SOLIDWORKS Mold Design Overview
The SOLIDWORKS Mold Design course teaches you how to quickly generate tooling for any given part and separate it into core and cavity components (or punch and die for Tool and Die applications).
This knowledge is very valuable for most mechanical designers, especially designers of molds, embossing dies, nests, and welding/checking fixtures.
You will also learn to use analysis tools for developing optimal parting lines, troubleshooting draft and undercut issues, plus importing and repairing third party geometry.
The SOLIDWORKS Mold Design training course will help you to:
- Create mold assemblies derived from your part designs
- Automate the production of the mold to save you design time
- Incorporate lifters, side cores and core pins in your mold design
- Design Electrodes for your molds
SOLIDWORKS Mold Design Course Preview
Take a look at some of the models you will be creating during the course
Complete Mold
Split Part and Mold
SOLIDWORKS Ejector Pin Design
SOLIDWORKS Smart Component
SOLIDWORKS Mold Creation
Core Cavity Design
SOLIDWORKS Mold Design Course Requirements & Benefits
Understand the course requirements and the skills you will acquire after completing the SOLIDWORKS course
"The SOLIDWORKS Mold Design course taught me the latest tricks and increased my productivity."
— Leo Yu, FGL/KNT Precision Works Ltd.
"The course and training were excellent across the board."
— Doron Feldman, VSI
SOLIDWORKS Mold Design Lessons
The following lessons are included in the course
Lesson 1: Surface Concepts and Imported Geometry
- Course Overview
- Hide/Show Tree Items
- Accessing Commands
- Importing Data
- 3D Model Types
- Wireframe Models
- Surface Models
- Solid Models
- Definitions
- Geometry vs. Topology
- What is a Solid?
- Euler’s Formula
- Behind the Scenes
- Case Study: Solids vs. Surfaces
- Extruded Surface
- Planar Surface
- Trim Surface
- Untrim Surface
- Face Curves and Mesh Preview
- Four-Sided Surfaces
- Knit Surface
- Gap Control
- Creating Solids from Surfaces
- Thicken
- Create Solid
- Summary
- Decomposing a Solid into Surfaces
- Delete Face
- Additional Surface Concepts
- Edges vs. Holes
- Surface Types
- Importing and Mold Design
- Modeling Kernels
- Contents of a CAD File
- File Formats
- Format Recommendations
- File Translation
- Why Do Imports Fail?
- SOLIDWORKS Import Options
- 3D Interconnect for Native File Formats
- 3D Interconnect for Neutral File Formats
- Case Study: Importing a STEP File
- Import Diagnostics
- Addressing Errors in 3D Interconnect Imports
- Another Option
- Comparing Geometry
- Which is Correct?
- Addressing Translation Errors
- Repairing and Editing Imported Geometry
- Check Entity
- Display Curvature
- Patching Strategies
- Filled Surface
- Another Strategy
- Procedure for Rebuilding Fillets
- Making Copies of Faces
- Offset Surface
- Extend Surface
- Editing Imported Parts
- Delete Hole
- Exercise 1: Import Diagnosis
- Exercise 2: Using Import Surface and Replace Face
Lesson 2: Core and Cavity
- Core and Cavity Mold Design
- Steps in the Mold Design Process
- Summary of Steps
- SOLIDWORKS Mold Tools
- Case Study: Camera Body
- Mold Analysis Tools
- GPU-based Processing
- Analyzing Draft on a Model
- What is Draft?
- Determining the Direction of Pull
- Using the Draft Analysis Tool
- Positive and Negative Draft
- Requires Draft
- Draft Analysis Options
- Gradual Transition
- Face Classification
- Find Steep Faces
- Adding Draft
- Scaling the Model
- Establish the Parting Lines
- Parting Lines Options
- Manual Parting Lines
- Shut-Off Surfaces
- Shut-off Surface Patch Types
- Manual Shut-off Surfaces
- Creating the Parting Surface
- Parting Surfaces Options
- Smoothing the Parting Surface
- Surface Bodies
- Creating the Mold Tooling
- Tooling Split
- Seeing Inside the Mold
- Interlocking the Mold Tooling
- Creating Interlock Surfaces
- Creating Part and Assembly Files
- Completing the Mold
- Exercise 3: Casting
- Exercise 4: Ribbed Part
- Exercise 5: Dustpan
Lesson 3: Side Cores and Pins
- Additional Mold Tooling
- Additional Tooling Design Process
- Case Study: Power Saw Housing
- Thickness Analysis
- Detecting Undercuts
- Undercut Analysis
- Trapped Molding Areas
- Side Cores
- Core Feature
- Feature Freeze
Lesson 3 continued...
- Lifters
- Core Pins
- Manual Selection Techniques
- Selection Tools
- The Message Pane
- Case Study: Mixer Base
- Modifying Shut-Off Surfaces
- Manual Shut-Off Surfaces
- Manually Selecting Loops
- Completing the Tooling
- Exercise 6: Towing Mirror
- Exercise 7: Completing the Mixer Base
- Exercise 8: Electrode Design
Lesson 4: Advanced Parting Line Options
- Case Study: Manual Parting Line
- Using Split Faces
- Using Entities to Split
- Case Study: Splitting a Part
- Creating Ruled Surfaces
- Exercise 9: Peeler
Lesson 5: Creating Custom Surfaces for Mold Design
- Surface Modeling for Mold Design
- Case Study: Drill Bezel
- Manual Interlock Surfaces
- Using Select Partial Loop
- Ruled Surface Direction
- Problem Areas
- Creating the Parting Surface
- Organizing Surfaces
- Case Study: Router Bottom
- Manual Parting Surface Techniques
- Organizing Manual Shut-off Surfaces
- Copying Surfaces
- Exercise 10: Power Strip
- Exercise 11: Router Top
Lesson 6: Advanced Surfacing for Mold Design
- Surface Modeling for Mold Design
- The Mixer
- Case Study: Mixer Rear Housing
- Manual Parting Surface
- Insert Mold Folders
- Case Study: Mixer Handle
- Manual Shut-off Surfaces
- No Fill Shut-off Surfaces
- Manual Side Cores
- Exercise 12: Mixer Switch
- Exercise 13: Fan Bezel
Lesson 7: Alternative Methods for Mold Design
- Alternate Methods for Mold Design
- When to use Alternate Methods
- Case Study: Using Combine and Split
- Copying Bodies in Place
- Creating a Cavity
- Case Study: Cavity
- Case Study: Using Surfaces
- Techniques for Mold Tooling
- Using the Up To Surface Method
- Using the Split Method
- Exercise 14: Handle
- Exercise 15: Filter
Lesson 8: Reusable Data
- Reusing Data
- Library Features
- Smart Components
- 3DEXPERIENCE Marketplace
- Task Pane
- SOLIDWORKS Resources
- Design Library
- Essentials of Using the Design Library
- Folder Graphics.
- Main Directory Structure
- File Explorer
- Library Features
- Two Techniques for Locating
- Case Study: Create A Library Feature
- Library Feature Characteristics
- Organizing Library Feature Part Dimensions
- Replacing Dimensions
- Renaming Dimensions
- Sorting Dimensions
- Configurations in Library Features
- Case Study: Water Line
- Creating Library Features from Existing Parts
- Smart Components
- Create the Defining Assembly
- Make Smart Component
- Inserting the Smart Component
- Inserting Smart Features
- Exercise 16: Smart Components
- Exercise 17: Complete Mold Insert Project
- Developing a Plan
- Modeling Repairs
- Runners and Gates
- Side Cores
- Ejector Pins
- Core Pins
- Creating Individual Parts
Lesson 9: Completing the Mold Base
- Case Study: Mold Base
- Organizing the Assembly
- Assembly Structure Editing
- Modifying the Lifters
- Lifter Motion
- Ejector Pins
- Adding the Bezel
- Cooling the Mold
- Making the Drawing
- Making Changes
- Completing the Process
Upcoming Training Courses
Choose a scheduled SOLIDWORKS Mold Design course
Are you using SOLIDWORKS to its full potential?
Enhance your skills and capabilities with a SOLIDWORKS Training Assessment from TriMech.