Process: Cooling Channel Creation ............................................................... 105 Lesson 9 Standard Components ................................................................118 Overview: ................................................................................................ 119 Highlights:................................................................................................ 119 Process: Standard Components ................................................................... 119 Process: Main Insert Pocketing .................................................................... 132 Process: Adding Cooling Accessories ............................................................ 133 Lesson 10 Finishing the Design .................................................................136 Overview: ................................................................................................ 137 Highlights:................................................................................................ 137 Process: Purge .......................................................................................... 137 Process: Create Configurations .................................................................... 138 Process: Create Pockets ............................................................................. 139 Process: Create Drawings ........................................................................... 139

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Lesson 1 IMOLD Overview

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you should be able to: Describe the features of IMOLD Compare IMOLD and other mold design software Describe IMOLD terms Explain IMOLD modules

Lesson 1: IMOLD Overview

About The Course

The goal of this course is to show how to use the IMOLD software along with SolidWorks functions to complete a mold design project. In the process we will discuss, in detail, the functions of IMOLD. This training manual should be used as a supplement to, rather than as a replacement for, other system documentation and on-line help. It is important for the students attending the class complete a full mold design with the tools available while, at the same time, learn the tools the software has to offer. The main focus is to make our customers successful in the full design not only concentrating on the functions of the software.

Prerequisites

Students attending this course are expected to have the following: - Mold Design Experience - Experience with the Windows operating system - SolidWorks Essentials and Advanced SolidWorks Training

About this book

It is our intention that this training manual be used in a classroom environment being taught by an experienced IMOLD instructor. It is not intended to be a self-paced tutorial. This manual has been created following the same format as the SolidWorks training manuals. It is our intention to make it easier for the trainer to teach the IMOLD software by following the same format as the SolidWorks training manuals. The screen shots in this manual were made using IMOLD V8 SP0 running within SolidWorks 2008 on the Windows XP Professional operating system.

IMOLD V8

What Is The IMOLD Software?

IMOLD (for SolidWorks) is a Windows-native 3D plastic injection mold design application for SolidWorks. A very process-oriented application and is developed by world-class R&D software engineers, in conjunction with experienced mold design engineers. IMOLD provides mold designers with an indispensable range of modules necessary for any type of mold design job. The full integration within SolidWorks will enable the mold designers to use a single integrated database throughout project management, design, manufacturing, and mold assembly management - the whole mold making process. Users do not need to leave SolidWorks or make use of an external application to accomplish their tasks. IMOLD offers a range of functionalities in several modules that are essential to the mold designer, and this will help an experienced designer to shorten the overall lead-time needed for a particular mold project, thus increasing productivity. The user-friendly, user-interactive, and intuitive interface makes learning how to use IMOLD very simple, thereby significantly reducing the learning curve. As a complement to the functionality it may also serve as an important learning tool for the novice designer.

IMOLD Features

IMOLD offers a vast array of tools that will aide in the development of a mold design. The software offers tools in the following areas: Data Preparation Project Control Core & Cavity Creation Layout Capabilities Gate & Runner Design Moldbase Library Ejector Design Slider Design Lifter Design Cooling Design IMOLD Drawings. Sub-insert Design.

Data Preparation

Data Preparation is a module which assists the preparation of product model. The following considerations apply: - If the parting direction of the part is not along the z-axis - If you do not want to work on the customer original part This module will help you prepare the part so that should there be any changes in the part eventually, these changes can be reflected in the cores/cavities created in the downstream process. In addition, tools like draft angle analysis and straddle face checking are available. You can also replace a model with another model of the same part or a completely different part. This is very useful to handle revisions and changes.

Lesson 1: IMOLD Overview

Project Control

All IMOLD design projects starts here. Project Control is the gateway from which design projects are started or continued. It allows you to load current projects or start new ones. Here, you may define the project code and unit, the resin type to use for the project and the corresponding shrinkage factor. You can also specify the various shrinkage factors here should you need directional scaling. You may pre-define project options such as which moldbase, slider, lifter and etc. vendor you wish to use in the course of the project. The Core/Cavity Builder provides the tools and utilities for creating the core, cavity and sidecores. Parting the core and cavity from the product model is achieved with the parting surfaces identified automatically from the model and the runoffs created. The Core/Cavity Builder guides you, from defining the shape and size of the main inserts, identifying the parting lines, searching of the core and cavity surfaces, patching to splitting the core and cavity. The SplitWizard is a step-by-step wizard based part-splitting tool. IMOLD SplitWizard assists as a first step to quickly and easily split the product. Designers can automatically search for inner and outer parting lines, automatic search for core and cavity faces, automatically patching holes, automatically creating run-offs and automatically create inserts. At the end of each step, designers will receive more data regarding the part, whether to continue with the next step or check what is wrong with current process.

Core/Cavity Builder

Layout Designer

The Layout Designer provides the tools for laying out the impressions in a multi-cavity mold. It also provides tools to edit a layout and translate any of the impressions in the layout.

Feed Designer

The Feed Designer provides the tools for designing the gating and the runner systems. Gates like submarine gate and fan gate are parametrically built so designers can easily design a gate and add it into the layout. Linear and S-shaped runners are offered for the various design needs. The gates and runners can be automatically subtracted from the inserts.

IMOLD V8

Moldbase Designer

The Moldbase Designer allows you to preview the moldbases from various vendors before loading them in. You can also add in double-ejection requirements with the click of a mouse button and customize your plate thickness and location of the components. Once you have finalized the design of the moldbase, the Moldbase Designer will pocket out the components from the plates and remove any unnecessary parts. IMOLD has also set up the whole system such that you can even create new moldbases that are unique to your company.

Ejector Designer

This module lets you add in standard ejector pins from various vendors at locations of your choice. It also allows for customize ejector pins through its interface. The Ejector Designer automatically trims all the ejector pins to the core surface at the click of a button and also a function to pocket out the ejectors from the plates. Designer can add ejector pins together with the sleeves effortlessly. The Components Gallery provides a comprehensive range of standard vendor components that you can add into your design. The Components Gallery ensures that mating conditions are adhered and the components are pocketed out. The Slider Designer has incorporated standard slider bodies and accessories within and allows the designer to add any of these easily to the sidecore, or what we called sliderhead, so that external undercuts can be manufactured in the injection molding cycle. The software when designing the slider automatically considers details like the positioning data, stroke and cam pin angle with reference to the location of the slider. The Slider Designer has both standard sliders and generic slider in its database.

Components Gallery

Slider Designer

Lifter Designer

The Lifter Designer works in a similar manner as the Slider Designer except that it is used in cases where internal undercuts are present. The module considers details like the positioning data, stroke and releasing angle with reference to position of the lifter. Within its database of models, the Lifter Designer has options for standard lifters and generic lifters.

Lesson 1: IMOLD Overview

Cooling Designer

The Cooling Designer provides tools to design the cooling circuits easily by specifying the cooling route. Once the circuit is designed, it can be modified should any changes is necessary. In addition, the Cooling Designer also makes considerations for manufacturing by providing functions for drilling and extensions. The Cooling Designer also incorporates functions for adding cooling accessories like nipples, o-rings and etc. automatically to the cooling channels and to check interference between the cooling channel and the other parts of the mold.

IMOLD Drawing

IMOLD Drawing will automate the creation of the core and cavity views of a mold. Section lines can also be defined very easily by picking points on the parent view. IMOLD Drawings can also create drawings for all the parts of the mold. It can also create hole tables.

IMOLD V8

Process Flow

IMOLD is set up in a manner to provide the user a sense of flow while they are designing. The functions in the software are to make the task of designing a mold much easier and faster thus increasing productivity.

Lesson 2 Using IMOLD

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you should be able to: Repair surface geometry Change the part orientation Create split lines Begin a project Identify the IMOLD assembly structure Apply shrinkage Continue a project

IMOLD V8

Overview
This chapter explores the considerations needed before you begin designing using the IMOLD software and the tools available to satisfy these needs. In order for the functions in IMOLD to work optimally, it is best to be working with solid body geometry. We will discuss the tools available in SolidWorks to obtain solid geometry from imported surface information. The Z direction of the part file must match the parting direction. There are two ways you can update your coordinate system to match this criteria. One is a technique in SolidWorks for imported files and the other will be used for those native SolidWorks files that you dont want to lose information of the feature. Here we will discuss the use of Project Control in order to begin and continue a mold design project. The Project Control is where all IMOLD projects should begin and continue. This module allows the user to choose the part that is to be molded, add a resin type, add a prefix, etc. It will also allow the user to select the top most level assembly to continue a design that has already been started. The designer must determine the parting line and if certain surfaces need splitting you can use SolidWorks Split Line command. Split Lines may also be used in locations where it is difficult to obtain the proper parting surface. This will be discussed in more detail during the lesson along with the rest of the topics. In IMOLD V8 a new function Split Surface is available to effortlessly create of split lines onto faces by selecting two points and a face. This decreases mouse travel and events.

Lesson 2: Using IMOLD

Highlights
Pre-Process Considerations There are considerations that must be made before you begin a project using IMOLD. Split Lines if certain surfaces need splitting you can use IMOLDs splitting tool from Data Preparation or alternatively use SolidWorks Split Line command. Project Control This is where all IMOLD projects begin and continue. Assembly Structure IMOLD automatically applies a pre-defined assembly structure.

About the Part:


The part used for the lesson is the cover for a switch component. In this model, you will find multiple undercuts, which will require the use of both the slider and lifter systems in order to mold the product.

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IMOLD V8

Process: Pre-Process Considerations


The SolidWorks Coordinate System SolidWorks uses a system of coordinate systems with origins. A part document contains an original origin. Whenever you select a plane or face and open a sketch, an origin is created in alignment with the plane or face. An origin can be used as an anchor for the sketch entities, and it helps orient perspective of the axes. A threedimensional reference triad orients you to the X, Y, and Z directions in part and assembly documents. IMOLD uses the Z-axis direction as the pull/parting direction. In cases where the pull direction of the product was designed on a different plane, IMOLD provides an easy to use tool to derive products from the customer part so that the associativity is maintained to the original product and re-orienting the coordinate system is possible.

Imported Geometry
If the part is imported from a different CAD system, however, it may not always come in as solid geometry. When there are only surfaces, there are tools available in SolidWorks to help knit surface geometry into solid geometry. Surface Geometry Right Click on a surface feature in the Feature Manager Design Tree, select Import Diagnosis, Diagnosis. This will help you to knit the surfaces into a solid. It is not necessary to knit surfaces into a solid body, but it is recommended in order to take full advantage of IMOLD functionality.

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Lesson 2: Using IMOLD

Data Preparation
Data Preparation will help you to reorient (rotate and move along different axis) the product. The product should be oriented to the molding direction. A new product is then created using the solid geometry from the original product. Note: If you are using Data Preparation, you will not need to export the part as Parasolid and re-import it into SolidWorks to change the origin or the Z direction. Introducing: Data Preparation Where To Find It: Data Preparation is a tool that users may use to reorient their part by selecting the origin and the directions of the axes. Click Data Preparation on the IMOLD Toolbar. OR From the IMOLD menu, select Data Preparation

1. Data Preparation Select the Data Preparation icon from the IMOLD Toolbar and select Data Preparation. Select the product called and click Open. This part is an imported part and is oriented in the wrong direction.

The Derive Property Manager is displayed. There are two options in deriving the part: i. Using draft analysis steps 2 and 0. Refer to Lesson 3, Draft Analysis. ii. Manually step 3.

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IMOLD V8

2. Draft Analysis Click on the Draft analysis button. The draft analysis tool examines the faces to ensure sufficient draft is applied accordingly to the pull direction of the part. Additional functionalities includes: identify and split straddle faces. provides the designer with the pull direction information. automatically re-orient the part to the pull direction accepted. IMOLD uses the Front plane (Z-axis) as the direction of pull. Under Direction & Draft , select the face as the plane for parting direction and do a static analysis by selecting the Static analysis option and click Analyze.

From the results properties, toggle between the buttons and to show/hide the faces on the graphics area.

Straddle faces: faces that run between positive and negative draft. There are 4 straddle faces identified from the analysis, but these straddle faces do not interfere with the splitting of the core and cavity. Should you need to split straddle faces, simply expand Split Surfaces group box , click on Append Straddle (automatically translates the 4 straddle faces into selection box) or select the surfaces to split from the graphics area into selection box. Click the Split button to split the selected straddles. Click to accept the pull direction and bring back to the Data Preparation PropertyManager.

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Lesson 2: Using IMOLD

3. Derive On the Derive part dialog, you should be able to rotate, translate the product accordingly. Check that the Z-axis direction is pointing towards the pull direction. Click to derive the product. 4. Transforming the Product. To manually transform the product, select the X-axis box under New Coordinate System, select the edge shown below.

A triad is displayed with the 3 principal axes.

Click to select Flip direction if the arrow (colored red) for the X axis is not pointing in the direction shown. TIP: Change the view to wireframe mode to see the coordinate system triad. Select the Z-axis box. From the FeatureTree, select the Right Plane. If the Z-axis arrow is pointing downwards, click to select Flip direction. Click OK to derive the part.

Note: The Front plane of the top assembly will always be coincident to the Front plane of the product model. In relation, the parting plane of the moldbase is also coincident to the Front plane of the top assembly. Hence, if you need to shift the parting plane of the moldbase, the original design has to be done using a derived part. To change the origin of the part, you will have use the Edit Derived Part function and reselect the origin and the axes of the part. In addition, please make sure that the origin of the derived part is contained within the part. This is to ensure that the calculations for the containing box are correct. Refer to Lesson 3: Draft analysis for more details about the Draft analysis.

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IMOLD V8

Process: Split Lines


When the user defines the parting lines, they must be edges of the project model, and they cannot be curves or sketch lines. In some cases, SolidWorks Split Line command must be used to split faces of the part so the parting lines can be defined in consistence with good manufacturing practices and enable easy part extraction. Split lines may also be required if the part does not allow you to easily produce your parting surface. Here we will also demonstrate the Split Surface function in IMOLD and how it help reduce mouse travel and events. Introducing: Split Line Where To Find It: The Split Line function is used to divide a face into multiple faces so that each face can be selected independently. Split lines are used in mold design when a face crosses over the parting line. Click Split Line on the Curves Toolbar. OR From the Insert menu, select Curve, Split Line The Split Line function is used to divide a face into multiple faces so that each face can be selected independently. Split lines are used in mold design when a face crosses over the parting line.

Introducing: Split Surface Where To Find It:

Click Split Line Click Split Surface on the Curves Toolbar. Click Split on the CCB toolbar OR Surface on the CCB toolbar From the IMOLD menu, select Core/Cavity Builder, OR Utilities, Split Surface From the Insert menu, select Curve, Split Line This sample product has a face that intersect the front plane. Lets split this face to keep the parting line simple. We will create the split line on the derived part so that we dont modify the original part. 5. Create a Sketch Select the Right Plane of the product.

Click

to create a sketch.

Click to view normal to the newly created sketch. Select the edge shown.

Click Convert Entities

Extend the ends of the line created so that it is longer than the face of the tab.

Note: Be sure the line does not extend into the larger face, as this will cause the split command to fail.

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Lesson 2: Using IMOLD

6. Create Split Line. From the Insert menu choose Curve, Split Line Under Type of Split selection box, select the Projection option. In the Selections box, choose the long side face indicated by the figure. Click OK . The faces are split and an edge appears. We will also add draft to the face for easier extraction.

7. Create Split Line from Split Surface. From the CCB toolbar select Split Surface . Under Type of Split, select By two

points . Select the surface indicated and under the Entities selection box

, select the two points used to split the surface and click OK to split the surface.

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IMOLD V8

8. Add Draft. Select Draft from the Features toolbar. Type Of Draft = Neutral Plane. Draft Angle = 1.00deg. Select the lower portion of the parting surface as the Neutral Plane.

Select the highlighted faces of the tab as the Faces To Draft on both sides of the part. Select both faces on both sides

Click OK

Draft is added to the part. Save the product.

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Lesson 2: Using IMOLD

Process: Project Control


The Project Control is where all IMOLD projects begin and continue. In the following steps we will be choosing the part to begin a project by defining the project prefix, project unit, resin type, etc. These common parameters are essential for each and every design using the IMOLD software. Upon the completion of the project control module the assembly structure is created automatically, which in our case will include an impression (core/cavity) assembly and top-level assembly. We will also close and continue the project using Project Control. We can also pre-define in the options tab such as the Project information, machine type, insert information, the moldbase, slider, and lifter and component vendors when initializing the project. Introducing: Project Control To begin a project in IMOLD you must initialize the project through Project Control. The Project Control module will allow the user to browse and choose the part that will be used for the design, provide the location of the working directory folder, allow the user to choose a prefix, set a project unit, and add a shrinkage factor. In addition, you can import core/cavity inserts that you have created in other CAD systems. Where To Find It: Click Project Control on the IMOLD Toolbar OR From the IMOLD menu, choose Project Control Starting a project will create the necessary assembly structure and files. This means there is no need to save the files manually, it is all maintained automatically.

Introducing: Starting A Project

9. Project Control On the IMOLD toolbar, select Project Control Project Control window dialog is displayed. 10.Define Project Name Enter Switch Cover as the project name. Add the plastic part Click Add Parts. Browse and locate the Switch Cover_derived.SLDPRT file. Click Open to load the part. IMOLD automatically creates an assembly structure. , New Project. The

Note: You may have the part file open or closed when using Project Control.

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IMOLD V8

Introducing: Working Directory The Working Directory is the folder location, which contains all of the files for the mold design project. The software offers the users the ability to add a Prefix to the whole project. This parameter is for companies that use project numbers to document jobs. It also allows the user to have more than one project open concurrently. The Project Unit controls the unit used throughout all of the IMOLD modules. The software offers a list of Resin Types, which will update the Shrinkage Factor accordingly. The user also has the option to manually specify the desired Shrinkage Factor or choose not to add a shrinkage factor at all. When selecting the shrinkage factor the user may choose to add a Uniform or XYZ scaling factor.

Prefix

Project Unit

Resin Types Shrinkage Factor Where To Find It: All of the above items can all be found in the Project Control dialog Box.

11.Provide a Prefix Under Options, Enter 1000_ as the Prefix. Click to select Add prefix to all standard components. 12.Select a Project Unit Under Project Unit, select the Millimeter option. 13.Select a Resin Type From the project tree, select 1000_Switch Cover derived_Impression. Under Shrinkage, select the Apply to model option. From the Resin drop-down list, select ABS as the Resin. This Resin Type will automatically update the Shrinkage Factor to 1.005.

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Lesson 2: Using IMOLD

14.Start The Project Click OK to start and create the project. In addition, when creating the project you can set up the mold design specifications like the moldbase vendor, component vendor and so on. The advantage here is that users can preset the types of components that will be used for the project in order to load them faster during the project. Introducing: Project Options Project Options allows you to set options for the current project. You can set options like: - Customer Name - Mold number - Part finish - Moldbase vendor and type to be used - Slider vendor and type to be used - Component vendor - Lifter vendor - And many more. In addition, you can save these options to a database as defaults for all projects (Company template) or for a particular customer (customer template)

Where To Find It:

All of the above items can all be found on the Options tab of the Project Control dialog box.

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IMOLD V8

IMOLD Assembly Structure:


The IMOLD assembly structure is created automatically when a project is initialized through the project control module.

Top Level Assembly:


The top-level assembly contains all of the files created for the project mold design. The system breaks the portions of the mold design into sub-assemblies making it easy to work on different portions of the mold design at any given time.

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Lesson 2: Using IMOLD

Introducing: Clone Project Clone Project will allow you to make an exact copy of the project with all the associated drawings. The new project can then be edited using Open Project.. On the IMOLD Toolbar, select Project Control, Clone Project OR On the SolidWorks Menu, select IMOLD, Project Control, Clone Project. Edit Project allows changes to be made to the structure of an existing project. Some of the changes that can be made are: - Adding or removing parts. - Changing the names of the inserts. - Changing the shrinkage factor. - Changing the project options. On the IMOLD Toolbar, select Project Control, Edit Project OR On the SolidWorks Menu, select IMOLD, Project Control, Edit Project.

Where To Find it?

Introducing: Edit Project

Where To Find it?

Introducing: Close Project Close Project closes all the files associated with the project. It can also save the files before closing them. On the IMOLD Toolbar, select Project Control, Close Project OR On the SolidWorks Menu, select IMOLD, Project Control, Close Project.

Where To Find it?

15.Close the project. On the IMOLD menu, select At the prompt, select Yes. Project Control, Close Project.

All the files of the current project are closed.

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IMOLD V8 Open Project will allow you to continue work on an existing project. This will load the assembly of the mold.

Introducing: Open Project Where To Find it?

On the IMOLD Toolbar, select Project Control, Open Project OR On the SolidWorks Menu, select IMOLD, Project Control, Open Project.

16.Continue the Project. On the IMOLD toolbar, select Project Control, Open Project. .

Browse and locate the file named: Click Open to open the project.

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Lesson 3 Parting

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you should be able to: Create core and cavity inserts. Identify and create sidecores. Familiarize yourself with the parting methods used in IMOLD. Create sub-inserts. Using SplitWizard to create core and cavity inserts.

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IMOLD V8

Overview
We will be creating the main parts of the mold design in the following steps. To accomplish this task we will be using the Core/Cavity Builder module in IMOLD. Upon completion, we will have created a core, a cavity, a side core and a sub-insert. We will discuss the different methods of parting as well as different techniques in dealing with surfaces as they relate to each file. The Core/Cavity Builder provides tools for creating the core and cavity of a mold, which can be created quickly and efficiently with the interactive tools provided by the software. Any part, from simple planar parting lines to complex free-form parting surfaces, can be created by the Parting functions.

Highlights
Create Inserts IMOLD provides tools to easily create core and cavity insert blocks. Create Sidecore IMOLDs Sidecore function provides options to easily create side cores. Parting IMOLDs Parting Functions enable you to identify the core and cavity surfaces of a part very easily. Utility Functions These functions make patching holes, creating run-offs and copying surfaces across files much easier. Sub insert Designer This module helps the mold designer to easily design sub inserts for inserts which require sub inserts. SplitWizard a step-by-step primary core and cavity, inserts splitting tool.

Draft Analysis.
Draft plays a very important role in the manufacturing of parts by injection molding. To ensure that a part can be successfully molded, it is essential that all the faces of the part have draft along the pull direction. If any face lacks draft, the designer has to decide if draft has to be added or if the part can be safely ejected as it is. IMOLD provides tools to analyze the draft on a part, check for straddle faces and to split them if necessary. Introducing: Draft Analysis Draft Analysis checks for draft angle along the pull direction (Normal to the Front plane) by default. In addition, draft can also be analyzed along a pull direction specified by the user. The tool can check for both faces with zero draft and straddle faces faces whose draft angle is along both directions. Click Data Preparation , Draft Analysis on the IMOLD toolbar OR From the IMOLD menu, select Data Preparation, Draft Analysis

Where To Find It:

25

Lesson 3: Parting

Process: Draft Analysis.


1. Open the project. Open 2. Draft Analysis. On the IMOLD toolbar, select Data Preparation Analysis , Draft using Project Control.

Select the Front Plane for the Direction & Draft and click Analyze. All the faces for core, cavity, zero draft and straddle are tagged. Select Keep Result option to maintain the tagged result.

As this training guide will be demonstrating other methods of defining the parting lines and surfaces, click Cancel to close the Property Manager.

Note: In actual designs, add Draft angle to the faces highlighted using SolidWorks tools. A discussion of adding draft is beyond the scope of this Guide.

Parting
Parting is the process of creating cores and cavities from a product model. In general, parting consists of the following steps: Identification of the parting lines, core and cavity faces of the part. During this step, you also identify any faces that belong to side cores. Patching covering all the through holes on the part. Creating runoff surfaces. Creating the insert blocks. Copying the core or cavity surfaces to the respective insert file along with the patches and the runoff surfaces. Splitting the insert with the surfaces.

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IMOLD V8

Process: Parting Lines


Introducing: Parting Lines Outer parting lines refer to the edges of the product, round the position of maximum dimensions when viewed in the draw direction. Outer parting lines will be used to create run-offs as well as a guide to identify the core/cavity surfaces. Inner parting lines refer to the edges of through holes in the product model which are shared by both the core and the cavity. IMOLD will later use the inner parting lines to automatically create patches. Where To Find It: Click Core/Cavity Builder IMOLD toolbar OR , Parting Lines on the Parting Lines act as boundaries such that the search will not go beyond these lines during the searching process.

Click Parting Lines , on the CCB toolbar OR From the IMOLD menu, select Core/Cavity Builder, Parting Lines...

3. Identifying the Parting Lines Click Parting Lines , on the CCB toolbar. The Parting Lines Property Manager will appear and under Operations click .

Rotate the part to analyze the result of the auto search. In the Parting Lines Property Manager, the outer parting lines and inner parting lines are separated.

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Lesson 3: Parting

4. Redefine the Parting Lines The auto search function acts as a preliminary guide to defining parting lines. Designers need to check the parting lines and sometimes redefine them. In this case, we need to redefine the inner parting lines. Activate the Inner Parting Lines menu and on the design area, deselect the unwanted edges and select the edges that make up the new inner part loops that will become the inner parting lines. Below is an example of how the inner parting lines should look like:

Click OK lines.

to accept the parting

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IMOLD V8

Process: Parting Surfaces


Introducing: Parting Surfaces Parting Surfaces are the faces of the part that have been identified as belonging to the core or the cavity. They can be used to part the product model into the core and the cavity. IMOLD identifies the core and the cavity surfaces based on the draft angles and the part topology. You can override the automatic detection by selecting faces manually. You can also set limits on the automatic detection by defining parting lines. Click Core/Cavity Builder the IMOLD toolbar OR , Parting Surfaces on

Where To Find It:

Click Parting Surfaces on CCB toolbar OR From the IMOLD menu, select Core/Cavity Builder, Parting Surfaces.

5. Identify the faces. Click Parting Surfaces on the CCB toolbar

The Parting Surfaces PropertyManager is displayed. Under Operations, click Search. All the faces of the part are identified and highlighted. The actual colors may differ based on settings.

The parting surface search did not utilize the parting lines define earlier. To use the parting lines defined as a guide to search the parting surfaces, select the Simple search option and click Search again.

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Lesson 3: Parting

6. Check the results. Click the Explode View group to expand it.

A preview of the core and the cavity surfaces is displayed.

Under Explode View, click to unselect Body option.

Notice that some faces that should belong to the side core are tagged as cavity and the core faces.

Click Reset under Operations to reject the results. Click Cancel to close the Parting Surfaces PropertyManager.

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IMOLD V8

Process: Sidecore Surfaces


Introducing: Side Core Surfaces Where To Find It: Click Core/Cavity Builder the IMOLD toolbar OR , Sidecore Surfaces on Sidecore surfaces help to identify faces of the part that will be formed by a side core.

Click Side Core Surfaces on CCB toolbar. OR From the IMOLD menu, select Core/Cavity Builder, Side Core Surfaces. Identify the side core faces. Click Core/Cavity Builder OR

7. From the CCB toolbar, select Sidecore Surfaces The Sidecore Surfaces PropertyManager is displayed. Under Search Items, select the Boundary faces box to activate it.

Select the two faces shown.

Select the Seed face box to activate it.

Select the face shown. 31

Lesson 3: Parting

Click Search to search for the side core faces. The faces belonging to the side core between the boundary faces are highlighted.

Click OK

to save the results and close the PropertyManager.

8. Re-identify the core and cavity faces. Click Core/Cavity Builder , Parting Surfaces on the IMOLD toolbar The Parting Surfaces Property Manager is displayed. Under Operations, click Search. All the surfaces of the part are identified as core and as cavity faces. The faces identified as the side core are ignored. Use the Exploded View to verify the search result. Since the parting lines are fully defined, the core and cavity faces should be fully assigned as well. In some cases, should there be undefined faces still unidentified, refer to the next step.

Click OK Manager.

to close the Property

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IMOLD V8 We will use the IMOLD Core/Cavity Builder FeatureManager to move all the unidentified faces to the core. The IMOLD Core/Cavity Builder Feature Manager Introducing: shows all the faces in the faces in the part, grouped by their identity. It also shows the patch and runoff surfaces IMOLD Core/Cavity as well. With the Feature Manager, you can: Builder Feature Manager - Hide or show selected groups of faces. - Select groups of faces. - Move faces from one group to other. The IMOLD Core/Cavity Builder FeatureManager can be Where To Find It: found as one of the tabs in the PropertyManager OR Click Assign surface from the CCB toolbar.

9. Assigning faces Activate the Core/Cavity Builder FeatureManager by clicking the icon on the SolidWorks PropertyManager. Defined faces, parting lines and other information is stored in the folders. Right-clicking the folders will give you the options to assign the faces.

When options are assigned, the faces will move to the folders.

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Lesson 3: Parting

Process: Patching
Patching is the process of covering holes on the part so that a closed surface can be obtained for splitting the core and the cavity. Introducing: Patch Holes. Where To Find It: Patch holes provides the tools required to patch holes. It provided many different methods that can be used in various situations. Click Core/Cavity Builder on the IMOLD toolbar OR Click Patch Holes , Utilities, Patch Holes

on the CCB toolbar. OR From the IMOLD menu, select Core/Cavity Builder, Utilities, Patch Holes. IMOLD provides 6 methods for patching holes. A brief description of each method and where it is to be used follows: Introducing: AutoPatch: This covers all the holes in the part that lie on one face and at the interface of the faces identified as core and cavity. Patch: This creates standard SolidWorks planar surface and filled surfaces that are associative to the model. Use this method when the model is a SolidWorks model and you expect many changes in the model. Delete hole: This creates a SolidWorks Delete Hole feature. Use this method in the core and the cavity surfaces to remove holes that span multiple complex faces. Untrim Surface: This removes all the holes from a face and creates a new surface. The new surface is not associative to the base surface. Use this method when the face has many holes that would be too tedious to patch one by one. Circular Patch: This will create patches on a circular edge. Use this method when you want to close the end of a cylindrical surface. Boundary Patch: This creates a patch on a selected closed boundary. Where To Find It: All the patching methods described above can be found under Methods in the Patch Hole PropertyManager page.

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IMOLD V8

10.Patch holes. Click Core/Cavity Builder toolbar. Under Methods, select the Auto Patch option. , Utilites, Patch Holes on the IMOLD

Click OK patches.

to create the

11.Alternatively, use FeatureManager to create patches. Select the Inner Parting Line folder and right mouse click to show options.

Select Create Patch.

This function automatically create patches for all the loops that are related to the inner parting lines.

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Lesson 3: Parting

Process: Runoff Surfaces


Runoff surfaces are surfaces that extend from the edge of the product beyond the insert boundaries. These surfaces, along with the core and the cavity surfaces are used to split the insert blocks to form the impression. Introducing: Run-off Surface. Where To Find It: Run-off surfaces allows for easy creation of the runoff surface. It provides different methods of runoff surface creation, so you can choose the method that suits the situation. Click Core/Cavity Builder surface on the IMOLD toolbar OR , Utilities, Run-off

Click Run-off surface from CCB toolbar OR From the IMOLD menu, select Core/Cavity Builder, Utilities, Run-off surface. IMOLD provides 4 methods creating the run-off surfaces. A brief description of each follows. Introducing: Loft: This requires selection of a reference plane and the edges for which you wish to create the runoff surfaces. The surfaces created are associative to the selected edges. You can use this method to create run-off surfaces for all types of parts. Radiate: This requires selection of the edges that you wish to create the run-offs for. A single surface is created from the selected edges. The surface generated might be more complex than the one that is generated using Loft surface. The surface is associative to the edges. Ruled Surface: This method can only be used on a closed loop of edges. It creates surfaces that are similar to loft surfaces, but they are non-associative. This method can be used on imported parts and on parts that are very complex as the surfaces created by this method regenerate faster. Angular radiate: This method allows you to create a draft angle between the cavity and core inserts in order for an easier parting Where To Find It: All the runoff methods described above can be found under Methods in the Run-off Property Manager page. Parting line tools allow easier selection of the edges that you wish to create the runoff surfaces for. If the core and cavity faces have been identified, Auto search can search the parting edges on the part automatically. If you want more control, you can use Sequential search. Under Parting line tools on the Run-off Surface Property Manager page.

Introducing: Parting Line tools

Where To Find It:

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IMOLD V8

12.Create run-off surfaces. Click Run-off surfaces on CCB toolbar.

Under Methods, select the Ruled surface option. Expand Parting line tools search. , click Auto

All the parting edges are automatically searched and added to the list. Under the Entities group box, change the distance Click OK to create the surfaces. to 50 mm.

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Lesson 3: Parting

Process: Create Inserts.


Introducing: Insert Creator Where To Find It: The Insert Creator enables you to easily create inserts based on the part size. You can choose to create the insert based on the part origin or the assembly origin. Click Core/Cavity Builder IMOLD toolbar OR , Insert Creator on the

Click Insert Creator from CCB toolbar OR From the IMOLD menu, select Core/Cavity Builder, Insert Creator.

13.Select insert size. Click Insert Creator on the CCB toolbar.

Under Ref Origin drop down group box, select Assembly Origin and for Insert Type, select the Rectangular option. Click the Gap Parameters group to expand it. Click to select X-Balance and Y Balance to create a balanced insert. Under Parameters, change the parameters to: L = 75. W = 85. Z1 = 36. Z2 = 36. Click OK to create the inserts.

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IMOLD V8

Process: Copy Surfaces.


Introducing: Copy Surfaces Copy Surfaces allows you to copy all the surfaces belonging to the core or to the cavity along with the associated patches and runoff surfaces directly to the respective insert. All the surfaces can be selected automatically or you can select them from the Feature Manager or the graphics area. If the copied surfaces form a closed surface, the inserts are automatically cut with the surfaces as well. Click Core/Cavity Builder IMOLD toolbar OR , Copy Surfaces on the

Where To Find It:

Click Copy Surfaces on the CCB toolbar OR From the IMOLD menu, select Core/Cavity Builder, Copy Surfaces.

14.Make the part the active document. From the SolidWorks menu, select Window. From the list of active windows, select to make it the active document.

15.Copy surfaces to core. On the CCB toolbar, click Copy Surfaces .

Under Destination group box, select the Core option and leave the other options as default.

Click OK to copy the surfaces and split the core insert.

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Lesson 3: Parting

16.Make the part the active document. Use the SolidWorks Window Menu. 17.Copy surfaces to the cavity. On the CCB toolbar, click Copy Surfaces . Under Destination, select the Cavity option.

Some of the patch surfaces are not required to be copied to the cavity. We can specify which surfaces are not to be copied using the Face Deselection selection box.

18.Deselect the patch surfaces. Expand the Face Deselection box by clicking it . Select the three patch surfaces on the core side.

19.Complete the copy. Click OK to copy the surface to the cavity insert.

40

IMOLD V8 The cavity insert will not be split because of the hole in the cavity surface. We will use IMOLDs Patch Holes utility to close the hole and split the insert using SolidWorks.

20.Delete the hole. Right-mouse click on the feature CavitySurface-Knit and select show

to un-hide the surface. Click Core/Cavity Builder toolbar. , Utilites, Patch Holes on the IMOLD

Under Methods, select the Delete Hole option.

Select the face highlighted.

Click OK

to delete the hole.

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Lesson 3: Parting

21.Split the cavity insert manually. From the SolidWorks menu, select Insert, Cut, With Surface.

Select the Delete Hole feature. Flip the direction of the cut as indicated

Click OK

to insert the cut.

Hide the surface body (DeleteHole1).

22.Save the project On the IMOLD toolbar, select Save Save Project... ,

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IMOLD V8

Side Cores
IMOLD incorporates a Sidecore creator that aids in the rapid and easy creation of side cores. As many side cores as needed can be automatically added to the impression assembly at any stage of the design. Existing side core parts can also be used. Introducing: Side Core Creator. Where To Find It: The Side Core Creator helps to create side cores quickly and easily. It has functions for copying previously identified side cores to inserts, updating existing surfaces and so on. Click Core/Cavity Builder the IMOLD toolbar OR , Side Core Creator on

Click Side Core Creator on the CCB toolbar OR From the IMOLD menu, select Core/Cavity Builder, Side Core Creator.

Process: Create the side core.


23.Extract the side core faces. Click Core/Cavity Builder toolbar. Select the face shown as the Seed Face. , Side Core Creator on the IMOLD

Click the Additional faces box to activate box and select the face shown, 3 patched surfaces and the boundary.

Click OK

to copy the side core faces.

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Lesson 3: Parting

A new part called is inserted in the impression assembly. This part contains a surface body corresponding to the side core.

To complete the side core insert, we will create the insert profile using SolidWorks.

24.Save the project On the IMOLD toolbar, select Save , Save Project...

25.Hide the cavity insert and the product. In the FeatureManager design tree, select the cavity insert, right-click and select Hide.

Repeat the hide for the product

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IMOLD V8

26.Create the sketch for the side core insert. Edit the part in context. Select the side core part, 1000_Switch Cover Derived_Sidcore1 and click Edit

Component on the Assemble Command Manager. Start a sketch on the face of the core insert as shown.

27.Convert the entities from the side core

Complete the sketch as shown on the right.

Exit the sketch

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Lesson 3: Parting

28.Extend the surface body. Make the side core the active document by opening the part

Extend the surface, so that it extends beyond the sketch. From the SolidWorks menu, select Insert, Surface, Extend . Select the edge shown. Under End Condition, select the Distance option and change the value to 10mm.

Click OK

to extend the surface.

29.Complete the side core insert. From the SolidWorks menu, select Insert, Boss/Base, Extrude

Select the sketch from steps 26 and 27. Select the Up to surface End Condition.

Select the surface body as the terminating surface.

Click OK

to extrude the sketch.

Hide the surface to better represent the side core. 30.Save the project On the IMOLD toolbar, select Save , Save Project...

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IMOLD V8

31.Toggle. Toggle back to the main assembly, click Edit Component and unhide the cavity.

Sub Inserts.
An optional module, the SubInsert Designer is a powerful tool to create sub inserts. Introducing: Subisnert Designer. Where To Find It: The SubInsert Designer helps to design subinserts rapidly. Rectangular, round or any other shape of subinserts can be created. Flanges can be added as well.. Click SubInsert on the IMOLD toolbar OR From the IMOLD menu, select Sub Insert.

This part will need a sub insert to make the slots in the front of the part. Another sub-insert is needed to mold the lettering on the part. We will see how to create the sub inserts for the slots.

32.Make the cavity insert the active document. Open part Visible mode for a clearer view. . Toggle to Hidden Lines

33.Create the sub insert for the slots. On the IMOLD toolbar, select SubInsert , SubInsert Creator. Under Insert Shape, select the Rectangular option and uncheck the Pocket box.

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Lesson 3: Parting

Select the edges shown. A graphical preview of the sub insert will be displayed.

Expand Position and Size value in L to 16 and W to 7.0.

, change the

Under Flange Items,click Create Flange

. Select the parameters as shown. Click OK to close the Flange Parameters window. The preview of the subinsert shape is displayed.

Click OK

to create the subinsert.

34.Save the project On the IMOLD toolbar, select Save , Save Project...

Note: Other sub inserts can be created as an exercise.

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IMOLD V8

Process: Using Split Wizard


Introducing: Split Wizard Where To Find It: IMOLD Split Wizard provides a step-by-step first pass tool to split products. This can be used as an initial step to quickly and easily split products. Click Core/Cavity Builder IMOLD toolbar OR Click Split Wizard , Split Wizard on the

on the CCB toolbar. OR From the IMOLD menu, select Core/Cavity Builder, Split Wizard.

35.Select Split Wizard From IMOLD toolbar, click Core/Cavity Builder , Split Wizard A step-by-step wizard based interface will appear to guide through the tooling split. 36.Define Parting Line As the first phase of the Spilt Wizard, we need to define the parting line. This can be done automatically by clicking the Auto button. Should the parting lines be not as what the designer wants it to be, you can click the Standard button.

This option gives the designer more performance and at the same time flexibility.

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Lesson 3: Parting

Should the loops of the inner parting lines or outer parting lines are not closed, the Split Wizard will prompt you to highlight the edges that are not closed. 37.Defining the Parting Face From the Parting Line tab, click Next button to activate the Parting Face tab. Allows you to identify cavity and core faces automatically. If parting lines were completed, the check box will automatically be checked. The Standard option gives the designer added flexibility to move the core and cavity faces. Upon completing the Parting Face phase, click the Next button to proceed to the Patch phase. 38.Automatic Patch Allows you to automatically patch all holes in the part by just clicking on the Auto button.

39.Automatic Run-off Allows you to automatically create run-off surfaces. You have the flexibility again to use other methods of creating the run-off surfaces by selecting the Standard button.

40.Automatic Insert Creator Allows you to automatically copy cpre and cavity, patched, and run-off surfaces and knit them together in order to cut with an insert box that is automatically crated. You can choose whether you want a rectangular or circular inserts and followed by clicking the Auto button. However, if the process does not successfully create the desired inserts, you always have the flexibility to manually do it by selecting the Standard button or select the Copy surface button to manually choose which faces to copy.

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Lesson 4 Layout and Feed System Design

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you should be able to: Complete a layout of a mold design Select and locate a gating system Select and locate a running system

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Lesson 4: Feed System Design

Overview
In this chapter, we will explore how the user is able to create and edit a Layout, Gate Design, and Runner Design. This design will be a balanced two-cavity mold with an S shaped runner system using edge gates to fill the parts. This module makes the development of these portions of the design very simple and effective.

Highlights
Layout Design IMOLD offers different layout options for the user to create the layout they desire. Editing The Layout IMOLD offers tools to manipulate and move components of the layout with ease. Gate Design The software offers many different styles of gates the user may use to properly gate the part or parts. Runner Design This tool offers ways to design and locate runner systems.

Process: Adding and Editing a Layout


The parameters are defined by the user in order to create the proper layout. After the layout is created, there are editing tools that enable user to easily manipulate the layout to fit specific design needs. In this example, we will add a two-cavity layout. The Add Layout function of the Layout Designer provides the user options to choose a type of layout, its orientation, and the specified number of cavities. The parameters for locating each instance are based on the number of cavities. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Layout Designer , Add Layout from the fly-out menu. -ORFrom the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Layout Designer, Add Layout The Modify Layout function of the Layout Designer offers the user editing options. You can choose to either edit the current layout or transform an impression. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Layout Designer , Modify Layout from the fly-out menu. OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Layout Designer, Edit Layout

Introducing: Adding A Layout

Where To Find It:

Introducing: Modifying A Layout

Where To Find It:

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IMOLD V8

1. Load the Project Open the

project.

2. Activate the Layout Designer Click Layout Designer , Add Layout

3. Add a layout Choose Balanced layout type.

Choose Horizontal orientation. Choose 2 Cavities for the number of cavities layout. Check the Preview part option to preview the part in the graphics area. With a two-cavity layout, only one distance needs to be determined. Enter 20mm for A distance. This will allow the inserts to be interchangeable. The preview updates to show the new layout. Click OK to create the layout. Hide the products.

Note: Parameter Options allows you to choose the distance of the layout from either the boundary of the inserts or from the origin of the part.

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Lesson 4: Feed System Design

Process: Adding Corners to the Inserts


Corners are often added to the tooling inserts for better fit. In IMOLD V8 filleting the outside corners of the inserts can be done automatically. Introducing: Adding Corners to Layout Where To Find It: On the IMOLD toolbar, click Core/Cavity Builder , Create Insert Corner OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Core/Cavity Builder, Create Insert Corner The Create Insert Corner function automatically adds corners to the inserts in the layout.

4. Create Insert Corners. From IMOLD toolbar, click Core/Cavity Builder Corner... The dialog corner number are labeled in co ordinance to the front view of the design layout and the type of corner styles are chosen through the radio option. In this exercise, choose the fillet the four corners a radius of 8 mm and uncheck the pocketing parameters . Click on the Execute button. Because this the inserts are two equal impressions and we are trying to create corners on different sides of each impression, a message prompts you to auto-create configurations to ensure that the earlier corner parameters are carried out. , Create Insert

Click OK to create new configurations.

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IMOLD V8

5. Result. Corners are automatically added to the inserts.

6. Save the project On the IMOLD toolbar, select Save , Save Project...

Process: Add and Modify Gates


We will now add the gates to the impressions and make some modifications to them. We will discuss the types of gates available and the techniques to locate them as well as the modification tools available. Introducing: Add Gate The Add Gate provides a library of common gate types with parameters that can be controlled by the user. After the gate type and parameters are set, there are options to locate the gate and its direction. On the IMOLD toolbar, select Feed Designer , Gate Designer, and Add Gate... OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Feed Designer, Gate Designer, Add Gate Create Point uses SmartPoint to create 3D points on an edge or a face "on the fly". In the Add Gate Property Manager, click Create Point button in the Position group.

Where To Find It:

Introducing: Create Point Where To Find It:

7. Start Feed Designer to insert gate On the IMOLD menu, select Feed Designer , Gate Designer , Add Gate

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Lesson 4: Feed System Design

8. Select the position of the gate. Zoom in and select the midpoint of the edge shown.

The midpoint can be selected by moving the cursor along the edge until the shape of the cursor changes to mouse button to select point. . Then, click the left

TIP: Change the display mode to Shaded to make the selection easier. 9. Define Gate Parameters Select Gate type=Edge

Expand Parameter group and modify the parameters as shown on the right.

The preview will show and update as the parameters are changed, reflecting how the gate will shape.

Under the Position group, select the Cavity side option.

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IMOLD V8

10.Rotate the Gate Under Direction group, enter 90 deg so that the gate is oriented as shown, flip direction is necessary.

11.Add the gate Click OK to add the gate. The gate is placed on both the impressions because the Copy to cavities option under the Gate Type group is selected.

Process: Add and Modify Runner System


The last process, we will examine how to add and then modify a runner system. In this design, it will be a balanced S-shaped runner. However, before we can continue to create the runner we will first create runner blocks between the instances of the layout. Introducing: Modify Gate Where To Find It: The Modify Gate offers tools to change the size and position of a selected gate. You can also copy the gate to all cavities, delete the gate and subtract the gates from the inserts. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Feed Designer , Gate Designer, Modify Gate from the fly-out menu. OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Feed Designer, Gate Designer, Modify Gate Transform Gate will allow the user to move, rotate and copy the selected gate. Move will simply locate the selected gate to the new location. Copy will copy the selected gate to the new user defined location. Rotate will re-orientate the selected gate to user defined orientation. Copy to all cavities will make a copy of the selected gate to every instance of the layout in the same orientation as the original. This is very useful when there is large number of instances within a layout. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Feed Designer , Gate Designer , Transform Gate from the fly-out menu. OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Feed Designer, Gate Designer, Transform Gate

Introducing: Transform Gate

Where To Find It:

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Lesson 4: Feed System Design

Introducing: Delete Gate Where To Find It:

The Delete gate functionality of the Feed Designer allows you to delete either a single gate or all the gates in the feed system. If the gate(s) is subtracted using the Auto-subtraction function, the cavities associated with the gate are also deleted. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Feed Designer , Auto Delete... -ORFrom the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Feed Designer, Auto Delete The View Manager function provides users with visualization tools to assist them in designing the mold much easily. These tools include Show/Hide mold components and Turning On/Off transparency of the mold components. On the IMOLD toolbar, click View Manager OR .

Introducing: View Manager

Where To Find It:

From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, View Manager

12.Hide the cavity inserts On the IMOLD toobar, select View Manager , Show/Hide

Click to unselect the Cavity options in the View Manager window.

Click Close to close the View Manager dialog.

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IMOLD V8

13.Insert A New Part Verify the top-level assembly is the active window. From the SolidWorks Insert menu, select Component, New Part . Select the higher of the parting surfaces, highlighted on the right as the location of the new part.

14.Sketch Profile View Normal To the surface.

Sketch a Rectangle filling the gap between the instances. Click to accept and exit the sketch.

15.Extrude Runner Block Extrude the rectangular sketch using the Up To Surface end condition and select the Bottom face on one of the core parts as the terminating surface.

Click OK

to create the extrusion.

Click Edit Component on the CommandManager to toggle back to the main assembly

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Lesson 4: Feed System Design

16.Hide the 1000_Core and Show the 1000_Cavity Use the View Manager .

Later click Close to close the View Manager dialog.

17.Insert A New Part. From the Insert menu, select Component, New Part . Select the lower parting face (as shown) of the cavity insert as the location of the new part.

18.Sketch Profile View Normal To the surface.

Sketch a Rectangle filling the gap between the instances just as was done for the core side.

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IMOLD V8

19.Extrude Runner Block Extrude the rectangle using Up To Surface end condition . Select the Top face on one of the cavity parts as the terminating surface.

Click OK

to create the extrusion.

Click Edit Component on the CommandManager to toggle back to the main assembly

. On the FeatureManager design tree, right mouse click and select rename on the new parts created and rename part to and . Use the View Manager 20.Save the project On the IMOLD toolbar, select Save , Save Project... to show the core.

Introducing: Smart Point

The Smart Point function allows users to create points by entering the coordinates or with respect to existing geometry in the part. The point can be created in either the current document or a selected part. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Smart Point OR .

Where To Find It:

From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Smart Point

21.Hide the runner blocks Right mouse click on the runner blocks and select Hide component .

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Lesson 4: Feed System Design

22.Add runner location points. On the IMOLD toolbar, select Smart Point Select the point shown below. .

In the Smart Point dialog, under Ref Coordinates group box, change the value in the box to -6.

Click Create to create the point. Repeat the above step for the other impression. Note: The Ref Coordinates value in box should be 6.

Click Cancel to close the Smart Point dialog.

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IMOLD V8

Introducing: Add Runner Where To Find It:

Add Runner offers tools to create a runner system. The user may choose to add a linear, S shape or a spline runner and locate it with different options. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Feed Designer Runner Designer, Add runner OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Feed Designer, Runner Designer, Add runner The Runner Path determines the shape of the runner. The Section is the cross section of the runner. Choose the best combination of the path and section for the individual design. Under Runner Type on the Add Runner tab in the Feed Designer dialog.

Introducing: Runner Path and Section Where To Find It:

23.Select runner path and section. On the IMOLD toolbar, select Feed Designer Add runner Select Path Type = HSShape. , Runner Designer,

Expand the Path parameters group box and modify the parameters as shown:

Select Section Type=Circle, Section Parameters: D=5

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Lesson 4: Feed System Design

Select runner start and end positions and add runner. Under Position, select the points created in step 22.

The runner path preview.

Click OK

to create the runner.

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IMOLD V8

24.Add short runners to connect the runner and left gate. On the IMOLD toolbar, select Feed Designer Add runner. Select Path Type = Linear. , Runner Designer,

Expand Path Parameters and change value to 2.

Select Section Type=Circle, Section Parameters: D=4

25.Add short runner. In Position group, select the start and end points of the left impression as shown. Click OK to add the runner.

TIP: Select the point on the gate as the start point. Repeat the above steps to create runner for the right impression. 26.The result.

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Lesson 4: Feed System Design Modify Runner provides tools to edit the path and section parameters of the runner after they are created. You can also rotate, move or copy the entire runner branch. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Feed Designer , Runner Designer, Modify runner OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Feed Designer, Runner Designer, Modify runner

Introducing: Modify Runner Where To Find It:

The short runners created are overlapping with the gates. To prevent this, we will edit the extension parameters of the branch.

27.Modify the Runners. Change the view to the Front standard view. Click Feed Designer , Runner Designer, Modify runner

In Runner selection group, choose the left short runner.

Change the Extension to 1 and Section Parameters to 3.5.

Click the pushpin Click OK

button to keep the PropertyManager active.

to update the changes.

28.Modify the other branch. In Runner selection group, choose the right short runner. Change the Path parameter: Ext=1, Section parameters: D=3.5. Click OK Click Cancel to update the changes. to exit Feed Designer.

Note: We have created an unbalanced runner to demonstrate how configurations can be used.

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IMOLD V8

Introducing: Delete Runner Where To Find It:

The Delete runner functionality of the Feed Designer allows you to delete either a single branch or all the entire runner part. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Feed Designer , Auto Delete OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Feed Designer, Auto Delete

29.Save the project On the IMOLD toolbar, select Save 30.Close Project. Use Project Control project files. , Close Project to close all the , Save Project...

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Lesson 5 Moldbase Design

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you should be able to: Load a moldbase Add screws

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IMOLD V8

Overview
IMOLD offers a unique 3D-moldbase module, which automatically creates parametric standard moldbases, from manufactures like HASCO and DME just to name a few. The Moldbase Designer allows the users to load standard moldbases, customize, and create new moldbases specific to your needs. A preview is available to enable the user to choose the moldbase size even before loading. In this chapter, we will discuss how the moldbase designer works and add a moldbase to our existing design. The Intelligent Screws module allows screws to be added by selecting the location of the screw. The program automatically calculates the screw length and creates the holes for the screw.

Highlights
Load Moldbase IMOLD offers many vendors, types, and sizes of moldbases to use in a mold design. The preview makes the size selection very easy. Thickness Changes With each design it may be necessary to manipulate the thickness of mold plates. It is simple and effective in IMOLD. Size Changes The size of the moldbase may need to change during the design. The Moldbase Designer allows the user to select another size of the same Moldbase type. Component Locations The locations of components such as screws, guide pins, support pillars, etc. may need to be changed. IMOLD makes it very simple to change location of components to fit specific and individual design needs. Adding Screws Screws can be added to the mold assembly by defining locations and the plates in which they are to be added.

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Lesson 5: Moldbase Design

Process: Loading a Moldbase


The Moldbase Designer helps designers to select and design the mold base from a selection of popular vendors and a variety of sizes. It allows a 3D preview of the mold base that you have selected before you even load it into the design and allows modification after you have loaded in the mold base. These mold bases are parametrically built from popular vendors within IMOLD to make it easily available. Modifications, like adding in additional plates, can be made to the mold base. The Moldbase Designer also has capabilities for customizing mold bases Introducing: Add Moldbase Where To Find It: Add Moldbase offers a wide range of moldbases for the user to choose. This includes a library of different vendors, types and sizes of moldbases. Some vendor libraries include HASCO, DME. The user simply selects the desired vendor from the list. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Moldbase Designer , Add Moldbase OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Moldbase Designer, Add Moldbase

1. Load the Project Load the project from the Chapter 5 folder through Project Control. 2. Design a Moldbase Click Moldbase Designer Moldbase 3. Choose a moldbase. Select the parameters as shown: , Add

A preview showing the selected moldbase size in relation to the layout is displayed on the graphic area.

Introducing: Define Thickness

Define Thickness will offer a preview from the side view that makes it easy to determine plate thickness values related to the inserts. You can enter the thickness of the plates here. A plate value set to 0 means the plate does not exist and it is suppressed. The plate will be unsuppressed and appear in view if a value is added. In the Create Moldbase Property Manager, click to select the Define Thickness group and click the Thickness button.

Where To Find It:

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4. Change Plate Thickness Select the Define Thickness check box to expand the group. Click Thickness.

In the Edit Thickness dialog box, change the following plates to the respective values:

Check to select Custom plate thickness for the C Plate and change the thickness to 76mm

Click

The Edit Thickness window is closed and the preview is updated.

5. Load Moldbase Click OK to load moldbase assembly into project.

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Lesson 5: Moldbase Design

Introducing: Screw Positions Where To Find It:

Screw Positions provides the location dimensions of the top and bottom screws, and the ejector screws. These can be defined by the user to satisfy design needs. To obtain an image showing the dimensions, click the View Bitmap button. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Moldbase Designer Screw Positions OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Moldbase Designer, Modify, Screw Positions Pin Positions provides the location dimensions of the guide pins and return pins. To obtain an image showing the dimensions, click the View Bitmap button. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Moldbase Designer Pin Positions OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Moldbase Designer, Modify, Pin Positions , Modify , , Modify,

Introducing: Pin Positions Where To Find It:

Process: Purge
The Moldbase Designer , Utilities offer tools to simplify and complete the design of your moldbase. The Purge tool will simplify your moldbase by searching and deleting the plates not used in the design. The pocket tool will create the pockets for all the mold components. In the following steps we will simplify our moldbase, create inserts pocket using the pocketing tool. Introducing: Utilities Where To Find It: The Utilities provides more parameters to change the Top Clamping Plate parameters and ejector plate parameters. Also other tools such as Purge, Pocket, and Stock size options are available. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Moldbase Designer OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Moldbase Designer, Utilities The Transparency option will make the mold base plates transparent. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Moldbase Designer Transparency OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Moldbase Designer, Utilities, Transparency , Utilities, , Utilities.

Introducing: Transparency Where To Find It:

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6. Add Transparency. Click Moldbase Designer Utilities, Transparency Under Operations, select the Add options. Under Colors, select the Default option Click OK to apply transparency ,

NOTE: Since IMOLD 2006 transparency is added to the moldbase assembly automatically. This user-driven enhancement reduces mouse travel and clicks.

Introducing: I-Screws

The I-Screws (Intelligent Screws) module makes the selection and placement of fasteners such as socket head cap screw and flat head screw simple and effective. It is the focus of Intelligent Screws to simply place the screw and the necessary pocket or counter bore is added automatically. The user must select the type of screw and size, location and the plates to pocket and the screw is added to the design. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Intelligent Screws , Add Screw OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Intelligent Screws, Add Screw

Where To Find It:

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Lesson 5: Moldbase Design

7. Insert Fastener Layout Sketch Open named the part . On the face shown, start a new sketch .

Complete the sketch as

shown by offsetting

8mm from the edges.

8. Save the project On the IMOLD toolbar, select Save , Save Project... 9. Select Screws. On the IMOLD toolbar, select Intelligent Screw , Add screw.

Select the screw as shown:

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10.Add screws for the cavity inserts. Select the top face of the A plate as the Placement face.

TIP: You can hide selection easier.

the top clamping plate (TCP) to make the

Click to select and expand the Select Sketch group

From the graphics area, select the sketch created in step 7. The preview of the screws is displayed.

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Lesson 5: Moldbase Design

Activate Last Plate , select the instance of the cavity insert from which the sketch is selected ( ). By selecting the last plate option, the length of the screws will be automatically determined.

Click to select Copy to all impression. This copies screws to all instances of the impression assembly.

Click OK

to insert the screws for the cavity inserts.

11.Add screws for the core inserts. On the IMOLD toolbar, select Intelligent Screw Select the Select by component option. From the graphics area, select one of the screws added in the previous step as Reference component. , Add screw

Active Placement face group and select the bottom face of the support

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IMOLD V8 plate as the placement face.

Click to select and expand the Select Sketch group

From the graphics area, select the sketch created in step 7 and select the instance of the core insert below the sketch as the Last Plate ( ). TIP: You can hide the selection easier the plates or pick from the Design Tree to make

Click to select Copy to all impression.

Click OK

to insert the screws for the core inserts.

12.Add other screws. Add screws for the core and cavity runner blocks.

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Lesson 5: Moldbase Design

13.Unhide/Show Show all hidden components.

14.Save the project On the IMOLD toolbar, select Save 15.Finished. Save and close the project. , Save Project...

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Lesson 6 Slider and Lifter Design

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you should be able to: Select and position slider body Select and position lifter body Create Pockets.

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Lesson 6: Slider and Lifter Design

Overview:
In this chapter we will discover what is needed to remedy undercut situations that need a lifter or slider mechanism. This chapter also covers ways to create pockets for sliders and lifters.

Highlights:
Slider Creation The slider module walks the user, step by step, through selections to properly locate the slider body. The user will then be given the library of slider bodies to choose from and its accessories. Lifter Creation The lifter module provides steps for the user to locate and choose the proper lifter body for the mold design. Create Pockets - Pocket out the material from the moldbase plates intersecting with the sliders and lifters.

Process: Slider Design


This design requires the use of a slider mechanism to mold the three slots on the sidewall of the part. We will now use the Slider Designer module to make the slider body design process simple and effective. Later, we will create the profile for the slots directly on the slider body. Introducing: Slider Designer IMOLDs Slider Designer module first prompts the user for a set of parameters helping order to properly locate the Slider Body assembly. Next, the user chooses from the available library the type and size of the slider body and accessories. User has the choice to insert Standard or Generic slider from the library. Also, the module offers editing tools that make it easy to facilitate for change. Below are the parameters that need to be define: Pull Direction This selection determines the direction that the slider will move. Base Plane This plane selection determines the Z location to the bottom of the slider body. Cam Pin Position Plane This plane selection controls the location to the top of the cam pin. Slider Origin This selection determines the location of the slider in the XY. D_pull - This parameter determines the distance of the slider face from Slider Origin. Angle Desired Stoke On the IMOLD toolbar, click Slider Designer , Add Slider, Standard/Generic OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Slider Designer, Add Slider, Standard/Generic

Where To Find It:

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1. Open the project. Open the Switch Cover project from the Chapter6 folder. 2. Hide the moldbase. Make the top assembly the active document. Using View Manager, hide the movable half and fixed half of the moldbase and the components. 3. Insert Standard Slider Type. On the IMOLD toolbar, select Slider Designer Standard One impression assembly is automatically hidden. 4. Pull Direction. Under Pull Direction, select the face shown. , Add Slider,

An arrow indicates the direction of the slider movement.

5. Base Plane Select the face shown as the Base Plane.

6. Select the slider origin Select the midpoint of the edge shown as the slider origin. A preview of the slider is displayed.

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Lesson 6: Slider and Lifter Design

7. Select the slider unit. Select the slider as shown:

Expand Select size group and select the following slider assembly size.

8. Change pin length. Under Components, select the Pin component in the list.

Under Select size, change the Pin length to 75.

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9.

Change the base plane offset. Under Select Parameters, change the value of the Base Plane offset to 3.5mm.

10.Create Slider Click OK to create the Slider. The slider assembly is added to the impression assembly.

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Lesson 6: Slider and Lifter Design Introducing: Edit Slider The Edit Slider function gives the user options to change parameters of components specified earlier to fit design changes. You change either the size of the position of the slider. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Slider Designer , Edit Slider, Size/Position OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Slider Designer, Edit Slider, Size/Position Introducing: Delete Slider Where To Find It: Delete slider deletes the sliders from the mold assembly. Optionally, the parts can also be deleted from the hard disk as well. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Slider Designer Slider OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Slider Designer, Delete Slider , Delete

Where To Find It:

Process: Create Slider Pockets Automatic


Pockets for the sliders can be created in a variety of ways by individual extrusions in the plate, subtracting the components and then modifying the components and so on. IMOLD provide the tools to automatically pocket the sliders from the moldbase plates. Introducing: Pocket Manager Where To Find It: The Pocket Manager function creates pockets for all components in the Automatic mode or for selected components in the Selection mode. On the IMOLD Toolbar, click IMOLD Tools , Pocket Manager, Automatic/Selection -ORFrom the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, IMOLD Tools, Pocket Manager, Automatic/Selection

11.Automatic Pocketing. On the IMOLD Toolbar, click IMOLD Tools , Pocket Manager, Automatic... 12.Select Slider On the Automatic Pocketing menu, under Pocketing type check the Slider option. Click OK to create the pockets.

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Process: Create Slider Pockets - Manual.


One of the best methods to create pockets for an assembly is explored here. This will make extensive use of SolidWorks top-down modeling techniques. We will create a part in the slider assembly that corresponds to the shape of the pockets we want to make. Relating this to the existing geometry in the assembly will ensure associativity. Any changes to the slider size or position will update the pockets as well. This part has been pre-created and placed in the project folder. We will add geometry to this part.

13.Open the slider assembly. Open slider1_hasco_slider 1.sldasm. 14.Insert a new part. From the SolidWorks Insert menu, select Component, New Part

15.Create pocket geometry. Start the sketch on the face shown.

Complete the sketch as shown. All lines are converted from existing edges

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Lesson 6: Slider and Lifter Design

Extrude

32mm offset from the selected face.

Click OK

to create the feature.

16.Wear plate pocket extrude. Start a sketch on the face shown:

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17.Convert the selected face shown.

and extrude

up to the face

Click OK

to create the feature.

18.Wedge pocket extrude. Start a sketch on the face shown:

Convert the selected face

, extrude

up to face shown and click OK

to create the feature.

19.Pin pocket extrude. Start a sketch on the face shown:

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Lesson 6: Slider and Lifter Design

20.Convert the selected face

, extrude the feature.

up to the face shown and click OK

to create

21.Click Edit Component on the CommandManager to toggle back to the main assembly

. On the FeatureManager design tree, right mouse click and select rename on the new parts created and rename the new part to . 22.Hide the and Save Project. , Save Project...

On the IMOLD toolbar, select Save

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23.Create pockets in the moldbase. From the IMOLD toolbar, select IMOLD Tools Selection , Pocket Manager,

Select the part from both impression assemblies as the Tool Component from the FeatureManager tree. Select the a_plate and b_plate from the moldbase assembly as the Target Components:

Choose the Subtract option.

Click OK

to create the pockets.

The pockets in the mold plates will need minor touching up using SolidWorks to complete them. These modifications can be made directly on the plates or the pocket part can be modified to make these changes. This can be done as an exercise.

24. Create angle pin hole. Activate the impression assembly. Open the subassembly. Select part, and

select Edit Part Start a sketch plane of

. on the Top part


This line lies on the axis of the angle pin.

Offset the highlighted edge 0.5mm outwards. Complete the sketch as shown. Insert a Revolve Cut. 89

Lesson 6: Slider and Lifter Design

Tidy up the pocket by adding Fillet to the edges of the cut with a radius of 1mm. Click Edit Component on the CommandManager to toggle back to the main assembly

. 25.Save the project On the IMOLD toolbar, select Save 26.Fasten slider components. Fasten all the components using IScrews . You may need to create the reference points for the screws. Either create a sketch in the top assembly or use the Smart point points. 27.Hide components. Using the ViewManager components. , hide the moldbase, the sliders and the tool to create the , Save Project

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Process: Lifter Creation


In the next section we are going to create the lifter assemblies for the mold design. The Lifter Designer module makes the development of the lifter body simple. We will first determine the location of the lifter, then select the type of lifter from the library and add it to the design. The lifter is required to be modified to meet design needs and we will use the edit functions to complete the design. Introducing: Add Lifter Add Lifter allows the user to define lifter information to properly locate the lifter body. The following information must be added: Pull Direction The direction selected will tell the system the direction the lifter will move. Lifter Origin This point that is selected will locate the lifter with relationship to the undercut feature. d_pull This option controls exactly where the lifter blade will be located with respect to the part. A negative value will place the blade outside the part; a positive value will place it inside the part. Blade angle The angle at which the lifter is placed. This is generally made so that the desired travel can be obtained over the ejector stroke. Required Stroke The distance moved by the lifter in the direction of pull for the total ejector stroke. In the Add Lifter function, user can choose to insert Standard/Generic lifter for their design needs. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Lifter Designer , Add

Where To Find It:

Lifter, Standard/Generic. -ORFrom the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Lifter Designer, Add Lifter, Standard/Generic.

28.Add a Lifter On the IMOLD toolbar, select Lifter Designer Standard... 29.Select Pull Direction Select any edge on a component of the 1000impression subassembly to determine the direction the lifter will move to eject the part. , Add Lifter,

Check Flip Direction, if required.

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Lesson 6: Slider and Lifter Design

30.Select Lifter Origin Activate the Lifter Origin box.

Select mid-point of the edge shown.

31.Select Lifter Expand and select the parameters as shown:

32.Change Blade Parameters Select Blade from the Component list.

Select these parameters in the Parameters list and change the values: W=7 T=5

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33.Change stroke distance. Under Select Size, change required stroke to 5mm. This changes the Ejection distance to 28.3564091, which is within the maximum ejection stroke of 60mm. 34.Add the lifter assembly. Click OK to add the lifter.

The lifter is added to the assembly.

Introducing: Trim Lifter Where To Find It:

Trim Lifter allows the user to automatically trim the lifter blades to the shape of the core. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Lifter Designer Lifter... -ORFrom the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Lifter Designer, Trim Lifter... , Trim

35.Trim Lifter On the IMOLD Toolbar, click Lifter Designer The Trim Lifter menu will appear. Operations: Trim selects operation to trim the lifter blades. Undo trim to undo the previous trim operation. Flip side trim the lifter blade from the opposite side. , Trim Lifter

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Lesson 6: Slider and Lifter Design

Select Options: All lifters apply operations selected to all lifters. By selection allows you to select which lifter blade to trim. Trim Methods: By surface allows user to select a surface to trim the blades with. By solid this method will trim the lifter blade to the shape of the part. This method will not be successful should you attempt to trim the blade at a point where there exist holes. Select the options as shown in the figures. Click OK to trim the lifter blades.

Zoom in and change the display styles of cavity and core to Hidden Lines Visible , if can be seen that the lifter profile does not fully lie on the lifter blade. To remedy this situation, it is necessary to change the lifter angle using the Modify Lifter functionality of the Lifter Designer.

Introducing: Modify Lifter Where To Find It:

Edit Lifter will allow the user to change any parameter of any component in the Lifter assembly after it has been added to the design. You can also change the position of the lifter. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Lifter Designer , Edit Lifter, Size/Position OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Lifter Designer, Edit Lifter, Size/Position

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36.Edit Lifter. Click Lifter Designer , Edit Lifter, Size Select any component of the lifter assembly from the graphics area or the FeatureManager tree. Change the Blade angle to 8 and the Required Stroke to 3.5mm.

Click OK to update the change. The lifter angle is changed and the profile updates. 37.Change blade width. Click Lifter Designer Size Select any component of the lifter assembly. Under Components, select the BLADE part. , Edit Lifter,

Change W to 4.5225.

Click OK 38.Result.

to update the change.

Open the lifter blade, results should be similar to the one shown: 39.Add Additional Lifters. You must add an additional lifter for the other tab feature causing an undercut situation. (This step does not need to be done in the training, however it would be done in a real world mold design). 40.Pocket. You may add pockets for the T Gib component in the ejector retainer plate. An additional clearance pocket must also be made in the Support Plate. 41.Save the project On the IMOLD toolbar, select Save project. , Save Project... Close the

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Lesson 7 Ejector System Design

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you should be able to: Choose ejector pins Customize ejector pin diameters Modify ejector pins Trim ejector pins Pocket ejector pins

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Overview:
The Ejector Designer offers a library of ejector pins and sleeves from a number of different vendors. The user must choose the type of ejector pins and sleeves that they want to use and position a point (in the plan-view) where the ejectors are to be placed. We will be adding the necessary ejector pins in the following chapter to properly eject the part.

Highlights:
Adding Ejector The user must choose a vendor and type of pin/sleeve they would like to use for the design. Modifying It may be necessary to change some parameters to the pin/sleeve, the modify function will allow the user to do this. Transforming The Transform function makes it very simple for the user to move, copy, or delete an existing ejector pin in the design. Trimming It is necessary to trim the pin/sleeve according to the part profile. The trim functionality the software offers makes this task simple and effective.

Process: Add Ejector Pins


This design is going to require the addition of ejector pins to eject the part properly from the mold. We will discuss first how to Add Ejector, customize (if necessary), and locate ejector pins. Introducing: Add Ejector Add Ejector in the Ejector System Module will allow the user to choose a type of ejector pin from different vendors, such as DME and HASCO. The user is also provided with the parameters of the ejector pins that make it simple to customize to fit design needs. After a pin is selected and parameters defined, the user then needs to position the pins by simply selecting the desired locations. The software knows where to seat the ejectors in relationship with the ejector and ejector retainer plates. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Ejector Designer , Add Ejector OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Ejector Designer, Add Ejector

Where To Find It:

1. Open the Project. Open the SwitchCover from the Chapter7 folder using Project Control .

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Lesson 7: Ejector System Design

2. Add location sketch. Open the impression assembly.

Start a sketch Front plane.

on the

Add two sketch points at the centers of the circular bosses. Exit the sketch rename it and .

3. Add Ejector Pins. On the IMOLD toolbar, select Ejector Designer , Add Ejector

In the Select Working Assembly window, choose the impression assembly as the working assembly and click OK. This will activate the impression assembly automatically.

4. Select Ejector Pins. Select the pins as shown:

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5. Create ejector location points. Click Create Point, add two points with the following coordinates: X =0, Y= 8, Z = 0 X =0, Y= -5, Z = 0 6. Add Ejector Pins. Activate the Points selection box and select the points created in step 5. Click OK to insert the ejector pins. 7. Add Ejector Sleeves. On the IMOLD toolbar, select Ejector Designer , Add Ejector

In the Select Working Assembly window, choose the impression assembly as the working assembly and click OK. On the Add Ejector menu, expand add sleeve pin option and click Define sleeve button.

Define the sleeve parameters as shown:

Activate Select Sketch and select the of the sleeves is shown.

sketch. Preview

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Lesson 7: Ejector System Design

8. Add Center Pins. Scroll back up to the add sleeve pin option group, click Define pin button and define the pin parameters as shown:

Click OK to insert the sleeves and center pins.

Note: When OK is clicked, IMOLD assembles the selected sleeves and pins accordingly to moldbase planes. Should you need to change the thickness of the moldbase plates in the future, the ejector length will be reflected as well.

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Process: Modify and Transform Ejectors


Sometimes it may be necessary to change some parameters on ejector pins after they have been located or copy/move the pins to a new location. The Modify Ejector and Transform Ejector make these tasks easy. Introducing: Modify Ejectors Where To Find It: Modify Ejector allows the user to choose an existing pin from the part name list and change parameters of the pin from a list to fit specific design needs. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Ejector Designer Modify Ejector OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Ejector Designer, Modify Ejector Introducing: Transform Ejectors Transform Ejector provides options for the user to copy an ejector pin to a specified location. The user can change the location by defining a new point or by XY translation. You can also move the ejector point by moving the point it is associated with in the Mating_Sketch of the ejector subassembly. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Ejector Designer , Transform Ejector OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Ejector Designer, Transform Ejector ,

Where To Find It:

9. Modifying Ejector Sleeves On the IMOLD Toolbar, select Ejector Designer Ejector In the Select Working Assembly window, choose the impression assembly as the working assembly and click OK. From the graphics area or the FeatureManager feature tree, select both instances of the Hasco_Sleeve part. We want to customize the pin to suit the boss diameter (5.5275mm) of the part. Select the Custom size option on the Change to group. , Modify

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Lesson 7: Ejector System Design In the Parameters list, select the d1 parameter. Change the value of d1 to 5.5275

Click OK

to modify the sleeve.

Process: Trim Ejectors


Once the ejectors are chosen and located properly, they must be trimmed to the profile of the part. The Trim Ejector offers tools to easily navigate between the ejector and impression files as well as trimming and pocketing capabilities. Introducing: Trim Ejector Where To Find It: Using the Trim Ejector, you can trim the ejectors to the core profile using either the plastic part (Solid trim) or the core surface (surface trim). You can also the change the direction of the surface trim. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Ejector Designer Ejector OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Ejector Designer, Trim Ejector , Trim

10.Trim all Pins. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Ejector Designer Trim Ejector , Select the impression assembly as the working assembly. Under Select option, select the All Pins option. This will trim all the pins.

Under Trim Method, select the By Surface option.

Select the CoreSurfaceKnit feature from the core insert.

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IMOLD V8 Under Operations group, select the Trim option.

Click OK

to trim the pins.

11.Save the project On the IMOLD toolbar, select Save project. , Save Project... Close the

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Lesson 8 Cooling Design

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you should be able to: Design cooling channels Check for interference between cooling channels and other mold components.

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Overview:
This chapter will focus on designing the necessary cooling channels to properly cool the part. The Cooling Designer module makes the creation of the cooling channels easy and effective. The user is in complete control of the cooling locations and parameters through an easy to use dialog box that guides the user through the creation process.

Highlights:
Add Cooling Channels Adding cooling channels in the Cooling Module is as easy as selecting an inlet point and specifying the direction and length of the channel. Modify Cooling Channels The cooling channels are made of solid geometry. It is as simple as editing a sketch to edit your cooling channel parameters. Interference detection Interference between the cooling channel and other mold components can be detected.

Process: Cooling Channel Creation


Cooling channels must be added to this design to properly cool the part during manufacturing. The Cooling Designer module makes the development of cooling channels easy and effective. In this section we will add the necessary cooling channels using the Cooling Designer module. We will first add cooling to the core and cavity insert files. Introducing: Create Circuit Where To Find It: On the IMOLD toolbar, click Cooling Designer , Create Circuit OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Cooling Designer, Create Circuit Create Circuit offers the options to develop cooling circuits.

12.Open the Top Level Assembly Open the SwitchCover project from the Chapter8 folder using Project Control .

13.Hide Components Using View Manager , Show/Hide and hide the Fixed half.

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Lesson 8: Cooling Design

14.Create Inlet Location Point On the IMOLD toolbar, select Smart Point .

Select the face as shown.

Under ABS Coordinates, change the coordinates as shown.

Click Create to create the point then click Cancel to close the Smart Point window. 15.Add Cooling Circuit On the IMOLD toolbar, select Cooling Designer Circuit , Create

Introducing: Inlet Position

The user must first determine the Inlet Position. The Inlet Position is the location, where the inlet cooling channel will be located. If a face is selected as the inlet point, the system selects the closest point on the face as the inlet point. If a point is selected, the system adds a relation between the point and the cooling circuit.

16.Inlet Selection Pick inlet location point created in step 14.

17.Change direction Under Direction, select Along Assembly XYZ and select the Along Y axis option.

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IMOLD V8 If the arrow is not pointing in the direction shown, click Flip Direction.

Introducing: Draw

Where To Find It:

The Draw function lets the user determine the length of the Cooling lines. All the cooling channels that are connected may be created in one circuit. If the result of the line is undesirable they may also select Previous, Undo or Next to make changes. To create the routing, this function has to be used inconjunction with the Direction function to determine how the cooling channel is channeled. Click Draw from the Length group in the Create Circuit Property Manager.

18.Draw the first cooling segment. View normal to the Front View. Under Length, change the distance to 120 mm. Click Draw.

A preview of the circuit is shown.

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Lesson 8: Cooling Design

19.Draw the next segment. Select Favorite View toolbar. on IMOLD

Under Direction, select the Along Z axis option. Under Length, change the distance to 45 and click Draw.

Note: the different color of the previous segment.

20.Draw other lines. Repeat Step 19 to complete the circuit as shown in the table below Direction X Flip No Length (mm) 9.5 Result (All components are hidden in these pictures for better view of the circuit)

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Yes

48

Yes

53

No

9.5

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Lesson 8: Cooling Design Z Yes 45

Introducing: Outlet Position

The user determines the Outlet Position by selecting a face on the part where the cooling circuit will exit.

21.Outlet Selection On the IMOLD toolbar, select Favorite View Activate the Outlet box. .

Select the face shown.

A segment is drawn connecting the last segment and the face.

22.Create Cooling Channels Under Parameters change the Diameter to 6.

Click OK

to insert cooling channel.

Note: If the dimensions of the cooling channel need to be changed, the 3D_Guide sketch can be edited using SolidWorks functions.

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IMOLD V8 Drill Plug Hole takes the manufacturing considerations for the development and design of cooling channels into complete consideration. The user must select the face that the drill would enter and the existing cooling channel. The selected cooling channel will be extended to the selected drill face.

Introducing: Drill Plug Hole

Where To Find It:

On the IMOLD toolbar, click Cooling Designer Plug Hole

, Drill

OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Cooling Designer, Drill Plug Hole

23.Drilling the plug hole Hide the moldbase assembly On the IMOLD toolbar, select Cooling Designer Hole Select the highlighted face as Plug Face, and the two cylinders under Cylinder Selection. , Drill Plug

Select these channels.

Select this face as the plug face.

TIP: Change to wireframe mode and hide components for better visuals and selection. Click OK to extend cooling channel till the plug face.

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Lesson 8: Cooling Design

24.Extend shorter channels. Extend the other cylinders as shown:

Cylinder faces.

Plug face

Plug face

Cylinder

The result should be similar to the one shown:

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IMOLD V8 The IMOLD FeatureManager shows all the components of the mold, arranged by their functional groups. Using the Feature Manager, you can: - Hide/Show certain components - Open components for editing. - Save components. - View or Edit BOM information. The IMOLD Feature Manager can be found as one of the tabs in the Property Manager when the current document is the mold assembly.

Introducing: IMOLD Feature Manager

Where To Find It:

25.Activate IMOLD FeatureManager. Select the IMOLD Feature Manager tab to activate the FeatureManager.

26.Open the Cooling Channel Expand the Cooling Circuit group. Right-click on 1000_Circuit1 and select Open from the menu. The part is made the active document.

Introducing: Over Drill

The Over Drill section is focused on adding the extra distance of the drill as well as the drill point. This can be done in the part or assembly mode. The user chooses the cooling channel nearest to the end to extend, adds the length to extend and selects the over drill button. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Cooling Designer Overdrill... OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Cooling Designer, Overdrill ,

Where To Find It:

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Lesson 8: Cooling Design

27.Create overdrills. Click Cooling Designer , Overdrill... In Cylinder Selection group, select these channels as shown.

Click on the graphic areas to select cylinder.

In Parameters, enter the length value 3mm.

Click OK

to add the overdrills.

28.Result. The result should be similar to the one shown:

Close and save the part.

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IMOLD V8 As the channel on the other impression will have the same dimensions, we will copy the first channel and mate it in the correct position.

29. Copy Cooling Channel. Click Cooling Designer , Transform Circuit...

Under Circuit Selection, select the cooling channel. The circuit may be automatically selected as only one cooling circuit was designed. Under Operations, select Move and check the Make a Copy option.

Under Parameters, change the value of to -95 mm.

Click OK

to copy the cooling circuit.

The channel is copied to the other impression.

View of project from back with moldbase, components and ejectors hidden.

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Lesson 8: Cooling Design

30.Create the cavity side cooling channels. Create instances of the core channels and mate them in the proper positions. The result must be similar to this.

Front planes of all circuits are coincident. The end faces are coincident as well.

Ensure that all circuits are in the Cooling subassembly.

Introducing: Interference Detection Where To Find It:

The Interference function helps to detect which parts of the mold are interfering with the cooling circuit. The function can detect which parts are actually touching and also which parts are at a specified distance from the channel. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Cooling Designer Interference OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Cooling Designer, Interference ,

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31.Check interference. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Cooling Designer Select the Check With options as shown: , Interference...

Under Interzone tolerance, click Detect. No parts are highlighted, which means no parts are touching the cooling circuits. 32.Check minimum distance. Under Interzone tolerance, change the distance to 3mm. Click Detect.

6 parts are shown in the Result area. Click Show Result to hide all the parts in the mold, except those listed. Change the Interzone tolerance to 2 mm and click Detect. The lifter blades are shown. Click Cancel to close the Property Manager.

Note: You can edit the cooling channel to increase the minimum distance if desired.

33.Show all parts. Using View Manager , show all the parts in the assembly.

34.Finished. Save and close the project.

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Lesson 9 Standard Components

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you should be able to: Add standard components Create pockets for the main inserts. Add standard components to cooling circuits.

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Overview:
The Components Gallery offers a wide range of components from different vendors the user can size and locate. This module has an extensive library of standard mold components from vendors like Hasco, DME and Progressive, just to name a few. You can select the component by selecting the parameters. Then, locate the component and select the plates to pocket. The component is automatically located at the correct position and the plates are pocketed with the correct dimensions.

Highlights:
Add Components User selects the necessary component by choosing the required components parameters, placement face, and the list of plates to pocket. Edit Components If a component has been added, the edit components function provides a list of components to choose from and the parameters to change. Create Pockets The pockets for the main inserts are created automatically from a sketch in the mold assembly. Cooling accessories Components for the cooling circuit like nipples, plugs and orings can be automatically added to the assembly.

Process: Standard Components


The Components Gallery module in IMOLD offers a comprehensive list of commonly used components needed to complete a mold design. The software offers components from vendors such as DME, Futaba, and National. Users also have the ability to customize their own components and add them to the list of components library for future used. In this portion of the chapter, we will go through how to add standard components for this mold design. Introducing: Add Component The Add Component is a tool that every mold designer will use. It is a library of common components from a list of vendors and catalogs. Such components include locating rings, cooling plugs, support pillars, sprue bushings, side locks, etc. With the ability to edit, customize and add components to the library this tools is very effective and robust. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Components Gallery , Add Component OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Components Gallery, Add Component

Where To Find It:

Creating location points for components. We will create sketch points for locating the standard components as and when they are required. You can create these points either in the top assembly or in any part under the assembly. In this case, we will create points in the top assembly to simplify the process.

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Lesson 9: Standard Components

1. Open the Top Level Assembly Open the SwitchCover project from the Chapter9 folder using Project Control .

2. Add Locating Ring On the IMOLD toolbar, select Components Gallery Component , Add

Select the locating ring as shown:

The locating ring is normally placed in the center of the top_clamp part. Click OK ring. to insert the locating

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3. Add Sprue Bushing On the IMOLD toolbar, select Components Gallery Component , Add

Select the component as shown.

Under Placement face, select the bottom face of the locating ring. Under Locating points, select the origin of the top assembly from the Feature Tree. The preview will indicate the direction of the sprue bush. Flip direction should you need to. Click OK to add the sprue bushing to the mold assembly.

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4. Modify Sprue Bushing. The head diameter and the length of the sprue bushing are too small and too short. We need to change them to be bigger by creating a custom size. On the IMOLD toolbar, select Components Gallery Component , Modify

Select the sprue bushing added in the previous step from the graphics area or from the FeatureManager. Under Change to, select the Custom size option.

Under Parameters, change L to 77 and D=38.

Under Clearance Value, change CbrDia to 38.5

Click OK bushing.

to modify the sprue

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5. Add Sprue Puller Insert Use View Manager lifters and ejectors. , View/Hide to hide the moldbase, sliders,

On the IMOLD toolbar, select Components Gallery Component , Add

Select the component as shown:

Under Placement face, select the bottom face of the 1000 Core Runner Block. Under Locating point, select the origin of the top assembly. Click to select Flip direction.

Select assembly origin Locating point.

as

Click OK to insert the sprue puller insert. Show the moldbase using View Manager .

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6. Add Ejector Pin. We will add an ejector pin for ejecting the sprue. On the IMOLD toolbar, select Components Gallery Component , Add

Select the component as shown:

Under Placement face, select the ER1 plane under the move_half subassembly.

Under Locating point, select the origin Click OK to insert the ejector pin.

of the top assembly.

The ejector pin is added to the assembly.

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7. Create sketch for the interlocks. Open the moldbase assembly.

Create a new sketch on the Front plane of the assembly. Create sketch points and dimension as shown.

Exit the sketch Rename the sketch Interlock Location. 8. Add Interlocks. On the IMOLD toolbar, select Components Gallery , Add Component.

Select the component as shown:

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Lesson 9: Standard Components

Under Placement face, select the face of the a_plate part. Under Locating point, select the point of the Interlock Location sketch that is coincident to the selected face.

Click OK

to insert the interlocks.

Both the male and the female interlocks are added to the assembly.

Repeat for the other sides.

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9. Create ejector guide location sketch. Create a sketch on the Front plane of the assembly. Create sketch points and dimension as shown.

Exit the sketch . Rename the sketch Ejector Guide Location.

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Lesson 9: Standard Components

10.Create Support Pillar Location sketch. Create the sketch on the Front plane of the assembly.

Create sketch points and dimension as shown.

Exit the sketch . Rename the sketch Support Pillar Location.

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11.Add Ejector Guides Start Components Gallery . Select the component as shown:

Under Placement face, select the BCP plane under the move_half subassembly. Click to select Flip Direction.

Activate Select Sketch and select the Ejector Guide Location sketch.

Click OK to insert the ejector guide. The ejector guides are added to the assembly.

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12.Add Ejector Bushings Select the component as shown:

Under Placement face, select the ER1 plane under the move_half subassembly. Click to select Flip Direction.

Activate Select Sketch and select the Ejector Guide Location sketch

Click OK bushings.

to insert the ejector

The ejector bushings are added to the assembly.

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13.Add Support Pillars Select the component as shown:

Under Placement face, select the SP plane under the move_half subassembly as the placement face. Click to select Flip Direction.

Activate Select Sketch and select the Support Pillar Location sketch Click OK to insert the support pillar.

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Lesson 9: Standard Components

Process: Main Insert Pocketing


To pocket the main inserts, a sketch has to be present in the mold assembly. This sketch has to be on a plane. The program will automatically calculate the depth of the pocket required for the inserts. Introducing: Main Insert Pocketing Where To Find It: The Core/Cavity Builder now incorporates a tool that easily pockets the main insert from the moldbase plates.

On the IMOLD toolbar, click Core/Cavity Builder , Create Insert Corner OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Core/Cavity Builder, Create Insert Corner

14.Save the project On the IMOLD toolbar, select Save 15.Main Insert Pocket On IMOLD toolbar, select Core/Cavity Builder Corner , Create Insert , Save Project...

On the Insert Corner Creator dialog, uncheck the top Insert corner parameters and check the below Pocket parameters group.

Select the pocket option types from the figure and the radius or diameter of the pocket shapes. In this exercise, select the radius corner option as displayed and change the r to 8mm. Click Execute to carry out the main insert pockets on the moldbase plates.

Note: Pocketing main inserts can also be done through IMOLD Tools

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Process: Adding Cooling Accessories


IMOLDs Cooling Accessories function can add cooling accessories like Plugs, nipples etc, automatically to the cooling circuits. All you have to do is define which components you would like to be added in. Introducing: Cooling Accessories Where To Find It: This function adds the components automatically to the cooling circuits. You can add components to either selected circuits or to all circuits at once. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Cooling Designer , Accessory. -ORFrom the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Cooling Designer, Accessory

Add cooling accessories. On the IMOLD toolbar, click Cooling Designer , Accessory...

Under Option, select All circuits. Click Define button for Nipple.

Select the component as shown:

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Lesson 9: Standard Components

Click Define button for Plug. Select the component as shown:

Click Define button for ORing. Select the component as shown: When the accessories are defined, previews of the components can be seen on the graphics area.

Click OK

to add the components.

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16.Add other components. You can add other components as required using Components Gallery , Add Component

17.Fasten components. Fasten the components using Iscrews 18.Finished. Save and close project. .

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Lesson 10 Finishing the Design

Upon successful completion of this lesson, you should be able to: Purge moldbase. Create configurations. Pocketing. Create drawings.

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Overview:
Configurations can also be created for the core and cavity inserts. This can help us to avoid having multiple parts in cases where the inserts differ only in minor details. Drawings of the core and cavity views can be automatically created and a BOM inserted to complete the design.

Highlights:
Purge moldbase: We will purge the moldbase of all the unnecessary components. We will also create the pockets for the moldbase components in the mold base. Add Configurations: We will add configurations in order to create the cooling channels to be different in the instances of the impression assembly. Pocketing: We will create the pockets for all the standard components in the mold. Creating Drawings: The core and cavity views of the mold assembly can be automatically created and section lines can be drawn using a few clicks of the mouse. A bill of materials can be generated using SolidWorks functions.

Process: Purge
When the mold base is added in, all the plates are present in the moldbase assembly. The plates that are not required for the current moldbase are suppressed. This makes adding of new plates and changing the sizes a very simple operation. At the end of the design, when the mold base design is finalized, these plates and components are not required and may be purged. This will reduce the size of the assembly. Introducing: Purge The Purge option will simplify the moldbase assembly. When the user is satisfied with the moldbase and the design is finalized the Purge button may be selected and the suppressed moldbase plates will be deleted. On the IMOLD toolbar, select Moldbase Designer , Utilities, Purge... OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, Moldbase Designer, Utilities, Purge

Where To Find It:

1. Purge unwanted plates and components. Select Moldbase Designer , Utilities, Purge... Click Yes in the warning dialog box to confirm purging all the unnecessary files. All the unwanted plates and components are deleted from the assembly and the working directory.

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Lesson 10: Finishing The Design

Process: Create Configurations


Configurations allow similar parts to be created as a single model, thus making part management much easier. In the context of mold design, configurations can be used to advantage when creating similar inserts that differ in minor details such as runner and gate sizes or position and size of cooling channels. IMOLD offers tools to automate the creation of configurations for the impression assembly and the core and cavity inserts. Introducing: Add Configuration Delete Configuration Where To Find It: Add Configuration will create configurations for the impression assembly and the core and cavity inserts based on the number of cavities in the layout. Delete Configuration will delete all the configurations created by IMOLD and replace them with a Default configuration. On the IMOLD toolbar, select IMOLD Tools Configurations, Add or Delete. From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, IMOLD Tools, Configurations, Add or Delete. In this example, to illustrate how configurations can be used, we will create configurations so that we can make the runner in one impression larger than the other. ,

2. Create Configurations. Select IMOLD Tools , Configuration, Add Configuration or Delete Configuration... Click Yes in the warning dialog box to confirm creation of configuration. Configurations are created. Notice that the impression assembly will have two configurations- Config1 and Config2. The core and cavity parts under Config1 will also be configured as Config1 and those under Config2 will be configured as Config2.

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Process: Create Pockets


Pocketing is the last operation to be performed in the mold design. This will enhance performance and allow the unnecessary details to be supressed. IMOLDs Pocketing Manager allows unattended pocketing, so this operation can be performed without the user being present.

3. Create pockets. On the IMOLD toolbar, click IMOLD Tools , Pocket Manager, Automatic Select the options as shown: Click OK to create the pockets.

Note: The Forced pocketing option is used if you wish to proceed with the pocketing selection even pocketing may have been done previously. Note: Some mating relationships may be lost during pocketing. A good understanding of SolidWorks assembly will come in handy.

Process: Create Drawings


The modelling of the mold is complete. We will now create the layout drawings for the mold using IMOLD Drawing and Sectioning. IMOLD Drawing helps create automatic core and cavity views of a mold design in 2D. IMOLD automatically place the components in either the fixed half view or the moving half view. You can choose to edit the component lists to move parts from one view to another. Click IMOLD Drawing , Core/Cavity View on the IMOLD toolbar OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, IMOLD Drawing, Core/Cavity View

Introducing: IMOLD Drawing

Where To Find It

4. Start IMOLD Drawing. On the IMOLD toolbar, click IMOLD Drawing Core/Cavity view and select

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5. Select the drawing sheet size and scale. Under Drawing settings, select a Paper Size of A0 and auto Scale. From the drawing settings, you can choose the paper size or browse from your own template. Auto scaling will scale the drawings proportionate to your paper size. You can also choose the type of projection. 6. Entities Setting. Expand Entities Setting group . Here you can choose to automatically populate drawing entities like sectioning, dimensioning, ballooning and bill of materials. By default, all the options are checked.

7. Check components shown in the two views. Click on an entry to highlight it in the graphics area. To remove a component from the view, select the component in the list and click Clear. To move a component between the views, select the component and click or .

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8. Move undetermined components. Click to select Fixed Half. Click Move to move the parts to the Fixed half view.

9. Create Drawing. Click OK . A new drawing is created and the views are placed automatically.

Save the drawing. 10.Edit Drawing Views. You can change the drawing views to emphasize components in the assembly. Click View Manager , Show/Hide On the dialog, select the 3D view, and choose By components the options to show. On the Component Category list, check the components to show and uncheck the components to hide. Click Apply to update the drawing.

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Lesson 10: Finishing The Design IMOLD Sectioning will help you to create the section line on an IMOLD Drawing by selecting the points the section line has to pass through. Various selection filters are provided to make the selection of the points easier. This function can only be used on a drawing created with IMOLD Drawing. Click IMOLD Drawing on the IMOLD toolbar OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, IMOLD Drawing.

Introducing: IMOLD Sectioning

Where To Find It

In the above example, we automatically generated the sections views. Here, we can delete the generated section views and create new section views.

11.Create section. On the IMOLD toolbar, click IMOLD Drawing the IMOLD Sectioning dialog appears. , Sectioning and

12.Select the parent view. Select the moving half view. Select the direction. Select the X axis. Select screen point as the section position option then on the move half drawing, zoom in and select points for sectioning. IMOLD will automatically update and section through points selected. After selecting the points, click OK to generate the section view.

Introducing: Part Drawings Where To Find It?

IMOLD can create individual drawings of all the parts in the mold assembly. You can choose to create drawings for selected parts or for all the parts in the mold. On the IMOLD toolbar, select IMOLD Drawing , Part Drawings OR From the SolidWorks menu, select IMOLD, IMOLD Drawing, Part Drawings

13.Create part drawings. On the IMOLD toolbar, select IMOLD Drawing , Part Drawings, Create drawings... Select the assembly Components that you wish to create drawings for and the Angle of Projection followed by the View Number. By checking the Export to a file option,

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IMOLD V8 Drawings will be created on a single file, separated by drawing sheets instead of separate drawing files for each drawing. Click OK to create the drawings.

Note: You can create Hole Charts on the generated part drawings by selecting IMOLD Drawing , Part Drawings, Hole Chart

14.Create a Bill of Materials. On the IMOLD toolbar, select IMOLD Tools BOM, Generate BOM In the Bill of Material window, select Export, To Excel. In Save as window, click Save to save the BOM to an Excel file with the same name as the project. Select Close to close the BOM window. 15.Insert BOM in the drawing, Make the drawing of the mold the active document. From the SolidWorks menu, select Insert, Object. Select Create from file option. Click Browse and select the Excel file created in Step Error! Reference source not found.. Click to select Link. Click OK to insert the BOM in the drawing. 16.Add dimensions and balloons. You can add dimensions and balloons using SolidWorks functions if necessary. ,

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Lesson 10: Finishing The Design

17.Finished. Save and close all files.

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