How to make a mold using Solidworks

There is an updated video of this, now WITH AUDIO!!!


Here is a quick fly through of how to make a plastic injection mold by using Solidworks.

First you can see that I am making a simple solid, make sure that it has ample draft. The radii are un important but aids in presentation.

Second I am shelling the object to a suitable thickness, remember with plastics a consistent wall thickness is key!

I then make a sketch that will define the limits of the mold itself.

Next I am defining the parting line, this is the line that Solidworks uses to define the separation of the mold cavity and core sides. I am also turning on draft analysis to help show me that my object is of suitable geometry to part.

After that, you cant see it, but I check for shut-off surfaces; I have none.

Then by selecting the parting lines I can then create a parting surface, this is the surface that the mold cavity will shut off against when closed.

Once those steps are completed I can define my tooling slip, I choose interlock and the approximate thicknesses of each mold half. From there I move each half apart to reveal a mold!

When all the steps have been done save the cavity and core sides into seperate files.

Next CORES, SLIDES, AND LIFTERS!

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Solidworks
• cavity
• mold
• injection
• molding
• 3d CAD
• 3d
• plastics

[dgwbuildwright]

cad packages dont MAKE tools. toolmakers make them. cad just draws them. very misleading title

[capnthepeafarmer]

@dgwbuildwright CAD packages don't draw the tools, engineers draw them. Very misleading comment. ;)

[dgwbuildwright]

@capnthepeafarmer " put your pullover on it's cold outside".. "its not a pullover it's a jumper"... petulent twat.

[capnthepeafarmer]

@dgwbuildwright :(

[noronhal]

I don`t think you still followed what I wrote.

sorry for offending you.

[capnthepeafarmer]

@noronhal I understood what you wrote. The only thing I can do to make it easier is to make another video. So sit tight.

[misteRoboto1]

Love it, Soliworks is a powerful tool if you know what you are doing. This is obviously not a demo of the CAD, too quick, no details (all due respect). The mold process discussed loos to me like injection molding, a very, very complex and difficult job to do right from A to B plates ad all in between . BUT he has you guys fired up. Well done. Here's Solidworks on a vacuform molding process...

[capnthepeafarmer]

@noronhal It is probably best to not appear as an idiot, when calling someone else dumb.

[noronhal]

are u dumb or what. what he said was correct. way too quick and no narration.

[jettpax]

@capnthepeafarmer  It would make more sense to people like me who are still learning if the instruction came in the video as you are doing it.