Computer-Aided Design, Analysis, Manufacturing and Testing Techniques as Applied to Plastic Part and Mold Development

Abstract

In the past few years, manufacturers have turned to plastics seeking to maintain profit margins and market share. While plastics offer many advantages, they also present new complexities for product development and manufacturing. Current CAD/CAM and CAE techniques, developed with metal products in mind, are not adequate for engineered plastics. Computer-aided engineering techniques have now emerged for the specific design, analysis and production of plastic parts and their molds. These techniques will revolutionize the molding industry and involve the parts designer in the molding process. Substantial savings in the time-to-production, material requirements and production costs will result, in addition to significant improvements in part quality.