Unigraphics Nx7.5 - Mold Wizard

INTRODUCTION TO MOLD WIZARD

Overview of mold design

The Mold Wizard application assists you in designing plastic injection molds and other molds.

You can create 3D models of:

Cavities Cores Slides Lifters Sub-inserts Mold hardware

By default, all models are associative to the original product model.

Benefits

The Mold Wizard application was developed and tested with continuous input from mold designers and manufacturers. This ensures that the application meets the needs and priorities of mold makers, and answers real-world design challenges.

Mold Wizard has design tools and procedures to automate the difficult and complex tasks involved in mold design. The application saves you time throughout the design process and provides full 3D models to manufacturing. If you alter the product design, you lose very little time because changes to the product model are associative to the mold design elements.

Parting is the process of creating a core and cavity based on a plastic part model. The parting process is an important part of the plastic mold design, especially for parts with complicated shapes. The Parting module automates this process by providing key tools.

Mold bases and component libraries are included from a variety of catalogs. Custom components, including sliders and lifters, sub-inserts, and electrodes, are also provided in the Standard Parts module. The Standard Parts module allows you to associatively place components with fitted pockets.

Mold Wizard provides a user-friendly way to manage different kinds of standard parts. You can use the standard parts in the library, and customize the standard parts libraries as required.

Prerequisites

To use Mold Wizard effectively, you should be familiar with mold design and common NX commands.

In the Modeling application, you should be familiar with:

Feature modeling Free form modeling Sketching Curves Layers

In the Assemblies application, you should understand and be able to:

Use the Assembly Navigator. Change the display and work part. Add or create a component. Create and replace a reference set. Create WAVE linked geometry.

Mold Wizard design process

To get the maximum benefit from Mold Wizard, you design process should follow planning and execution steps like the following:

1. Create or obtain a solid model.2. Analyze the model for moldability. Use the validation tools described in Preparing the model. 3. Plan the design of the tooling. Decide on the parts to be included in the mold and number and

arrangement of cavities. Allow for slides, lifter, ejectors, cooling, and so on.4. Initialize a Mold Wizard mold design project. When you initialize, you specify:

o The project name and folder location.o The naming rules for component parts.o The units of measure.o (Optional) The molded part material and shrinkage factor.

5. Define the mold coordinate system for each product in the mold: o The orientation of the part in the mold.o The principal parting plane.

6. If necessary, define the shrinkage factor.7. Define a workpiece for each product.

Note:

Even if you plan to machine cavities directly in the mold plates, it is useful to define a workpiece.

8. If you have multiple cavities, plan the cavity layout in the mold base.9. Design shut-off geometry.10. Define the parting edges on the model and create parting surfaces.11. Add a mold base.12. Add hardware, ejectors, slides, lifters, sub-inserts, gates, runners, and cooling lines.13. (Optional) Design electrodes.14. Create pockets in mold plates and other bodies to accommodate the hardware and other

accessories you added.15. Compose a bill of materials.16. Create drawings.

Important Notices For Mold Wizard

Starting Mold Wizard

If you are starting Mold Wizard for the first time, see the important information in Starting Mold Wizard in NX.

Accessing Mold Wizard

You can use most Mold Wizard commands when the NX Modeling or Gateway applications are running.

If you are in the Drafting, or CAM application, change to the Gateway application before using Mold Wizard.

Two commands, Component Drawing and Hole Table, require you to start the Drafting application. You are notified when it is necessary to change applications.

Project Path

Warning:

Do not use a disk root directory, such as C:\ or D:\, as a directory for a mold tooling project. Some essential operations fail if you initialize a project in a root directory, or attempt to add standard parts to a project in a root directory.

Engineering database location

Siemens PLM Software recommends that you install the engineering database in a location outside the default ...\UGII_BASE_DIR\moldwizard location. You can put the library in shared location on your network, and point to it with the environment variable MOLDWIZARD_DIR, for the following reasons:

Everyone on the network has access to the same customized parts. You don't have to replace the libraries every time you install an NX upgrade; the same library

can be installed on time for all of the maintenance releases of an NX version. You don't have to un-install; you can upgrade the library by overwriting it with new files.

Warning:

On 64-bit machines you must set the MOLDWIZARD_DIR variable. If you get an error message that the file moldwizard_add_in.xla is not found on a 64-bit machine, verify that the MOLDWIZARD_DIR variable is set to the correct folder.

Setting up Excel conversion on 32-bit machines

If you are running Microsoft Windows ®, you can convert Xess files (non-Windows format) to Microsoft Excel ® files, or convert Microsoft Excel files to Xess files.

To set up the Microsoft Excel conversion, copy the moldwizard_add_in.xla file from the moldwizard\templates directory into your C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\XLstart directory, or C:\apps\MSOffice\Office11\XLstart directory.

This file contains the conversion macros necessary to convert file formats.

Tip:

You must set Microsoft Excel macro security to a level that permit the macros to run. Medium security gives you a choice of runnig macros at execution time.

For additional details, see Xess-Excel Conversion.

Deleting unused expressions

Warning:

Do not use the Part Cleanup command options to delete unused expressions. In a Mold Wizard assembly, there are many expressions that are used only after you add components.

System settingsCustomizing Mold Wizard

You can customize Mold Wizard by adjusting the default preference settings in Customer Defaults.

For more information, see Setting Defaults and Preferences.

Translucency

Several of the dialog boxes have translucency sliders.

The Mold.V1 workpiece is translucent.

In order to get the benefit of these features, make sure that the Translucency check box is selected in he Visualization Preferences dialog box, on the Visual page.

Setting defaults and preferences

Setting defaults for Mold Wizard

You can use customer defaults to customize Mold Wizard.

The Mold Wizard defaults and preferences are documented in Help→Documentation→NX Essentials→Customizing NX→Using Customer Defaults. For more information on Mold Wizard defaults and preferences, click here.

Where do I find it?Menu File→Utilities→Customer Defaults→Mold Wizard

Preparing the model

Geometry quality

You should carefully inspect and correct the product model before you start a Mold Wizard project. You must have a good quality product model to produce a good quality mold design.

Molded Part Validation — Shows you potential draft problems, undercuts, and wall thickness variations. For more information, click here.

Examine Geometry — Identifies several problems such as corrupt data, self intersection, gaps, overlaps, spikes or cuts, and tolerance issues. For more information, see the NX Analysis online help for Examining geometry.

Heal Geometry — Improves the quality of some imported models. For more information, click here.

Solid or surface model

The Mold Wizard parting process can use either a solid model or a sewn set of surfaces that do not form a solid.

When possible, use a solid product model because it will produce solid cavity and core models. Solid cavity and core models provide some advantages in drafting and CAM processing.

Note:

In most cases, it is worth the additional effort to correct product models with geometry problems and sew them into a solid.

Moldability

Some product models do not have correct draft (mold taper) or designs for efficient construction of mold shut-off areas. You should correct the product model to have exactly the geometry that you want in the finished cavity and core.

If you begin with a moldable product, you can:

Simplify the parting process. Eliminate a source of errors that you may encounter if you add draft to individual tooling

solids. Get ready-to-manufacture cavities and cores.

Starting Mold Wizard in NX

Start the Mold Wizard application before you open any parts to assures that the proper assembly load options are set so that interpart geometry links and expressions function properly.

You can start Mold Wizard from the NX No Part state from:

The Application toolbar. The Start command button to the Standard toolbar.

Display the Application toolbar

In the No Part state, right-click the toolbar area and choose Application.

The Application toolbar is displayed. The Mold Wizard command appears on the toolbar.

Display the Start button

In the No Part state, on the Standard toolbar, choose Toolbar Options→Add or Remove Buttons→Standard→Start.

The Start button is displayed.

Start the Mold Wizard application

To start Mold Wizard, do one of the following:

On the Application toolbar, click Mold Wizard . Click Start and select All Applications→Mold Wizard.

Mold Wizard toolbar

The commands are:

Initialize Project Mold Design Validation Family Mold Mold CSYS Shrinkage Workpiece Cavity Layout Mold Tools Mold Parting Tools Mold Base Library Standard Part Library Ejector Pin Post Processing Slide and Lifter Library Sub-insert Library Gate Library Runner Mold Cooling Tools Electrode Mold Trim Tools Drow-down

o Trim Mold Componentso Design Trim Tool

Pocket Bill of Material Mold Drawing Drop-down

o Assembly Drawingo Component Drawingo Hole Table

Casting Process Assistant (by default, not displayed) View Manager Unused Part Management Concept Design

PROJECT INITIALIZATION

Initialize Project overview

Overview How To Options Related Topics

You can use the Initialize Project command to:

Create a new mold design project. Add additional products to an existing project to create a family mold.

Creating a new project

When you create a new project, you can specify:

A template assembly Units The path to the project part files The project name. Material and shrinkage factor

When you initialize a project, the solid product body becomes the parent of a series of associatively linked bodies.

You can replace the product model file with a revised file and update the mold assembly with minimal loss.

Family molds

You can use the Initialize Project command to add another product to an open tooling assembly.

You can add as many products as you require in one injection mold.

Where do I find it?Application Mold Wizard

ToolbarMold Wizard→Initialize Project

Using Initialize Project


Create a new tooling assembly

Note:

You do not need to have the product model open when you begin a mold design project.

1. On the Mold Wizard toolbar, click Initialize Project .

2. In the Open Part File dialog box, navigate to and select the product model for which you want to define a mold assembly.

3. If you are prompted to select the product body, select one of the two or more bodies in the product model part file.

4. (Optional) In the Path box, type a path, or, click Browse . 5. (Optional) In the Name box, type a name for the project. 6. (Optional) From the Material list, select a defined material and shrinkage factor. 7. (Optional) From the Configuration list, select a template assembly structure. 8. (Optional) In the Shrinkage box, type the shrinkage factor. 9. (Optional) From the Configuration list, select a template assembly for the project. 10. (Optional) In the Attributes group, assign attributes to the top level assembly part. 11. (Optional) In the Initialize Project dialog box, in the Settings group, select the project units. 12. (Optional) In the Settings group, select the Rename Components check box to open the Part

Name Management dialog box after you finish specifying project parameters.

Tip:

You can use the Part Name Management dialog box to verify or change the default file names of the assembly component parts.

13. Click OK.

Warning:

After the template assembly is renamed, the parts are not saved to disk.

You can close the parts without saving them if you want to change the settings.

Add a product to an assembly

When you load additional product models to a tooling assembly, the units, project path, and project name remain the same and the Initialize Project dialog box is not displayed.

1. Open an existing tooling assembly.

2. On the Mold Wizard tool bar, click Initialize Project . 3. In the Open Part File dialog box, navigate to and select the product model that you want to

add to the mold assembly. 4. Repeat this process until all of the family product models have been added.

Caution:

To create additional instances of a product that is already in the mold assembly, use the Cavity Layout command.

Open an existing project

1. Start the Mold Wizard application.2. Choose File→Open.

Tip:

If you find it more convenient, you can also click Initialize Project at this step.

3. In the Open dialog box, select the *_top component of the project and click OK.

Initialize Project dialog box


Note:

See Common dialog box options for common options not discussed here.

Product

Select Object

Selects a product body if there are multiple solid bodies in the original product file.

Project Settings

Path

Lets you:

Accept the path to the folder from which you selected the product model or type a different path.

Type a new path. Browse to a path.

Tip:

You can specify an existing folder or create a new one.

Note:

The project path box and browse button are not available in the Teamcenter environment; the mold project is referenced under the plastic product.

Name

Sets the project name. By the default naming rule, the project name is included as a prefix to the file name of each file in the mold project.

Tip:

The default project name is the name of the product model.

Try to use short project names, less than ten characters.

Note:

The customer defaults include a setting to control the maximum number of characters allowed in the project name. A project name with more characters than the specified limit will be truncated.

Material Sets the shrinkage factor from a database of materials.

Note:

The Material list is used only to set the shrinkage factor. The name of the material that you select is not stored.

You can customize the material database spreadsheet.

Shrinkage

Sets the shrinkage.

Tip:

You can override a material database value or enter any shrinkage factor not present in the database.

Configuration

Lets you select a template assembly.

Tip:

Assembly template files define the assembly structure of a mold design project.

The initialization process automatically duplicates the assembly structure defined in the template assembly.

Attributes

listLets you select attributes to add to the *_top assembly part during initialization.

Settings

Project Units

Specifies the units of measure for the tool assembly files.

Tip:

You should be aware that some manufacturers provide only millimeter standard parts, others provide only inch standard parts, and several provide both.

In the customer defaults, you can change the default project units to be always:

Millimeters. Inches. Same as the product model.

You can also allow mixed units for standard parts.

Rename Components

When selected, opens the Part Name Management dialog box after you click OK.

Edit Material Data Base

Opens the material database spreadsheet .../moldwizard/templates/mw_material.xls (xs4).

Edit Project Configuration

Opens the template assembly register spreadsheet .../moldwizard/pre_part/prepart_config.xls (xs4).

Edit Customized Attributes

Opens the custom attributes spreadsheet .../moldwizard/templates/custom_attr_template.xls (xs4).

Overwriting safeguard


If you specify any existing part name and a numeric suffix wild card character in the name rule, the the numeric suffix is incremented until a unique name is found.

If you specify an existing project path and name with no numeric suffix wild card, a dialog box is displayed with the following options:

Overwrite the Project Load the Project Change the Project Name

Configuration templates


The following templates are available in the Configuration list:

Mold.V1 ESI Original

Note:

Click the links for detailed descriptions.

You can create you own configurations. See Customize template configurations.

Mold.V1 template


Use the Mold.V1 template when you want to:

Use the recommended and default template.

Use the parting-set structure, to be able to change the mold coordinate system after you create the parting.

Use a sketch-based, extruded workpiece. Use the combined subassembly for creating combined cavities, cores, or workpieces. Create cores, cavities, and slide bodies that inherit the face colors and translucency of defined

regions. Initialize projects with one set of naming rules. The Part Name Management dialog box

appears only one time for assemblies made with this template.

Mold.V1 Structure

Part name Identifying attribute Description

top UM_TOPOrganizes the assembly structure.

Contains the bill of materials definition.

var UM_VARContains expressions used by the mold base and standard parts.

cool MW_COOL

Organizes cooling bodies that cross two or more cavities.

Side A and side B components permit simultaneous development of fixed and moving halves.

cool_side_b MW_COOL_SIDE_A

cool_side_a MW_COOL_SIDE_B

fill UM_GR Contains solids for runners and gates.

misc UM_OTHER

Contains cavity independent standard parts such as locating rings, parting locks, and sprue pins.


misc_side_b MW_MISC_SIDE_A

misc_side_a MW_MISC_SIDE_B

layout UM_LAYOUTContains one or more product (*_prod) subassemblies.

combined MW_COMBINED

Contains components for a combined workpiece, cavity, and core.

Components contain linked geometry after the Merge Cavities command is used.

comb-wp MW_COMB_WPContains sketch sketch (1) for a combined workpiece.

comb-core MW_COMB_COREContains the linked body for the combined core.

comb-cavity MW_COMB_CAVITYContains the linked body for the combined cavity.

product UM_PROD Contains product-specific components for


a single instance of a product model.


workpiece MW_COMP_TYPE=MW_WORKPIECE

Contains a sketch and extruded workpiece body.

The shape and size of the sketch and extents of the extrusion can be edited.

parting-set MW_COMP_TYPE=MW_PARTING_SET

Contains shrink, molding, and parting component parts that must be moved together when you use the Mold CSYS command.

original product

Contains the original part model for a molded plastic product design. The model should be a valid solid body. This body is the parent of the molding body.

parting UM_SHRINKAGE

Contains a linked copy of the molding body.

Contains linked copies of the work piece the mold CSYS.

shrink UM_SHRINKAGE_KEEP


The initially broken link is re-linked to the product body during initialization.

A scale feature applied to the linked body is updated when you choose a material during initialization, or when you edit the shrinkage.

molding MW_MASTER

Contains a linked copy of the original product body.

Used to make corrections such as tapers and edge blends.

core UM_PART_CORE

Contains a linked core surface, initially a broken link.

Contains a linked copy of the workpiece.

Contains a trim feature, initially suppressed by expression.

The link is connected and the trim unsuppressed by the Create Cavity and Core command.

cavity UM_PART_CAVITY Contains a linked cavity surface, initially a


broken link.




prod_side_a MW_PROD_SIDE_A

prod_side_b MW_PROD_SIDE_B

trim UM_TRIM_PART

Contains linked regions of the cavity and core.

Used by the Trim Mold Components and Ejector Pin commands to trim electrodes, inserts, slide faces, ejector pins, and so on.

ESI template


Use the ESI (early supplier involvement) template when you want to:

Evaluate moldability by testing parting and patch commands. Review product model changes, for example by using the Model Compare command. Test the Swap Model command in a small assembly with fast updates.

ESI structure Identifying Attributes

ESI_top

UM_TOP

UM_LAYOUT

UM_PROD

Organizes the assembly structure.

ESI_Product Contains a linked body of the analysis part.

ESI_Analysis

UM_SHRINKAGE_KEEP

UM_SHRINKAGE

MW_MASTER

Contains a linked copy of the original product model.

The copy has a scale feature for shrinkage.

The body in this part is the target for parting commands.

original_product Contains the original part model used as the parent of the ESI_Analysis body.

Original template


Use the original template when you want to:

Initialize projects with individual naming rules for each product that can be different from the rules for the top level assembly.

Use user defined box workpieces with sizes based on clearance and automatic rounding, or on dimensions from a reference point.

Original structure

Part name Identifying attribute

top UM_TOPOrganizes the assembly structure.

Contains the bill of materials definition.

var UM_VARContains expressions used by the mold base and standard parts.

cool MW_COOL

Organizes cooling bodies that cross two or more cavities.


cool_side_b MW_COOL_SIDE_A

cool_side_a MW_COOL_SIDE_B

fill UM_GR Contains solids for runners and gates.

misc UM_OTHER

Contains cavity independent standard parts such as locating rings, parting locks, and sprue pins.


misc_side_b MW_MISC_SIDE_A

misc_side_a MW_MISC_SIDE_B

layout UM_LAYOUTContains one or more product (*_prod) subassemblies.

product UM_PROD Contains product-specific components for a

single instance of a product model.



original product

Contains the original part model for a molded plastic product design. The model should be a valid solid body. This body is the parent of the molding body.

shrink UM_SHRINKAGE_KEEP



parting UM_SHRINKAGE




core UM_PART_CORE

Contains a linked core surface, initially a broken link.




cavity UM_PART_CAVITY

Contains a linked cavity surface, initially a broken link.




trim UM_TRIM_PART

Contains linked regions of the cavity and core.

Used by the Trim Mold Components and Ejector Pin commands to trim electrodes, inserts, slide faces, ejector pins, and so on.

molding MW_MASTER Contains a linked copy of the original product


body.


Used to make corrections such as tapers and edge blends.

prod_side_a MW_PROD_SIDE_A

prod_side_b MW_PROD_SIDE_B

Customize the material database


1. In the Project Initialize dialog box, in the Settings group, click Material Data Base. 2. Add new materials in the MATERIAL column. 3. Edit existing or add new shrinkage factors in the SHRINKAGE column.

Example:

MATERIAL SHRINKAGENONE 1.000NYLON 1.016ABS 1.006

Warning:

You must format cells in the SHRINKAGE column as text, and not as numbers.

Customize template configurations


1. In the Project Initialize dialog box, in the Settings group, click Project Configuration. 2. In the spreadsheet, click the MM tab to register millimeter unit template assemblies, or the

INCH tab to register inch unit template assemblies. 3. In the CONFIG_NAME column, type a name to identify the template assembly in the

Configuration list. 4. In the PART_SUBDIR column, type a path to your template assembly. The folder must be

located under the .../moldwizard folder.

Note:

The two default templates are located in the .../moldwizard/pre_part/english and .../moldwizard/pre_part/metric folders.

5. In the TOP_ASM column, type the name of your custom top level assembly part file.

Note:

Do not add a file name extension.

6. In the PROD_ASM column, type the name of your custom product level assembly.

Note:

Do not add a file name extension.

7. In the ACTION column, type a valid action: o CLONE — Clones the template assembly from the local machine's pre-part directory

into the Teamcenter project folder. o REFER — References the template project. Does not clone. o TCE_CLONE — Clones the template assembly from the Teamcenter pre-part folder

into the Teamcenter project folder. o TCE_REFER — References the template project. Does not clone.

Example:

CONFIG_NAME

PART_SUBDIR

TOP_ASM

PROD_ASM

ACTION

default /pre_part/metric top prod CLONECustom1 top slider TCE_CLONECustom2 top2 none TCE_CLONE

Note:

In Teamcenter Enterprise, you need not supply a path to a folder in the PART_SUBDIR column.

If the name of the product assembly is none, a product assembly will not be created.

For more information about the template structure, see Project initialization Initialize Project related topics.

Tip:

Many companies customize the following in template assemblies:

Parts lists. Layer visibility Color settings View orientation Background color

Customize attributes on top level templates


1. In the Project Initialize dialog box, in the Settings group, click Customized Attributes. 2. In the ATTR_NAME column, specify a name for the attribute to be written to the *_top part. 3. In the ATTR_NAME column, specify a value for the attribute. You can take the value from

another part by using the syntax shown in the example. You can reference another part by its attribute as shown in the table in Initialize Project related topics.

Example:

ATTR_NAME ATTR_VALUEDesigner ABCCustomer Name EFGCompany Name <UM_VAR>::COMPANY

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Unigraphics Nx7.5 - Mold Wizard