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In many cases the inception of a new product idea begins with identifying the need for a product device or process that makes certain tasks easier. Some products are clearly more necessary than others for example, the scraper used to de-ice a car windshield is a very useful product, during the winter months and in parts of the world that experience freezing conditions. The point is that even great products can have only limited market potential. Before considering the development of a product for commercialization, the technology should be evaluated for its feasibility.



CadModels.Biz

Cadmodels.biz offers a variety of services in the field of product development. Our services range from initial design, clean up and repair of existing data files and 2d to 3d conversion to prototype fabrication, preparing patent literature and performing the manufacturing processes necessary to bring your product to market. We can take your idea from concept art to finished production engineering, providing 3D CAD services for complete product engineering and design for the consumer product market. Have your concept designed, built, tested and manufactured through Cadmodels.biz.



Software used in Engineering

As with all modern scientific and technological endeavors, computers, software and internet tools play an increasingly important role. As well as the typical business application software there are a number of computer aided applications specifically for engineering. Computers can be used to generate models of fundamental physical processes, which can be solved using numerical methods.

2D versus 3D CAD

Great products don't happen purely by accident. There is a process by which products are developed that channels creativity with disciplined logical processes. There are clear phases during which a shifting mindset is applied that comprise a continuum that begins with dominant right-brain thinking and culminates in dominant left-brain thinking. Over this continuum ideas freely flow and expand at the initiation phase whereas technical factors and focus on detail are applied to complete precise specificity of product form for the conclusion of the program.

Ideation, commonly associated with the term "brainstorming" is the beginning phase of the product development process. The scope of ideation is related to some specified objective to develop a product that will serve some desired end use. That specified objective can be parameterized by numerous factors that characterize the overall goal. The goal can be driven by market opportunities relating to functionality, cost, size, appearance, features, or on some unique invention embodiments. The goal can be to discover some unique invention embodiment to meet a particular market or research goal. Regardless of the goal, the development process must progress though this continuum of phases to become viable. Ideation is a light hearted process wherein the mind is given liberty to freely express ideas that in turn stimulate other ideas that flow in a synergistic manner to surround the development goal.

In the modern world of product development, 3D CAD (computer-aided-design) and CAE (computer-aided-engineering) are the principle tools for developing products for manufacturing. http://www.cadmodels.biz/creativity_in_product_development.html

Summary

Since the 1940's, demand for high-volume, low-cost manufacturing has increased dramatically. One of the best ways to produce many parts that are dimensionally the same is through plastic injection-molding. And as advances in materials and mold making technology continue, injection molding will increasingly become the manufacturing choice. This article will discuss the application of injection molding for prototype validation and manufacturing.

SLS, or "Selective Laser Sintering," is one of many additive fabrication techniques used in rapid prototyping today. SLS shows a lot of promise as it provides us with an opportunity to, not only, exceed in rapid prototyping, but also make advances in technology toward rapid manufacturing. The process uses a laser to fuse small particles into parts ideal for functional applications directly from 3D CAD data. The parts are created layer by layer using a wide scope of nylon, metal, and polymer powders. SLS shares many similarities with other additive technologies such as SLA, FDM and DMLS. The machine first reads the provided 3D CAD and then scans each cross-section before creating the first layer. After the first layer has been created, the tray, on which the parts are sintered, is lowered by one layer. The next layer of material is then added and the process is repeated layer by layer until the part is created.

FDM (Short for "Fused Deposition Modeling") is an additive fabrication process which creates very strong parts from 3D Cad data. The materials used in FDM include ABS plastic, Polycarbonate (PC), Polyphenylsulfone (PPSU) and Wax. FDM machines function very similarly to a glue gun in the sense that a nozzle is heated which ejects a stream of molten material. After heated to a semi-liquid state, this material is extruded from the nozzle to form layers. The layer is traced out then filled in with the material in both horizontal and vertical directions. The nozzle is both temperature-controlled and can turn on and off the flow. The material can either go in one end as small beads of thermoplastic material or thermoplastic material which is unwound from a coil. The material hardens immediately after the extrusion allowing a flow of material to gradually form layer after layer. The only downside of FDM is that it produces very grainy parts. The real advantage of this process is that these parts are very tough.

Three dimensional (3D) CAD (computer-aided-design) models have enabled major productivity gains in product design and engineering. Prior to the advent of economical desktop computers skilled draftsmen spent hours laboring with graphite lead pencils on velum and Mylar to achieve engineering quality documentation for fabrication and production manufacturing. The process required tedious checking to eliminate errors wherein modification required erasures and redrawing over and over on the same sheet. Large projects had many drawing documents linked to one another that required procedural revisions and archiving.

Two dimensional (2D) CAD (computer-aided-design) was a great step forward in moving from the drafting table to the desktop computer. The graphical display capabilities of the desktop computer enabled a user to graphically draft using mouse, keyboard strokes, text line commands, and tablet with stylus. Each CAD system had its own (UI) User Interface. While manual drafting may have actually been faster in the early years, two dimensional (2D) CAD (computer-aided-design) technologies allowed endless changes to be made with sharp clean printed copies printed without limitation. It was easy to export the CAD drawings in PDF format for viewing and printing on any non-licensed computer.

CAD data exchange remains a challenge for designers and engineers during the product development stage and in the data turnover to manufacturing. Among the many 3D CAD systems there is limited data transfer capabilities that retain native feature functionalities. Accordingly CAD data is routinely transferred between CAD platforms using IGES (Initial Graphics Exchange Specification) and STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product model data) formats. While these exchange tools provide for generally good data transfer they do not transfer feature creation data and are thus inflexible for modification. While CAD publishers recognize this as a problem and have tried to address it; to date there has been poor result in translating anything but primitive geometric forms which are comprised of planar, cylindrical, revolved, and spherical surfaces. Parts that require splined curves and surfaces remain problematic to transfer from one CAD platform to another. The reason for this is that primitives are defined mathematical different from those of complex surfaces. While primitive geometries consisting of planar, cylindrical, ruled, spherical, and revolved surfaces and can be defined by unlimited discrete mathematical coordinates, those that are defined using spline surfaces require polynomial equations with interpolation to transition between defined curvature patches within the surface curvature network. The interpolation aspect of surface data translation is the basis of the popular commentary on IGES translation which is that IGES is an acronym for "I guess." http://www.cadmodels.biz/import_3d_cad_data_exchange_and_data_repair.html

Injection molding of plastics is one of the most cost effective processes for manufacture of parts in volume. While mold costs can be significant, amortization over many parts can make the overall cost of injection molding highly competitive with other manufacturing processes. The wide range of available polymers multiplied by the huge array of specific blends offer a tremendous range of physical, thermal, electrical, and chemical properties. Engineering plastics, classified by mechanical properties such as stiffness, toughness, and low creep, increasingly replace metals on a cost and performance evaluation.

Designing for injection molded plastics requires planning. Too often parts will be presented to a molder or tool designer late in the product development process only to be confronted with feasibility issues. If that happens the developer faces decisions to rework part designs or to face higher tooling and part costs. Leaving design for manufacturing and assembly (DMFA) considerations until late in the development program is a common mistake the misses out on optimization and disrupts the transition to manufacturing.

Planning begins in preliminary design. Some will argue that consideration for manufacturing early in the program will inhibit creativity; the reality is that it does not if perspectives are kept in balance. In fact design committee often err in committing to a design that later reveals feasibility and cost issues. While designers and engineers need to be free to brainstorm potential solutions, taking time to evaluate for manufacturing options is vital to assume a successful program. http://www.cadmodels.biz/3d_cad_design_for_injection_molded_plastics.html