Case Studies: Free Motion Headform
From Concept to Reality
Brief:
To design and produce a working mould and saleable rubber mouldings for use on the free motion head form safety
testing equipment.
Result:
As a company we had been given a sample part which we arranged to have digitised externally to give us a 3D
representation/model of the part. This model was then worked on by our development team using computer CAD
software to produce solid blocks around this form.
These solid blocks were cut out in a specific way to be able to disassemble the tool once it had been gravity/vacuum
moulded.
Once the tool design was complete CAD/CAM 3D machining programs were generated from the model and downloaded to
the CNC machines. The workshop machine programmer/operators were given machining set up details and
machining production began on our Machining Centre (Micron VCE600).
The complete tool took around 2 weeks to complete and was then ready for its first moulding.
A previously determined rubber compound is poured into the tool until full and the tool is place in a vacuum
chamber inside a heated oven. The rubber sets and the tool is taken apart and the moulding released from the mould.
Testing for wall thickness and centre of gravity are done on the sample and any modifications are carried out after this.
The pictures are the machined and
sampled tool awaiting a final surface polish.
The moulded component is set to be released in late 2009.