After the design or input through external file format of a plastic part, we use Creo Elements/Direct Modeling to create the core and cavity inserts (and other information including side cores, pins electrodes etc.). These inserts have all the part information, including draft angles and dimensions, to produce the part using the injection molding process and will be integrated into the Creo Elements/Direct Mold Base application.
1. The first step is to set up the mold, including naming of the different assemblies and identification of the core and cavity
Inserts.
2. Next create an initial
Mold base with one of the following four options:
◦ A standard mold base consisting of nine plates. Components are automatically located and placed according to specific catalog definitions that you choose. Plate thickness and additional component selections are applied prior to the creation of the mold base using parametrically driven graphical input. You then create the 3D solid mold base by the click of a button.
◦ Non Standard. Start with a standard mold base size then change 4 global parameters to define non-standard dimensions of the mold base. The component dimensions are created according to the standard size selection. The components positions are stretched so that they keep the distance of the components from the plate edges.
◦ Plates only to create only the plates and not the components or component holes.
◦ You can create a plate assembly with "plates" that are standard parts created within Creo Elements/Direct Modeling. The functionality of Creo Elements/Direct Mold Base will be the same as if a standard mold base has been created.
◦ You can create a combination of Standard Plates and User Plates and add more standard plates.
3. Add insert pockets to the mold using Creo Elements/Direct Modeling tools - Typically added between the fixed and moving plates, the core and cavity inserts (and side cores) define the injection cavity for the part geometry.
4. New component- Retrieved from standard catalogs, components such as screws, ejector pins, cooling lines, and so on, are added to complete the design of the mold base. You can define the characteristics of the components, including dimensions and location, and then place them into the mold base. You can add Components by groups. Each group contains components of the same dimensions i.e. diameters and length. If a group of components goes through a shared insert it will be duplicated automatically.
5. Modify
Modify component or
Edit mold - By selecting a component or its locating hole in one of the plates you can modify the parameters of a component and/or groups of components. Components can also be deleted or repositioned. You can modify the attributes of the different mold base parts (i.e. the information which is written into the BOM). A global change of the mold plate's dimensions can be done at any stage of the mold design process.
6. Output to the mold maker - You can output the
Cnc technology file as well as the
B.O.M (through the drafting routines) as an integral part of the production process. In addition to the BOM information, you can create detailed drawings using the Creo Elements/Direct Annotation module. Plate geometry, including all of its components, can be detailed and delivered to the mold maker for final mold production.