ABSTRACT
Traditionally, computer-aided injection mold design is done directly on a CAD system. Some plug-ins applications were then developed to automate certain portion of the design process. They allow engineers to pick and choose from the best add-on applications available. In this chapter, a knowledge-based mold deign prototype, stand-alone mold design software based on both commercial CAD systems as well as a low-level 3D solid kernel Parasolid will be discussed respectively. The knowledge-based mold design is an early attempt in automating the mold design process but was not fully commercialized due to its programming complexity and limitations in modeling capability. In comparison with UNIX/Linux-based platforms, a Windows-native design environment built with the advantages of user-friendly assembly capabilities, ease-of-use, rapid learning curve, and affordability will be detailed in this chapter.
