MOULDS & DIES

As a traditional target for CNC machining and CAD/CAM applications, the Mould and Die industry has been steeped in computer-assisted manufacturing technology for many years.

The use of multi-axis machining techniques to reduce cutter lengths, access undercut surfaces and achieve faster cycle times is in common practise, but there is also a role for Adaptive Machining technology in these applications.

The technology may be applied to the repair of larger or more expensive mould and press tools where certain areas of the tool may have become worn, or the subject of a design modification.

The area to be replaced or repaired can be guaranteed to blend perfectly with the surrounding material by taking data directly from the existing mould and making sure the new geometry is “adapted” to fit. So if a localised electrode has to be sunk into a cavity, or a local region of a core has to be welded and re-machined, TTL’s Adaptive Machining can help to achieve a smooth, seamless blend.

In addition, where there is a need to “re-manufacture” tools (for example as result of a design iteration), Adaptive Machining can be used to reverse engineer an existing old die to help make decisions about the amount of material that needs to be removed in order to clean up the old surfaces.