Creating an Insert Manager

You can create an InsertManager feature to generate the volume inserts for the core and the cavity of the mold, with a better construction parametrization.

Insert Manager

  • Creates core and cavity inserts as volumes, from a sketch profile.
  • Supports sketch inside and outside the core or cavity side.
  • Applies a draft angle to the interlock surfaces when the sketch is outside the core or cavity side.
  • Manages the size of the inserts.

  1. From the Molded Part section in the action bar, click Insert Manager .
  2. Select the compulsory inputs.
    1. Select the pulling direction.

      If only one exists, it is automatically selected.

    2. Select the cavity side and the core side surfaces.

      Insert Manager automatically selects cavity and core side surfaces created with the selected pulling direction.

    3. Select the sketch.
  3. Optional: Manage the parting plane.

    By default, Insert Manager builds core and cavity inserts with a parting plane that corresponds to the minimum of the core and cavity surfaces.

    1. Select a parting plane.


    2. Or change the parting plane computation to correspond to the maximum of the core and the cavity surfaces.
    3. Enter an offset for the parting plane.
  4. Optional: Manage the size and options.

    By default, Manage size by offset from Core and Cavity is activated. The core and cavity inserts are build with an offset of 10mm from the top and the bottom of the plastic part. The cavity and core block size are deduced from these offsets.

    • Top offset is the offset between the maximum of the side surfaces and the top of the cavity insert.
    • Bottom offset is the offset between the minimum of the side surfaces and the bottom of the core insert.
    These offsets verify that there is enough metal to produce the inserts.

  5. Alternatively, select Manage size of blocks to build the inserts, and edit the Cavity block size and the Core block size values.

    This option specifies the size of the metal blocks used to machine the inserts.

  6. Optional: Enter a draft angle for interlock surfaces.

    An interlock surface exists only for padding volumes, if the sketch profile is outside the side surfaces.



    The draft orientation respects the unmolding of the part.

  7. Select the Draft Mode
    • Default: The neutral face is the parting plane.
    • Reversed: The neutral faces are the parting surface faces.

Two types of features are created under the Inserts node:

  • InsertManager that is a manager with its own update, dedicated to create and update core and cavity inserts, depending on the inputs (Pulling direction, core and cavity side surfaces, and possibly a parting plane).
    Note: Parameters are stored under InsertManager
    • CavityBlockSize
    • CoreBlockSize
    • TopOffset
    • BottomOffset
    • PartingPlaneOffset
    • InterlockSurfaceDraftAngle
  • Insert features: InsertCavity and InsertCore. Both are typed volumes.

Below are some examples:

  • Interlock surface, no draft.

  • Interlock Surface with default draft. The edge at the top of the draft is inside the parting surface.

  • Interlock surface with reversed draft. The edge at the top of the draft is the same as the edge of the parting surface.

Note: Topology can change between two constructions modes. For example, If the sketch profile is outside the side surfaces

  • When the sketch is modified but stays outside, the building strategy remains the same, the topology follows.

  • When the sketch is modified and goes inside the surface, the building strategy changes, the topology does not always follow.