Abstract
This paper presents a parametric design system for 3D tire mold production. Tire grooves commonly used in the current industry are classified according to their modeling procedures, and the design parameters for each groove type are characterized. The result serves as a foundation for standardization of the tire mold design. The presented system simplifies the construction of 3D groove surfaces by reducing the number of interactive modeling operations. The resultant surface model is parameterized, and thus, allows for rapid creation of other grooves with simple design tables. In addition, a set of geometric algorithms is proposed that first detects undesired groove geometries arising in the design process, and then corrects them automatically. In this manner, 3D mold models are created with minimal user interactions. This work is implemented in an integrated CAD/CAM system for actual mold production. Test examples demonstrate that it provides an effective approach to reducing the time yet improving the quality of tire mold development. © 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.