Overmold model type??

[JoshH]

Hi there folks,

I'm looking for pros and cons for different injection molding techniques.

I'm interested in comments about robustness of methods in CAD and in PLM, overall efficiency, ease of use, etc., etc.

I'll start off with a couple of options below. Please feel free to ask questions back or copy the below list and add your own comments.

1. Assembly:

a) creates two components so that a drawing can be made for each process (helpful if more than one manufacturer)

2.Inheritance part:

a) components become inseparable and one requires the other to be manufactured

b) creates two components so that a drawing can be made for each process (helpful if more than one manufacturer)

3.Single part:

a) Possibly challenging for multiple manufacturers

Thanks a bunch!

Josh

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[Radheesh]

Hi,

Are you looking for the pros and cons of the real part which was/is over molded?

or

Pros and cons of the 3D models in CAD environment?

Radheesh

[BrianMartin]

Hi Joshua...

As with most things in Pro/E, the answer really depends on what you're trying to accomplish and what deliverables you need. The least complex way would be to create an assembly. If you have multiple overmolds, you can create nested parts that appear to build on top of each other. This isn't very parametric. You could leverage assembly features (like "cut outs") but I'd advise against that.

Inheritance parts would be a nice way to go... but the downside is that many people have NO idea what these are. If you're concerned with model reuse, this might not be a way to go.

I'd definitely advise against modeling everything in a single part. You'd have more trouble documenting your process this way.

Some other options would be to utilize an assembly (like option #1) but document different steps of the assembly process using Pro/PROCESS. You could also use simplified reps to show the assembly being build up in stages with various overmolds.

There are many ways to go with this. You have to decide how complex you want to get. Sometimes you can over complicate the process of making a simple part by "out smarting yourself". Pick the simplest method to get the geometry and deliverables you need. You can always ramp up the complexity if you feel there's merit.

Take care...

-Brian