ORIGINALARTICLEMODULARDESIGNAPPLIEDTOBEVERAGECONTAINERINJECTIONMOLDSMINGSHYANHUANGMINGKAIHSURECEIVED16MARCH2010/ACCEPTED15JUNE2010/PUBLISHEDONLINE25JUNE2010SPRINGERVERLAGLONDONLIMITED2010ABSTRACTTHISWORKAPPLIESMODULARDESIGNCONCEPTSTODESIGNATINGBEVERAGECONTAINERINJECTIONMOLDSTHISSTUDYAIMSTODEVELOPAMETHODOFCONTROLLINGCOSTSANDTIMEINRELATIONTOMOLDDEVELOPMENT,ANDALSOTOIMPROVEPRODUCTDESIGNTHISINVESTIGATIONCOMPRISESTWOPARTSFUNCTIONALITYCODING,ANDESTABLISHINGASTANDARDOPERATIONPROCEDURE,SPECIFICALLYDESIGNEDFORBEVERAGECONTAINERINJECTIONMOLDDESIGNANDMANUFACTURINGFIRST,THEINJECTIONMOLDISDIVIDEDINTOSEVERALMODULES,EACHWITHASPECIFICFUNCTIONEACHMODULEISFURTHERDIVIDEDINTOSEVERALSTRUCTURALUNITSPOSSESSINGSUBFUNCTIONORSUBSUBFUNCTIONNEXT,DIMENSIONSANDSPECIFICATIONSOFEACHUNITARESTANDARDIZEDANDACOMPATIBLEINTERFACEISCONSTRUCTEDLINKINGRELEVANTUNITSTHISWORKEMPLOYSACUPSHAPEDBEVERAGECONTAINERTOEXPERIMENTALLYASSESSTHEPERFORMANCEOFTHEMODULARDESIGNAPPROACHTHEEXPERIMENTALRESULTSINDICATETHATTHEMODULARDESIGNAPPROACHTOMANUFACTURINGINJECTIONMOLDSSHORTENSDEVELOPMENTTIMEBY36ANDREDUCESCOSTSBY1923COMPAREDWITHTHECONVENTIONALAPPROACHMEANWHILE,THEINFORMATIONONMODULARITYHELPSDESIGNERSINDIVERSEPRODUCTSDESIGNADDITIONALLY,THEFUNCTIONALITYCODEHELPSEFFECTIVELYMANAGEANDMAINTAINPRODUCTSANDMOLDSKEYWORDSBEVERAGECONTAINERINJECTIONMOLDMODULARDESIGNPRODUCTFAMILY1INTRODUCTIONRECENTLY,GROWINGMARKETCOMPETITIONANDINCREASINGLYDIVERSECUSTOMERDEMANDHASFORCEDCOMPETITORSTOINCREASETHESPEEDATWHICHTHEYDELIVERNEWPRODUCTSTOTHEMARKETHOWEVER,DEVELOPINGAMOLDFORMASSPRODUCTIONREQUIRESCONSIDERINGNUMEROUSFACTORS,INCLUDINGPRODUCTGEOMETRY,DIMENSIONS,ANDACCURACY,LEADINGTOLONGPRODUCTDEVELOPMENTTIMEINTRODUCINGMODULARDESIGNCONCEPTSINTOPRODUCTDESIGNAPPEARSAKEYMEANOFFACILITATINGPRODUCTDEVELOPMENT,SINCEITINCREASESDESIGNFLEXIBILITYANDSHORTENSDELIVERYTIME14MEANWHILE,AHIGHLEVELOFPRODUCTMODULARITYENHANCESPRODUCTINNOVATIVENESS,FLEXIBILITY,ANDCUSTOMERSERVICES5MODULARITYISTOSUBDIVIDEACOMPLEXPRODUCTINTOMODULESTHATCANBEINDEPENDENTLYCREATEDANDTHENAREEASILYUSEDINTERCHANGEABLY6,7THEREARETHREEGENERALFIELDSWHEREMODULARITYCOULDBEIMPLEMENTEDINCLUDINGMODULARITYINDESIGNMID,MODULARITYINUSEMIU,ANDMODULARITYINPRODUCTIONMIP8MIDINVOLVESSTANDARDIZINGBASICSTRUCTURALUNITSWHICHPERFORMSPECIFICFUNCTIONS,THUSFACILITATINGFLEXIBLEASSEMBLYOFVARIOUSPRODUCTS9,10MIDCANREVEALPRODUCTSTRUCTURE,NAMELYTHERELATIONSHIPAMONGDIFFERENTPRODUCTSRELATEDPRODUCTSARETERMEDPRODUCTFAMILYANDINCLUDEBOTHBASICANDSPECIFICFUNCTIONSDEVELOPINGPRODUCTFAMILIESOFFERSBENEFITSINTERMSOFMULTIPURPOSEDESIGNANDTHUSREDUCESPRODUCTIONCOSTS11,12MIUISCONSUMERDRIVENDECOMPOSITIONOFAPRODUCTWITHAVIEWTOSATISFYINGTHEEASEOFUSEANDINDIVIDUALLYMIPENABLESTHEFACTORYFLOORTOPRECOMBINEALARGENUMBEROFCOMPONENTSINTOMODULESANDTHESEMODULESTOBEASSEMBLEDOFFLINEANDTHENBROUGHTONTOTHEMAINASSEMBLYLINETOBEINCORPORATEDINTOASMALLANDSIMPLESERIESOFTASKSMSHUANGMKHSUDEPARTMENTOFMECHANICALANDAUTOMATIONENGINEERINGANDGRADUATEINSTITUTEOFINDUSTRIALDESIGN,NATIONALKAOHSIUNGFIRSTUNIVERSITYOFSCIENCEANDTECHNOLOGY,2JHUOYUEROAD,NANZIH,KAOHSIUNGCITY811,TAIWAN,REPUBLICOFCHINAEMAILMSHUANGCCMSNKFUSTEDUTWINTJADVMANUFTECHNOL201153110DOI101007/S001700102796YMIDHASBEENBROADLYAPPLIEDTONUMEROUSAREASANDHASEXERTEDSIGNIFICANTEFFECTSINTERMSOFCOSTREDUCTIONANDDESIGNDIVERSITY13,14HOWEVER,THEREISLIMITEDEMPIRICALRESEARCHTHATHASAPPLIEDMODULARDESIGNTOMOLDS1518THISSTUDYTHUSAIMSTOREDUCEMOLDDEVELOPMENTTIMEBYAPPLYINGMODULARDESIGNANDDEVELOPASTANDARDOPERATIONPROCEDUREFORDESIGNINGBEVERAGECONTAINERINJECTIONMOLDS,WHICHARECHARACTERIZEDBYSCORESOREVENHUNDREDSOFCOMPONENTS2GENERALPROCEDURESOFDESIGNINGINJECTIONMOLDSBASICALLY,ANINJECTIONMOLDSETCONSISTSOFTWOPRIMARYCOMPONENTS,THEFEMALEMOLDANDTHEMALEMOLDTHEMOLTENPLASTICENTERSTHECAVITYTHROUGHASPRUEINTHEFEMALEMOLDTHESPRUEDIRECTSTHEMOLTENPLASTICFLOWINGTHROUGHRUNNERSANDENTERINGGATESANDINTOTHECAVITYGEOMETRYTOFORMTHEDESIREDPARTSIDESOFTHEPARTTHATAPPEARPARALLELWITHTHEDIRECTIONOFTHEMOLDOPENINGARETYPICALLYANGLEDSLIGHTLYTOEASEREJECTIONOFTHEPARTFROMTHEMOLDTHEDRAFTANGLEREQUIREDFORMOLDRELEASEISPRIMARILYDEPENDENTONTHEDEPTHOFTHECAVITYANDTHESHRINKAGERATEOFPLASTICMATERIALSTHEMOLDISUSUALLYDESIGNEDSOTHATTHEMOLDEDPARTRELIABLYREMAINSONTHEMALEMOLDWHENITOPENSEJECTORPINSOREJECTORPLATEISPLACEDINEITHERHALFOFTHEMOLD,WHICHPUSHESTHEFINISHEDMOLDEDPRODUCTORRUNNERSYSTEMOUTOFAMOLDTHESTANDARDMETHODOFCOOLINGISPASSINGACOOLANTTHROUGHASERIESOFHOLESDRILLEDTHROUGHTHEMOLDPLATESANDCONNECTEDBYHOSESTOFORMACONTINUOUSPATHWAYTHECOOLANTABSORBSHEATFROMTHEMOLDANDKEEPSTHEMOLDATAPROPERTEMPERATURETOSOLIDIFYTHEPLASTICATTHEMOSTEFFICIENTRATETOEASEMAINTENANCEANDVENTING,CAVITIESANDCORESAREDIVIDEDINTOPIECES,CALLEDINSERTSBYSUBSTITUTINGINTERCHANGEABLEINSERTS,ONEMOLDMAYMAKESEVERALVARIATIONSOFTHESAMEPARTGENERALMOLDDESIGNPROCESSCONTAINSTWOPARTS19PARTDESIGNANDMOLDDESIGNTHEPARTDESIGNPROCESSCONTAINSFIVEMAJORPROCEDURESDEFININGMAINPULLINGDIRECTION,DEFININGCOREANDCAVITY,CALCULATINGSHRINKAGERATE,DEFININGDRAFTANGLE,ANDTHENDEFININGPARTINGLINETHEMOLDDESIGNPROCESSMAINLYINCLUDESCHOOSINGAMOLDBASE,POSITIONINGTHEMOLDEDPART,DESIGNINGCOREANDCAVITY,DESIGNINGCOMPONENTS,DESIGNINGCOOL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