GEOMETRIC ASPECTS OF THE MOULDABILITY OF PARTS

The mouldability of an injection moulded or die-cast component depends on various factors. In particular, the shape of the part determines t he existence of undercuts in the mould parting direction. Based on the concept of blockage in a given direction, a subdivision technique is developed to evaluate the geometry of an undercut. With the notion of internal and external undercut, the mouldability of a component is stu died. External undercuts can be resolved with side cores while interna l undercuts can be resolved by the use of split cores. However, the us e of split cores requires considerations as to whether sufficient spac e is available for their movement. A local and a global blockage test are introduced to detect any interference between the moulded componen t and a side core or a split core. A search strategy is also developed for selecting a suitable combination of main parting, side core and s plit core directions. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.