The benefits of dedicated system for mould development

When it comes to useful tools that can enhance teamwork efficiency, we usually think of the Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) systems.

- Venny Yang and Wenny Tsai

However, for the plastic part and mould designers, general-purpose PLM systems might not be satisfactory enough. The reason is that they cannot fully cooperate with the time-demanding yet complicated plastics mould development process, and it is usually too costly for small and medium-sized enterprises to adopt.

Plastics mould making has its unique design and manufacturing process. Frequent design changes and short delivery time make the situation even more challenging. Also, due to the high entry barriers of this industry, knowledge and skill gaps tend to occur. Under these circumstances, the preservation and inheritance of design experiences are extremely critical for enterprises today.

PLM focuses on managing the overall product lifecycle. It does not provide comprehensive features to bring design and engineering data together. The industry needs a platform to help acquire design and moulding knowledge, and organise them in readable, searchable, and visualisable formats for future utilisation. However, useful tools for tracing the design-optimisation process, instant sharing and visualisation of simulation results, comparing mould tryout and quality inspection data are missing in most PLM systems.