Geometric algorithms for automated design of multi-piece permanent molds

• Published in: Computer aided design Vol. 36; no. 3; pp. 241 - 260
• Main Authors: Priyadarshi, Alok K., Gupta, Satyandra K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-03-2004
• Subjects: Mold design; Multi-piece molds; Spatial partitioning; Spatial partitioning; Mold design; Multi-piece molds
• ISSN: 0010-4485; 1879-2685
• DOI: 10.1016/S0010-4485(03)00107-6

Multi-piece molds, which consist of more than two mold pieces, are capable of producing very complex parts—parts that cannot be produced by the traditional molds. The tooling cost is also low for multi-piece molds, which makes it a candidate for pre-production prototyping and bridge tooling. However, designing multi-piece molds is a time-consuming task. This article describes geometric algorithms for automated design of multi-piece molds. A multi-piece mold design algorithm has been developed to automate several important mold-design steps: finding parting directions, locating parting lines, creating parting surfaces, and constructing mold pieces. This algorithm constructs mold pieces based on global accessibility analysis results of the part and therefore guarantees the disassembly of the mold pieces. A software system has been developed, which has been successfully tested on several complex industrial parts.