Process aware thickness analysis guides molding and milling design
Process-Aware Thickness Analysis in CAD Models using Hybrid Geometric Methods
Computational Engineering, Finance, and Science
Summary
Thickness is an important design feature for making sure parts can be manufactured well, but current computer tools don't consider the manufacturing process when checking thickness. The authors created a system that chooses different ways to analyze thickness depending on whether parts are made by molding or milling. For molding, it looks for thick areas and uneven walls, and divides the part into zones by thickness. For milling, it finds thin parts that might bend or break. This helps designers spot problems early and make parts easier to make.
What this means in practice
- •For manufacturing design engineers: Detect thickness-related manufacturing issues early in CAD models for molding and milling processes using process-specific geometric checks.
- •For tooling and mold makers: Identify wall thickness zones and thin features that affect tool wear and part quality before mold fabrication or milling setup.
Authors
Serafeim Baltadouros, Joost R. Duflou
Abstract
Thickness is a critical geometric attribute in Design for Manufacturability (DFM), yet its computational analysis in CAD environments remains largely process-agnostic. Existing approaches rely either on inscribed-sphere or ray-casting methods, each carrying limitations that make them poorly suited as universal solutions across manufacturing processes. This paper presents a process-aware thickness analysis system for parts intended for molding and milling, where the geometric method is selected and its outputs interpreted according to the DFM rules meaningful to each process. For molding, the sphere-based method detects maximum thickness violations and wall non-uniformity, and segments parts into distinct thickness zones. For milling, ray-casting identifies regions of insufficient thickness and detects thin features prone to deflection or failure. Validation on representative parts demonstrates that this hybrid approach surfaces process-specific manufacturability issues, offering designers actionable geometric feedback early in the design cycle.