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Software 26 MoldMaking Technology January 2015 Unique Tool & Gauge machines molds like this for virtually all the major automotive OEMs. Serving such a diverse customer base is a hedge against tough times, but complying with differing design standards was far more diffcult prior to implementing an automated design process. By Matthew Danford U nique Tool & Gauge is well-prepared for whatever the future may bring. So says Darcy King, president and CEO of the automotive toolmaker. Perhaps the most significant reason for that, he explains, is the breadth of the company's customer base. Honda, Acura, Tesla, Toyota, GM, Nissan, Ford, Chrysler, BMW, Mercedes, Hyundai, Kia—all regularly source tooling manufac- tured at Unique's 60,000-square- foot facility in Windsor, Ontario. This diversity was a major hedge against the 2008 recession, and King says he has no reason to believe it won't provide a similar cushion if history repeats itself anytime soon. That said, serving such a wide range of OEMs comes with its own set of challenges. Historically, one of the most significant has been the need to comply with complex mold design standards that vary with each and every customer. As a result, designers often spent hours poring over these standards and arranging components (screws, support pillars, manifolds and so forth) into the mold base accord- ingly. This painstaking task usu- ally wasn't difficult for the com- pany's skilled personnel, but it did take time. The longer the design phase, the longer the delay before actual production could begin. Persistence and the right technology enabled this automotive toolmaker to give programmers a head start on new projects and dramatically reduce calculation times. The Will and the Way to Automate Mold Design Such tedium is now a thing of the past, King reports. Rather than starting from scratch, designers begin with virtually everything in place except for the cores, cavities and complex moving components that are directly involved in shaping the plastic. In essence, Unique Tool & Gauge has automated its design process. As a result, overall engineering time has been Image courtesy of Unique Tool & Gauge.