Design for Manufacturing Tutors
The injection molding tutor is divided into two distinct modules
an Introduction Module and an Experiential Module. In the former
module the user is introduced to the injection molding process
via a series of screens that contain both text and animations.
The emphasis in the introductory module is to make the user aware
of the relationship between part geometry and the ease or difficulty
of constructing the dies (tooling) required to produce the part.
The second module provides the user with the opportunity to determine
how well they have learned/absorbed the concepts presented in
the first module. In this module the user is allowed to design
and 'build' a part from a rather restricted family of part geometries.
If the user has understood the concepts presented in the first
module, they should be able to design easy to mold parts and/or
understand why the parts they have designed are difficult to mold.
In the second module the user is able to obtain advise concerning
their proposed design and to obtain an animated illustration of
the tooling required to produce the part via injection molding.
Like the Injection Molding Tutor (IMT), the Stamping Tutor (ST) is also divided into an Introduction Module and an Experiential Module. Once again the Introduction Module is used to acquaint the user with the stamping process and to make the user aware of how part geometry affects the ease or difficulty of creating the necessary tooling, while the Experiential Module is used to reinforce the concepts presented in the Introduction. Unlike the IMT in which the user is required to become familiar with the entire injection molding process before attempting to reinforce the concepts presented there, the Stamping Tutor is designed to permit interleaving between the Introduction and the Experiential modules. Thus, as each new concept is presented the user is able to strengthen it through a design application. Upon completion of the entire Introduction the user is provided the additional opportunity to synthesize all concepts by use of the Application module. While the Stamping Tutor is still underdevelopment, it is expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 1996.
This work is being supported the Engineering Academy of Southern New England and is being jointly developed by faculty and students in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering and the Department of Computer Science