Mold Vents

[dplachinski]

How does everyone handle mold gas escape vents?

I find that we spend a lot of time and create many features to model in mold gas escape vents especially on contoured parting lines.

We start by projecting a curve “X” distance away from the part edge on to the parting line surfaces. The “X” distance would be our land, say 0.050”. We then create many sweeps, variable section sweeps, and boundary blend surfaces wherever they work. The sweep will have a circle, say 0.196 diameter, as a section swept along the projected trajectory. Some sweeps will only go so far around the projected cure so you will have to make multiple sweeps, merge them all together, and make a solid cut with the surfaces (see attached image, vents are in red). The programmers will then use these cut to program the vents. Depending on the complexity of the parting line, this can take many hours and features. If we receive a new model to put into the mold split, we have to do the process all over again. Is there a better way?

Thanks,

Dan

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[SteveLucas]

Dan,

That vent looks pretty complicated. Are you using an analysis tool to determine where to vent the part? I don't believe I have ever cut a vent like that before. We try and keep them relatively simple, but have occasionally done 3d vents with ball mills but not too often.

[dplachinski]

Steve,

These are secondary or dump vents. We typically run them all around the part and then add the primary vents where needed. Most of our vents are a ball cutter a certain distance away from the part at a particular depth and then run out to the outside of the block. We use what is modeled in for programming and the customers request that they are modeled on the block.

[Inoram]

I do it with the runner tool.

[HugoBarosa]

I do it with runner tool too. But most of the time i only create a line and in the CNC machining they folow the line like a pah.