based engineering provides a feasible solution to all these problems bycreating
what is called an “intelligent model” of the problem. 1 IKEM Intelligent Knowledge
based Engineering modules for the plastic injection molding processIKEM is a
software technology that is a step ahead of the concurrent engineering andCAD/CAM
systems. It integrates current knowledge about the design and
manufacturingprocesses and helps to reduce several man-hours by reducing
engineering changes in the designphase of product development by giving users
instruction about various design aspects. Thesystem will be used for injection
molding design design iterations and process integration. Thecurrent process
consists of many manual computations CAD graphical constructions andexperience
attained from previous projects. Once the engineer completes the design it will
beevaluated for performance. The IKEM project has been divided into three major
modules. 1. The cost estimation module 2. The mold design module 3. The
Manufacturing module Input to the IKEM system is of two forms. Input in the form
of a CAD model Pro-E fileand input given at the User Interface form. Figure 1
illustrates the kind of input that goes intoeach module and the output given to
the user. Figure 1. Organization of the IKEM Project 2 Intelligent Mold Design
Tool The mold design tool in its basic form is a Visual Basic application taking
input from a textfile that contains information about the part and a User Input
form. The text file containsinformation about the part geometry parsed from a
Pro/E information file. The input is used toestimate the dimensions of mold and
various other features. 2.1 Literature Review Design of molds is another stage of
the injection molding process where the experience ofan engineer largely helps
automate the process and increase its efficiency.