WHY AN INJECTION MOLD DESIGN TUTORIAL IS ESSENTIAL
Considering how many mold design engineers there are, it is quite surprising that only a few quality injection mold design tutorials are available.
Some courses are very comprehensive and very expensive as well. For the serious engineer this can be a great option, but for a mold designer who is just getting started, or who wants to learn the profession, this type of course is just too much.
Then there are short, piecemeal mold design tutorial courses that only cover the most basic elements. This is great for general knowledge, but falls short for somebody desiring to learn how to design plastic injection molds for a living.
A good injection mold design tutorial will start with the basics and progress logically through each aspect of the design process. However, it will not digress into overly technical discussions that may be interesting, but do not really contribute to the immediate learning needs.
An interactive injection mold design tutorial is best for the simple fact that it engages the student in a give and take manner. Merely reading material does not substitute for trial and error. By integrating the tutorial with a CAD design program the student is allowed to progress at his own pace and learn from his mistakes.
Another benefit of an injection mold design tutorial is that everyone in the company can learn from it. The mold makers and mold techs should be required to take the course, at least in an abbreviated form. This will help ensure that the entire staff is on the same page, using the same terminology and technical data.
A good example of this is the use of vents in the plastic mold. Everyone knows that venting is required, but not everyone understands the location, width and depth decision making process. The mold designer may have been guessing, more or less as well.
Now, with a deeper understanding of gases, mold flow and runner placement, the use of vents takes on a new significance. This is helpful for the mold maker because he is, after all, the guy machining the vents. The molder will benefit because he now can bear this in mind as he processes the mold and material.
A quality injection mold design tutorial will cover every aspect of the design process. This would include such things as:
- Injection mold nomenclature
- Cooling analysis
- Pocketing methods
- SPI mold classifications
- Mold flow analysis
- Parting lines
- Mold base types
- Cooling of cavity and core
- Mold design checklist
The mold design checklist is very important and often overlooked. In the day-to-day rush to get the design out into manufacturing, costly mistakes can occur in the design. By simply having a qualified designer check every aspect of the design these mistakes could be minimized.
Any plastic injection mold making, mold design or molding company could benefit from a good injection mold design tutorial.