Since the acquisition of Moldflow, Autodesk has integrated simulation tools and materials libraries that allow users to discover how design and material decisions influence manufacturability

Core/cavity to mouldbase

As with many features and functions within Inventor 2010 the new Tooling technology has been public knowledge for some time. However, rather than having been tried, tested and refined on the Autodesk Labs web-site (labs.autodesk.com), the technology has been on test in some of the most hectic tooling-heavy countries in the world - namely, China and Brazil. After all, if you have a new set of tools aimed at such a specific industry sector and working process, it makes sense to test it in an environment in which it’ll see a great deal of usage. While those directly involved with tooling design will be aware of many of the processes involved, Inventor’s new Tooling technology brings real benefit to those either making their first steps into developing moulds in 3D or those looking to gain a better understanding of the process so it can aid their design for manufacture knowledge.

There is also the fact that, due to the rising costs and scarcity of many previously low cost and abundant materials (particularly metals), many designers are now engaging in plastic part design for the first time. By combining the new plastic part design tools with the full suite of design-to-manufacture preparation tools we’re exploring here, Inventor is now offering a capable environment in which to take your initial moves into design for injection moulding.

The process begins with the orientation of the part in question followed by the definition of material characteristics, and this is something particularly worthy of note. With the acquisition of Moldflow, Autodesk gained access to a much more extensive set of materials information (the company even has its own certified materials testing lab). This is now available within the Inventor Suite and there’s access to the fully searchable (by vendor, trade name, property) database of plastic materials, from which users choose a suitable plastic

Following this, features are added to the core and cavity, such as gate location, part processing settings and shrinkage. While users’ own knowledge and judgement can be used, the Moldflow tools also can be used to suggest alternatives. The key thing to remember is that these are guidelines and your moulder operator or supplier is likely to have a much higher-level of knowledge and know the intricacy of the hardware and the material and how they can be combined to achieve the desired results. At this stage, collaboration with your manufacturing team can certainly pay huge dividends. While these tools let users make a more informed decision, it has to be tempered with experience.

Once done, the work-piece size is defined and the geometry to split the mould insert or plates is created. Patching surfaces (shut offs) and run-off surfaces are created automatically, from the split-line. The automatic results will work for simple geometry but for more complex parts, users may need to adjust the surfaces or construct some manually. The final stage is to create the core and cavity solid bodies. Here Inventor uses all of the input for shrinkage, gating, shut-offs/runoffs to split the core and cavity. Everything is fully documented (including reports from any simulation runs performed). Next up is the creation of the mould base.