Eliminate Software Clutter

James Kesteloot of TST Tooling Software Technology shares his take on the value of an all-in-one mold design strategy to streamline the mold building process and increase accuracy.

Harnessing the power of the latest technology developments remains essential to staying competitive in today’s mold manufacturing environment. This includes the constant search by engineers for strategies and solutions to solve many software issues facing the shop floor.

The most difficult of these challenges is the increasing number of CAD/CAM software types that do not function as a cohesive whole and that make it hard for shops to select the appropriate solution. It is not uncommon to find up to 12 different sets of software running at any given time in one shop. Managing several different file types while trying to maintain design accuracy and organizing geometry within the design system are constant struggles.

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So the question is: How can a design team eliminate this software clutter and streamline the process to make things faster and more accurate? Let’s take a look at a few key software developments that solve these mold design challenges.

An all-in-one-solution for mold design will increase productivity and reduce the margin for error by:

1 Providing quick, seamless delivery of universal file types, part changes, flow analyses, libraries and translation to the shop floor.

2 Using designated colors to separate and organize shut-off and clearance areas, part shapes, water lines, etc. that enables shop personnel to easily identify critical and non-critical design areas.

3 Including improved cooling channel management with support for solid groups, CAD transformations, and updated catalog components, such as plugs, connectors and baffles.

4 Offering tools for producing lubrication grooves.

5 Providing a rewritten database tool to manage and edit 3D standard element libraries.

6 Allowing information to easily flow through the all shop departments, not just design.

7 Offering multiple viewers throughout the shop, savings time and eliminating costly drawings.

All of this yields improved production speed, more accurate tooling and better part quality. A complete mold design solution based on industry-specific automation guides the user through the mold development process and streamlines the shop floor, eliminating the clutter.