The evolution of molds in manufacturing: from rigid to flexible

Abstract Nowadays, dynamic products life cycles and increase in the number of product variants have led to reduction in demand per variant. This modern trend is in contrast with the high production volume of manufacturing processes such as injection molding, since they are commonly employed for mass production due to their long changeover time. Traditional rigid molds do not seem to be able to cope with the current industrial and market challenges. Flexible and reconfigurable molding processes, such as the discrete pin tooling systems and changeable molds, appear to be a promising choice for achieving manufacturing economic sustainability. They represent an effective way to save resources and reduce labor costs and setup times. This paper explores the evolution of molds used in manufacturing, from the old models to the current reconfigurable ones through a state-of-the-art analysis of academic research and solutions implemented by industry. Conclusions and insights are presented

Robot machining of thin-walled workpieces with automatically reconfigurable fixturing through feature analysis

Machining of large scale thin-walled workpieces pose high requirements for fixturing because of large stiffness changes due to material removal. Automatically reconfigurable fixtures that allow in-process reconfiguration are a promising approach. In this paper, an efficient approach based on feature analysis is proposed for fixture reconfiguration planning. For this, material removal is simulated. At discrete points in time, feature analysis is performed and an approximated local stiffness map is calculated with weight functions derived from the features’ parameterizations. Viable fixture configurations are then identified through root finding and validated through simulation in Ansys and experimentally with a fixture jig. In both validations, workpiece deformation for drilling operations could be reduced to an acceptable level enabling the implementation\u27s future use in industrial application

Photogrammetry-based 3D scanning for supporting design activities and testing in early stage product development

In the early stages of product development and design, physical prototypes are designed and built from varying materials with the aim of providing valuable experience and decision support for the project team. In the era of digitalization, 3D printing has become a common tool that can produce even complex organic shapes. However, methods for developing the required digital models based on the physical prototypes are still often considered a high investment in resources, reserved for later, converging development activities. In this paper, we close the loop from physical to digital, and back to physical prototyping by introducing a proof-of-concept 3D scanning method using open-source photogrammetry algorithms. The feasibility of the approach is determined from two case studies: a designer chair, and customized race steering wheel. The successful results show potential for low-cost, simple, and accurate digitalization in the early stage of product development and design, with the main challenges being the inherent limitations of photogrammetry and the often-required manual editing of mesh.publishedVersio

Uncovering the specificities of CAD tools for industrial design with design theory – style models for generic singularity

International audienceAccording to some casual observers, computer-aided design (CAD) tools are very similar. These tools are used to design new artifacts in a digital environment; hence, they share typical software components, such as a computing engine and human-machine interface. However, CAD software is dedicated to specific professionals—such as engineers, three-dimensional (3D) artists, and industrial designers (IDs)—who claim that, despite their apparent similarities, CAD tools are so different that they are not substitutable. Moreover, CAD tools do not fully meet the needs of IDs. This paper aims at better characterizing CAD tools by taking into account their underlying design logic, which involves relying on recent advances in design theory. We show that engineering CAD tools are actually modeling tools that design a generic variety of products; 3D artist CAD tools not only design but immediately produce single digital artefacts; and ID CAD tools are neither a mix nor an hybridization of engineering CAD and 3D artist CAD tools but have their own logic, namely to create new conceptual models for a large variety of products, that is, the creation of a unique original style that leads to a generic singularity. Such tools are useful for many creative designers beyond IDs

Manufacturability analysis for non-feature-based objects

This dissertation presents a general methodology for evaluating key manufacturability indicators using an approach that does not require feature recognition, or feature-based design input. The contributions involve methods for computing three manufacturability indicators that can be applied in a hierarchical manner. The analysis begins with the computation of visibility, which determines the potential manufacturability of a part using material removal processes such as CNC machining. This manufacturability indicator is purely based on accessibility, without considering the actual machine setup and tooling. Then, the analysis becomes more specific by analyzing the complexity in setup planning for the part; i.e. how the part geometry can be oriented to a cutting tool in an accessible manner. This indicator establishes if the part geometry is accessible about an axis of rotation, namely, whether it can be manufactured on a 4th-axis indexed machining system. The third indicator is geometric machinability, which is computed for each machining operation to indicate the actual manufacturability when employing a cutting tool with specific shape and size. The three manufacturability indicators presented in this dissertation are usable as steps in a process; however they can be executed alone or hierarchically in order to render manufacturability information. At the end of this dissertation, a Multi-Layered Visibility Map is proposed, which would serve as a re-design mechanism that can guide a part design toward increased manufacturability

Survey on Additive Manufacturing, Cloud 3D Printing and Services

Cloud Manufacturing (CM) is the concept of using manufacturing resources in a service oriented way over the Internet. Recent developments in Additive Manufacturing (AM) are making it possible to utilise resources ad-hoc as replacement for traditional manufacturing resources in case of spontaneous problems in the established manufacturing processes. In order to be of use in these scenarios the AM resources must adhere to a strict principle of transparency and service composition in adherence to the Cloud Computing (CC) paradigm. With this review we provide an overview over CM, AM and relevant domains as well as present the historical development of scientific research in these fields, starting from 2002. Part of this work is also a meta-review on the domain to further detail its development and structure

Challenges and Status on Design and Computation for Emerging Additive Manufacturing Technologies

The revolution of additive manufacturing (AM) has led to many opportunities in fabricating complex and novel products. The increase of printable materials and the emergence of novel fabrication processes continuously expand the possibility of engineering systems in which product components are no longer limited to be single material, single scale, or single function. In fact, a paradigm shift is taking place in industry from geometry-centered usage to supporting functional demands. Consequently, engineers are expected to resolve a wide range of complex and difficult problems related to functional design. Although a higher degree of design freedom beyond geometry has been enabled by AM, there are only very few computational design approaches in this new AM-enabled domain to design objects with tailored properties and functions. The objectives of this review paper are to provide an overview of recent additive manufacturing developments and current computer-aided design methodologies that can be applied to multimaterial, multiscale, multiform, and multifunctional AM technologies. The difficulties encountered in the computational design approaches are summarized and the future development needs are emphasized. In the paper, some present applications and future trends related to additive manufacturing technologies are also discussed

Advances in Architectural Geometry 2023

Modern geometric computing increasingly plays a role in modeling environments and processing sensing information, providing a variety of tools for the efficient design, analysis, and manufacturing of complex shapes. The research area of architectural geometry (AG) has emerged at the common border of architecture, applied geometry, computational design, mathematics, and manufacturing. This book presents the state of the art of research in AG

MultiFab: a machine vision assisted platform for multi-material 3D printing

We have developed a multi-material 3D printing platform that is high-resolution, low-cost, and extensible. The key part of our platform is an integrated machine vision system. This system allows for self-calibration of printheads, 3D scanning, and a closed-feedback loop to enable print corrections. The integration of machine vision with 3D printing simplifies the overall platform design and enables new applications such as 3D printing over auxiliary parts. Furthermore, our platform dramatically expands the range of parts that can be 3D printed by simultaneously supporting up to 10 different materials that can interact optically and mechanically. The platform achieves a resolution of at least 40 μm by utilizing piezoelectric inkjet printheads adapted for 3D printing. The hardware is low cost (less than $7,000) since it is built exclusively from off-the-shelf components. The architecture is extensible and modular -- adding, removing, and exchanging printing modules can be done quickly. We provide a detailed analysis of the system's performance. We also demonstrate a variety of fabricated multi-material objects.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant CCF-1138967)United States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (Grant N66001-12-1-4242