Starting New in the Mold Design Field

The only prerequisite for the beginner is some knowledge of mechanical drawing delineation, whether it is done electronically on a computer (with programs like AutoCad) or on the drawing board with pencil. Of course, the designer must also be familiar with some areas of basic arithmetic and trigonometry; both are required to put dimensions on the mold parts so they can be machined. Some of the advantages of electronic drafting are the following: (1) Designs of entire, or portions, of earlier built molds can be easily used again by simply copying or modifying some existing design features from the program's memory, without the need for tedious redrawing. (2) An up-to-date library of standard mold components and hardware can be established, which can be easily and quickly accessed and reproduced in new designs without the need for redrawing them every time they are needed. (3) The quality of the drawings produced by a computer printout does not depend on the skilled hand of the designer. (4) The computer permits easy transmission of designs to other locations, such as in-house manufacturing centers or manufacturers at other addresses.