Abstract
Using standard components of a press die is recognized as a way for a cost reduction and a short lead time. It also provides a way for a quick maintenance of a die under repair. It is expected to contribute to integration of CAD/CAM system for manufacturing dies in the future. This paper presents a 3D CAD library which is constructed using the standard components and is used for designing a press die. This 3D CAD library is generated by a database system made of Microsoft Access for standard components and by CATIA V5 R10 API for geometric features. The library is implemented using Visual Basic 6.0 utility of CATIA API function in the Windows NT environment. It creates a 3D model of the standard components of press die easily when a die designer inputs numerical values of geometric features and the BOM of the completely assembled parts. It also generates automatically the assembly drawing of die set by using variables for standard values of die parts. Therefore users can save the cost of time to design the press die components, and even a beginner can use this program with ease. The test results of the 3D CAD library for designing shearing and bending dies verify its usefulness and feasibility.
