CAD-based cost calculation of mould cavities.

This article introduces a method for generating and analyzing CAD models of mould cavities to compute the tool accessibility. Using information about the surface curvature, a determination of working areas for different milling head geometries becomes possible. Relating groups of surfaces with milling heads and specific cutting data allows calculating the manufacturing time of roughing and finishing operations, including the tool change time. Determining the working areas, inaccessible for milling heads, enables to estimate the volume of material that needs to be eroded. A CAD-based application of the calculation tool ‘Visual Form Calculator’ (VFC), developed at IFW, is presented. Using the VFC, companies of the tool and form making industry are able to generate a virtual model of the contour element in order to analyze the accessibility of the working areas of the cavity and calculate manufacturing costs.