3D Tool Design & Molding

Design with Decatur

With Decatur Mold Tool & Engineering, Inc., you get mold and tool design services that bring a product to life. Our 3D design specialists use the latest technology, such as our new ATOS 5 with the ATOS Scan Box 6 with high-speed scanner, to create the molds you require.

We use CAD design services and optical coordinate measuring to provide the ideal tool design capability needed by your company. Once the piece you have in mind has been designed, our injection molding services keep the process moving forward by generating a precise mold. Our team can help ensure the volume and timeline of your production run meet your obligations to your customers.

Your satisfaction is vital to us, and it is why our molding design team meets your needs for superior designs with exceptional customer service. We use Siemens NX, PTC CREO, Solidworks, Catia v5, and Ideas files to generate detailed CAD drawings of your part with essential pieces of information.

CAD Services

Design is at the heart of all products, and it is a complex process with many factors to consider. First, we look at mold requirements, such as the product’s use, load, and whether it fits another piece. The part’s creation itself also plays a role in design. How material enters, fills, and cools in the cavity sets some parameters.

We use advanced 3D CAD design to create functional, virtual prototypes of objects. This software allows us to create and modify a model in real-time. This allows us to keep costs down when changes are required for the mold by saving on time and materials by perfecting the mold before production begins.

Injection Mold Tool Design Basics

Injection molding tools consider factors such as resin viscosity, material shrinkage, gate location, or specialty release mechanisms. Major considerations include:

Gate – The gate’s type, size, and location in a mold impact resin distribution, cycle time, and shrinkage.

The number of cavities - Depending on the expected production run, mold tool design specialists make molds with as many cavities as is safe and effective to improve production.

Draft - Included in a design for easy release of the part from the mold, the degree of the draft varies by part, surface finish, and other factors.

Tool material - Injection molding tools are generally machined from hardened or pre-hardened metals or alloys. The material chosen depends on cost and expected production volume. Steel tools are more costly but more durable; aluminum ones are less expensive but do not last as long.