2D patterns.
As it is not easy to find defects, check interference, modify correlated drawings, etc. in 2D patterns, the development of 3D software and PC technology, which describes parts in solid modeling, can dramatically help to resolve the above problems. This technique has gradually become a mainstream tool in the design industry. In recent years, more and more systems were developed on top of 3D software. An automated nesting and piloting system for progressive die according to minimum scrap strategy on 3D SolidWorks was developed by Ghatrehnaby and Arezoo
[16].
Roh and Lee proposed a hull structural modeling
system for ship design, built on top of C++ and 3D CAD software [17]. Chu et al. developed a computer-aided
parametric design system for 3D tire mold production by in CATIA [18]. Kong et al. developed a Windows native 3D plastic injection mold design system based on SolidWorks with Visual C++ [19]. Lin et al. in National Kaohsiung First University of Science and Technology developed structural design systems for 3D drawing dies based on functional features in Pro/E and CATIA software [20, 21]. Lin and Kuo also developed an integrated RE/RP/CAD/CAE/CAM
system for magnesium alloy shell of mobile phone in 3D software [22].
Compared with the much work done in the computer-aided process planning, less work in structure design has been done. Most of the work is concentrated in the computer-aided process planning [1–4, 7–13, 16–19]. Jia et al. presented a relationship model of structural relevance in progressive dies [23]. Wang et al. discussed association technology in assembly design for precision progressive die on AutoCAD [2]. Jiang et al. discussed the inserts design automation [15]. They proposed a representation scheme of inserts using an object-oriented, feature-based approach. Methods of standard part library construction and modeling methods of punches and dies were discussed in references on SolidWorks [24, 25]. Zhao et al. in HuaZhong University of Science and Technology discussed correlated design of standardized parts and components in CAD system for progressive die on AutoCAD [26].
For die structure design, the designer can treat each function feature as a design unit [15, 20]. According to the design norm and standard part library of our partner who is a progressive die company, this study describes a hole
design system based on function feature in SolidWorks software.
There are several commercial progressive die design systems available in the market, e.g., progressive die wizard on NX, progressive die expert on Pro/ENGINEER, LOGPRESS on SolidWorks, TopSolid/Progress, et al. These packages can fulfill the holes design in condition that the users set up their own part library and make some customization. As the die companies are mainly smalland medium-sized enterprises, discussion with the local tool and die industry indicates that those systems are too expensive and beyond what they could afford to invest in. In addition, the commercial packages for progressive die contain “generic” design rules provided by die design textbooks, course materials, component manufacturer’s
catalogues, etc., while each die company concentrates on several classes of dies and has its own company’s specific design rules, parameters, and tooling components. Hence,
the development of hole design system is necessary especially for the companies which have their own specific component library and in-house design rules. In order to make die design more flexible and efficient with higher quality, this paper proposes a computer-aided structural design system of holes on the plates of
progressive die based on functional feature according to a set of design rules of a local progressive die company. Taking advantage of well-organized die design knowledge base, standard parts database, hole feature library database, and an integrated 3D CAD environment, our system is able 2 Int J Adv Manuf Technol (2010) 49:1–12
to output hole structure correlated design for the main plates of a progressive die, such as upper die shoe, lower die shoe, punch holding plate, punch backing plate, die holding plate, and so on. Upon user’s input of strip layout, selection of die set, and design information of correlating parts, the parts are inserted into the die assemble, and correlated holes on the plates are constructed automatically. A system has been implemented which is interfaced with a parametric and feature-based CAD system, SolidWorks through C++. An example is provided to demonstrate our approach and to show its effectiveness in progressive die design.
The rest of the paper is organized as follows: Section 2 describes the design procedure for progressive die, hole classification, and the descriptive model for design of hole on plates for progressive dies. Section 3 explains the