Design and analysis of a reconfigurable discrete pin tooling system for molding of three-dimensional free-form objects

This paper presents the design and analysis of a new reconfigurable tooling for the fabrication of three-dimensional (3D) free-form objects. The proposed reconfigurable tooling system comprises a set of matrices of a closely stacked discrete elements (i.e., pins) arranged to form a cavity in which a free-form object can be molded. By reconfiguring the pins, a single tool can be used in the place of multiple tools to produce different parts with the involvement of much lesser time and cost. The structural behavior of a reconfigurable mold tool under process conditions of thermoplastic molding is studied using a finite element method (FEM) based methodology. Various factors that would affect the tool behavior are identified and their effects are analyzed to optimally design a reconfigurable mold tool for a given set of process conditions. A prototype, open reconfigurable mold tool is developed to present the feasibility of the proposed tooling system. Several case studies and sample parts are also presented in this paper

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

Mass Production Processes

It is always hard to set manufacturing systems to produce large quantities of standardized parts. Controlling these mass production lines needs deep knowledge, hard experience, and the required related tools as well. The use of modern methods and techniques to produce a large quantity of products within productive manufacturing processes provides improvements in manufacturing costs and product quality. In order to serve these purposes, this book aims to reflect on the advanced manufacturing systems of different alloys in production with related components and automation technologies. Additionally, it focuses on mass production processes designed according to Industry 4.0 considering different kinds of quality and improvement works in mass production systems for high productive and sustainable manufacturing. This book may be interesting to researchers, industrial employees, or any other partners who work for better quality manufacturing at any stage of the mass production processes

From undesired flaws to esthetic assets: A digital framework enabling artistic explorations of erroneous geometric features of robotically formed molds

Until recently, digital fabrication research in architecture has aimed to eliminate manufacturing errors. However, a novel notion has just been established—intentional computational infidelity. Inspired by this notion, we set out to develop means than can transform the errors in fabrication from an undesired complication to a creative opportunity. We carried out design experiment-based investigations, which culminated in the construction of a framework enabling fundamental artistic explorations of erroneous geometric features of robotically formed molds. The framework consists of digital processes, assisting in the explorations of mold errors, and physical processes, enabling the inclusion of physical feedback in digital explorations. Other complementary elements embrace an implementation workflow, an enabling digital toolset and a visual script demonstrating how imprecise artistic explorations can be included within the computational environment. Our framework application suggests that the exploration of geometrical errors aids the emergence of unprecedented design features that would not have arisen if error elimination were the ultimate design goal. Our conclusion is that welcoming error into the design process can reinstate the role of art, craft, and material agency therein. This can guide the practice and research of architectural computing onto a new territory of esthetic and material innovation

Advances on Mechanics, Design Engineering and Manufacturing III

This open access book gathers contributions presented at the International Joint Conference on Mechanics, Design Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing (JCM 2020), held as a web conference on June 2–4, 2020. It reports on cutting-edge topics in product design and manufacturing, such as industrial methods for integrated product and process design; innovative design; and computer-aided design. Further topics covered include virtual simulation and reverse engineering; additive manufacturing; product manufacturing; engineering methods in medicine and education; representation techniques; and nautical, aeronautics and aerospace design and modeling. The book is organized into four main parts, reflecting the focus and primary themes of the conference. The contributions presented here not only provide researchers, engineers and experts in a range of industrial engineering subfields with extensive information to support their daily work; they are also intended to stimulate new research directions, advanced applications of the methods discussed and future interdisciplinary collaborations

Control of thermoforming process parameters to manufacture surfaces with pin-based tooling

Many manufacturing processes used to mass produce parts rely on expensive and time consuming tooling. These processes include sheet metal forming, injection molding, casting, and thermoforming. The time invested in design and development of tooling can be justified for high-production volumes. However, for low-volume production and customized products, the tooling investment cannot be amortized. Flexible tooling has been developed to address the needs of smaller production volumes. Reconfigurable pin tooling is an example of flexible tooling that relies on a matrix of adjustable-height pins to produce approximate surfaces. A key challenge in pin-based tooling is achieving accurate high quality surfaces due to the undulations caused by the pins in mimicking the desired shape. This research studies the effects of process parameters on surface quality. A testbed pin tool and thermoformer are fabricated to support this research. The pin tool comprises of a 10 by 10 matrix of square pins. Each pin measures 0.25 inch by 0.25 inch by 2.5 inches and is actuated manually using screws. Twenty-one exploratory and thirty-two shape specific experiments were conducted with 12 inch by 12 inch polystyrene sheets to check the feasibility of producing undulation-free surfaces. The parameters that influence the quality of the surfaces are heating time, sheet thickness, and sheet to fixture distance. Surface quality is measured by conformance with respect to the tool and the intensity of undulations. The surface-reproducibility and the measurement-repeatability errors were determined to be ±0.0045 mm and ±0.00027 mm respectively. The surface quality can be improved by reducing intensity of undulations by controlling the process parameters. The quality of thermoformed surfaces using the pin tool is a function of heating time and the intended shape

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

Advances on Mechanics, Design Engineering and Manufacturing III

This open access book gathers contributions presented at the International Joint Conference on Mechanics, Design Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing (JCM 2020), held as a web conference on June 2–4, 2020. It reports on cutting-edge topics in product design and manufacturing, such as industrial methods for integrated product and process design; innovative design; and computer-aided design. Further topics covered include virtual simulation and reverse engineering; additive manufacturing; product manufacturing; engineering methods in medicine and education; representation techniques; and nautical, aeronautics and aerospace design and modeling. The book is organized into four main parts, reflecting the focus and primary themes of the conference. The contributions presented here not only provide researchers, engineers and experts in a range of industrial engineering subfields with extensive information to support their daily work; they are also intended to stimulate new research directions, advanced applications of the methods discussed and future interdisciplinary collaborations