Tool cavities

Cavities are logical subdivisions within a tool that define where and how material is formed. Cavities allow tools to produce multiple parts simultaneously and help track individual tool wear or damage in multi-cavity molds or dies.

MES supports tools with or without defined cavities. Tools that have cavities can optionally be linked to sub-tools, each representing a physical insert, punch, or mold component associated with a cavity.

There are two approaches to managing cavities:

Tools with sub-tools per cavity: Each cavity is linked to a sub-tool. Sub-tools can be configured with their own counters, inspections, or replacement schedules. This setup is useful when inserts or punches wear independently and must be tracked separately.
Tools without sub-tools per cavity: The tool has cavities defined, but no associated sub-tools. This approach allows cavity-level production reporting without needing to track physical parts per cavity.

Cavities are often visualized in layout diagrams and may be numbered for identification. When a specific cavity is disabled, production can continue using the remaining active cavities.