About Components with a Type

Overview

A Component contributes to the design of the physical Tool and is enriched with tooling behaviors.

A Component:

Has a functional type corresponding to its function in the Tool.
Contains a main geometry that represents the Component itself and can be more or less detailed.
Is endowed with the Hook that provides the information about 3D location and mechanical connections to insert the Component in a Tool.
May contain Component Specifications that provide predefined 3D locations for adding other Components in the context of the Tool.
May contain the specifications of how it impacts the Tool, after it has been added:
- Description of the required space
- Manufacturing instructions for the creation of this space: Assembly Feature, Drill Hole, and so on.
May contain some standard tooling parameters.
Is endowed with a PLM attribute that determines if it can be duplicated at instantiation.

Two Components are equivalent if:

They have the same type.
They have the same tooling publications (Hook, Component Specification, impact specifications, tooling parameters), even if the geometries corresponding to the tooling publications are very different.

A Component can be a 3D part or an assembly.

A Component is defined with the following behaviors:

Type (mandatory)
One and only one Hook (mandatory)
Component Specifications (optional, to hook other components or Mobile Units to it)
Parameters (optional)
Assembly Features (optional).

Except for the type, all the behaviors are defined by the publications of the Component in Define Component.

Functional Types and Functional Families

If required, you can apply a functional type to the top product reference. This functional type characterizes basic Components such as Cap Screw, Bushing, Ejector...

You can select an individual functional type, for example Cap Screw, or a functional type family, for example Fixing Component.

A Structured Component (that is, including sub-components) can be defined as a User Component or as any of the available functional types.

An icon associated to each functional type can be visualized in the tree.

The functional types can be used in advanced searches.

Functional families are used in the following commands:

Define Component
Define Anchors.

The available functional types and families are listed below, with their name, icon, and functional name. Whenever you have to use the functional name (for example in Search), this functional name must be written as listed below. This functional name is used in the whole guide.

Tooling Component

Bearing Component

Cooling Component


	Baffle
	Baffle Board
	Clip Ring
	Connector Plug
	Connector Plug Clamp
	O Ring
	Plug Baffle
	Spiral Baffle
	Washer

Cotter Component
Cutting Tool Component

Ejection Component


	Ejection Unit
	Knock Out
	Return Pin
	Stop Pin

Fixing Component


	Cap Screw
	CirClip
	Countersunk Screw
	Dowel Pin
	Locking Screw
	Nut Bolt
	Spring Screw
	Stud
	Washer Screw

Folding Tool Component

Form Ejection Component


	Core Pin (impactable)
	Ejector (impactable)
	Ejector Pin (impactable)
	Ejector Sleeve (impactable)
	Flat Ejector (impactable)
	Sprue Puller (impactable)

Gear Component

Guiding Component


	Bushing
	Leader Pin
	Sleeve
	Sphere Bushing

Injection Component


	Runner Component
	Heating Component
	Hot Runner Block (impactable)
	Locating Ring (impactable)
	PinPoint Gate Bushing
	Sprue Bushing (impactable)

Misc. Component


	Block (impactable)
	Date Stamp
	Eye Bolt
	Mold Opening Controller
	Protection
	Slotted Key
	Spring
	Support Pillar
	Switch
	User Component
	Wear Plate

Seal Component

Undercut Component


	Angle Pin (impactable)
	Angular Cam
	Guide Rail
	Inclined Pin (impactable)
	Locking Block
	Retainer (impactable)
	Slide Guide (impactable)
	Straight Pin (impactable)

Structured Component


	Insert (impactable)
	Cavity Insert (impactable)
	Core Insert (impactable)
	Cast (impactable)
	Cavity Plate (impactable)
	Cavity Support Plate (impactable)
	Clamping Plate (impactable)
	Core Plate (impactable)
	Core Support Plate (impactable)
	Ejector Plate A (impactable)
	Ejector Plate B (impactable)
	Riser Bar (impactable)
	Setting Plate (impactable)
	Stop Plate (impactable)
	Stripper Plate (impactable)
	Upper Bar (impactable)
	User Plate (impactable)

Unit Component


	Cavity Layout
	Cavity Print
	Core Layout
	Core Print
	Ejector Layout
	Ejector Print
	Runner Layout
	Runner Print

Electrode Component


	Electrode Core (impactable)
	Electrode (impactable)
	Holder (impactable)
	Holder Block (impactable)
	Holder Plate (impactable)

Gate Component


	Gate (impactable)
	Tunnel Gate (impactable)

Adaptive System


	Interlock (impactable)
	Lifter (impactable)
	Slider (impactable)
	Mechanism (impactable)

Tooling Mobile Unit


	Ejection Side
	Ejector System
	Injection Side
	Lower Die
	Upper Die
	Misc. Mobile Unit
	Runner System
	Cooling System

Tooling Tool
- Mold Base
Tooling Part
- Molded Part
Tooling Flow
- Cooling Part
- Runner Part

Note:

Supplier Components are available in Smart Mechanical Components for some of these types.
One sample Component is available in Smart Mechanical Components for some other types, whereas no sample is provided for more specialized ones.
The definition icon for the functional type User Component and the customized component is different because the properties are not the same.

Hook

When you design a Structured Component, Tool templates or Tools, you often insert Components or Mobile Units. The insertion of such a Component is based on the Hook-Component Specifications relationship.

When you insert them in a Tool, the Hook of the Component or of the Mobile Unit is mapped relatively to the Tool Component Specification. Those two are automatically fixed in the chosen relative position by a mechanical connection:

In the case of a Component, it is always rigid.
In the case of a Mobile Unit, it is prismatic or rigid.

Hook

The Hook of a Component is the reference axis system used to position the Component at instantiation time.

A Hook is composed of 5 publications of the axis system:

The axis system
Its origin
Its 3 axes.

These publications are enhanced with Tooling intelligence to create automatically the appropriate engineering connections when you instantiate the component.

The following rules apply:

The Z direction of the Hook corresponds to the Component axial direction.
The Z orientation of the Hook defines the impact distribution in the Tool, when required.
The position of the Component relatively to the Tool (intrusive or not) is defined by the receiving Component Specification and relies on the Hook Z orientation.
An axis system cannot be both a Hook and a Component Specification.

Naming of Assembly Features

Assembly Features names follow some rules.

When Components are replaced, the contextual links are automatically rerouted if they are based on a publication using the same name in the replacing component and in the replaced component.

By default, the name of Assembly Features is AssemblyFeature.i.

However, you can choose the name of the Assembly Features publications that are created, resulting in more meaningful names and easier reroute of links. You can also edit names of existing Assembly Features.

Note: If the names of the publications or their number in a replacing product are different from the replaced product, the edit links panel is launched. The edit links panel allows reconnecting/isolating links.

Tooling Standard Parameters

For an easy insertion of Components, it is useful to have conventions linking parameter names and Hook directions.

The letter L is dedicated to dimensions measured along the X axis of a Hook (seen as horizontal in the front view).
The letter W is dedicated to dimensions measured along the Y axis of a Hook (not seen in the front view).
The letter H is dedicated to dimensions measured along the Z axis of a Hook (seen as vertical in the front view).
Note: For an easy replacement of a Component by another one of the same type, publish the main parameters with a logical name. If required, a Component can also have a parameter corresponding to the same dimension named as in the supplier catalog. It is sufficient to specify the parameter representing the logical name as equal to the parameter representing the physical name.

The logical name of the parameter also allows a convenient association between corresponding parameters defining different components, for example the height of the guide rails of a Retainer and the corresponding part of a Slider.

Tool

Tool parameters comply with some rules.

The Tool is defined by the user with an axis system.

The Tool driving parameters follow the naming conventions:

L: Dimensions corresponding to X direction of the Tool axis system
W: Dimensions corresponding to Y direction of the Tool axis system
H: Dimensions corresponding to Z direction of the Tool axis system, which is also the direction of the main motions of the Tool.

Structured Component

Structured Component parameters comply with some rules.

L: Dimensions corresponding to X direction of Hook
W: Dimensions corresponding to Y direction of Hook
H: Dimensions corresponding to Z direction of Hook.

This applies to all Structured Components.

Unit Component

An Unit Component has the following parameters:

Cavity Print, Core Print, Ejector Print

LBox, WBox, HBox: Main dimensions.
ZBox: Defines the Z position of the Component Specification that receives the Cavity Print, Core Print, or Ejector Print in the Multiple Layout Insert. For an Insert Unit, this Component Specification is defined by the Skeleton of the Multiple Layout Insert, for the Multiple Layout Insert, the Component Specification is defined by the Skeleton of the Tool.

Guiding Component

Guiding Component parameters comply with some rules.

The Leader Pin has the following parameters:

D: Tip diameter
L: Tip length
ThD: Diameter of the thick part of the Leader Pin
ThL: Length of the thick part of the Leader Pin.

The Bushing has the following parameters:

L: Overall length of the Bushing
InD: Inner diameter of the Bushing.

The Sleeve has the following parameters:

L: Overall length of the Sleeve
InD: Inner diameter of the Sleeve.

Fixing Component

Fixing Component parameters comply with some rules.

The Dowel Pin has the following parameters:

D: Overall diameter
L: Overall length.

The Cap Screw has the following parameters:

D: Diameter of the threaded part
L: Length of the threaded part.

The Countersunk Screw has the following parameters:

D: Tip diameter
L: Overall length.

The Locking Screw has the following parameters:

D: Tip diameter
L: Overall length.

Form Ejection Component

Form Ejection Component parameters comply with some rules.

The Ejector has the following parameters:

D: Tip diameter
L: Overall length of the Ejector.

The Ejector Pin has the following parameters:

D: Tip diameter
ThL: Length of the thick part of the Ejector Pin
L: Overall length.

The Flat Ejector has the following parameters:

H: Width of flat area
G: Length of flat area
L: Overall length.

The Ejector Sleeve has the following parameters:

InD: Inner diameter
L: Overall length.

The Core Pin has the following parameters:

D: Tip diameter
L: Overall length.

The Sprue Puller has the following parameters:

RunD: Runner diameter
L: Overall length.

Note:

When a Form Ejection Component is cut by the parting surface and impacts the plates:

From the parting surface, the Form Ejection Component is guided by a hole with a length (Offset Parting) defined by the user.
When the cut part of the Form Ejection Component is not a plane perpendicular to the axis of the component, an anti-rotation mechanism must be generated to avoid defect on the molded part.

When populating an Form Ejection Component Reservation with Form Ejection Components and asking the instantiated Form Ejection Components to be cut by the parting surface and to impact the plates, Component Placement automatically creates this guiding hole and this anti-rotation mechanism.

The Offset Parting can be modified during the placement or the cut.