Akira Suzuki

A new method of determining the parting surfaces of injection molds.

Currently, when a designer thinks about the shape of an object to be manufactured by injection molding, he must consider the location of the objects parting lines. We have developed a technique which frees the designer of the need to consider parting lines, and thus design more aesthetically pleasing objects. After the object has been designed, the mold designer determines the points on the surface of the object at which normal vectors are perpendicular to the direction of movement of the mold. The parting line is then determined by interpolating these points. This technique allows parting surfaces to be finished with a clearance of less than 0.02 mm. The technique was developed after a thorough analysis of the relation between the ball endmill and the parting surfaces, the results of which suggest that current thinking in this area is only partially correct.