The tooling design process primarily includes three key stages: Product Analysis, Tooling Structure Design, and Drawing Output and Verification.
Before tooling design begins, engineers must analyze the product drawings, confirm production requirements, and determine the optimal approach to match production machine specifications. During the tooling structural design phase, critical decisions must be made regarding cavity layout, parting surfaces, gating locations, ejection systems, and cooling systems. In the final stage, engineers complete the tooling 3D and 2D drawings and verify the tooling design, shrinkage calculations, and structural integrity.
1. Pre-Design Preparation
- Task Acceptance: Receive product drawings and process requirements from the customer.
- Product Analysis: Familiarize yourself with the part’s geometry, application requirements, and raw materials, and verify its molding process ability.
- Determine Basic Parameters: Clarify the customer’s injection molding machine specifications to determine the mold size range.
- Develop Process Sheet: List the product and plastic material overview, injection molding machine parameters, and injection molding conditions (such as temperature and pressure).
2. Tooling Structure Design
- Cavity Layout: Design cavity layout based on the tooling structure and injection molding process requirements, taking into account all factors such as runner length, gate location, and gating/feeding balance.
- Parting Surface: Determine the location of the parting surface based on the product design.
- Gating System Design: Design runners, gates, and runner pullers.
- Slider Design: If the product requires undercuts or core pulling, a slide or tilting mechanism is required.
- Ejector and Return System Design: Design the ejector pins, sleeve, and return mechanism.
- Cooling and Heating System Design: Design the mold’s cooling and heating systems to ensure uniform mold temperature.
- Guide and Positioning: Design guide pins, guide bushings, and other positioning devices.
- Mold Steel and Standard Components Selection: Select appropriate tool steel and use standardized tool components.
3. Drawing Output and Verification
- Drawing Completion: Create 2D/3D tooling drawings, mold base, and tooling cutting plans.
- Structure Verification: Create 3D cross-sectional views to check the design of key areas such as undercuts, mechanisms, and sliders.
- Shrinkage Verification: Calculate and create shrinkage diagrams based on material shrinkage.
- Final Verification: Check all drawings carefully to ensure correct dimensions and structure.