TOOL-DESIGN METHODS © 1.1 INTRODUCTION ‘Tool design is a specialised phase of tool engineering. Tool-design functions may be performed by a tool engineer in addition to his other duties in manufacturing, or they may be performed by a tool-design specialist who devotes his entire working time to tool design. The size of the company and the type of production generally determine the extent of specialisation in the too-design area. A small company may hire only 2 tool engineer who is concemed with planning the process of manufacture in addi- tion to developing tools and machines to produce the product larger company may Use a small group of toot enginoers who specialise onl in designing tools needed to ‘manufacture the produc. A very large company may have a toolengineering depart- ‘mont consisting of @to0l-osign suporvisr, several tool dasignors responsibio only for tool-design layout, and several tool detailers (draftsmen) who finish the drawing. ‘This text is concerned only with the tool. Jigs and fixtures f6F guiding the tod! and holding the workpiece, ‘Gauges and measuring instruments. ‘Sheet-metal pressworking dies for ell types of sheet-meta fabrication Dies for plastic moulding, die casting, permanent moulding, and investment casting. 6. Forging dios for and cold forging, upsetting, extrusion, and cold finishing ‘The tool designer is commonly a specialist in one or perhaps two of the above types of tooling. For example, a designer of injaction moulds for plastics usually has litle to do with the design of metal-cutting tools. On the other hand, a designer of cuting tools should be knowiedgeable in jig and fixture design because of the close rolationship between cutting tools and jigs and fixtures. ‘Tho basic task of the tool designer is to provide drawings of a tool or set of tools to produce the workpiece. He will be provided with a blueprint of the workpiece to be ‘manufactured, the name and spectfications of the machine to produce the workpiece, and the number of workpieces required. If large numbers of workpieces are needed, an expensive too! may be justified. I only a faw workpieces are needad, the tool must be inoxponsive. In all cases, the tool must be made as economically as possible for