Validate Holes : Options and Results

Access: Open this function from one of the following locations:

Select Mold Design > Cooling > Validate Holes from the menu bar.
Select Cooling > Validate Holes > Validate Holes from the Mold Design Guide Toolbar.

Analyze holes, group them by type and attach them to valid hole sequences. Different hole libraries may be applied for the analysis.

The analysis result is displayed in the Validate Holes Pane.

If analysis data already exists, the Validate Holes Pane is automatically displayed, showing the results of the analysis.
If analysis data does not exist, the Validate Holes function is opened. Set the parameters and click Start Analysis; the Validate Holes Pane is displayed, showing the results of the analysis.

This function enables holes to be grouped in the CAD environment in a similar way to that performed in the NC Automated Drill environment.

Mold makers commonly receive mold design jobs from sub-contractors or receive maintenance jobs on molds they did not design. In these cases, some of the holes may not follow the shop floor standards and require mold makers to change them to fit their drilling standards. The Validate Holes function enables the mold maker to quickly and easily analyse the holes used in the design and to ensure all of them adhere to the standards.

Required Step 1

Select the objects and faces to be analyzed.

If an assembly or sub-assembly is active, select the entities and press <exit><exit>(middle mouse button) when finished.

When working in the Part environment or if there is an active part in the Assembly environment, all the objects in the part are automatically selected and the next step in the function is invoked.

Required Step 2

Analyze the holes. The objects/faces selected for analysis in step 1 are displayed as transparent (showing the holes) and the following analysis options are available:

Select the analysis to be performed and set each individual minimum distance value.

Assign Groups to Sequences

This is a toggle option to perform the selected task after the analysis has grouped similar holes.

Assign Groups to Sequences	Automatically assign groups of similar holes to known sequences. This is the default option.
Don't Assign Groups to Sequences	Do not assign groups of holes to sequences. If the assignment is required later, re-run the analysis with the Assign option.

Sequence Library: <path>

Define the path where sequences are saved. This saves the sequences to the Hole and Sequence Library.

The Hole and Sequence Library consists of a master ELT file and a set of approximately 150 sequences suggested for handling the holes in the ELT file.

The default sequence library is located in the following folder:

...\ProgramData\Cimatron\Cimatron\2026.0\Data\Sequences

This library is also used in the NC (Subtractive Manufacturing) environment when Automating Drilling Sequences.

Click the path name to display a dialog enabling you to select a different sequence library location. If the sequence library path is changed and the analysis is started, all previous sequences are removed; all groups become unassigned, and then reassigned according to the sequences of the new folder.

Analyze All Holes

This is a dropdown list of the following options:

Attach Sequences to Unassigned Groups	Run the analysis on unassigned holes. The analysis is not run on holes that are already assigned to sequences.
Analyze Modified Geometry	Run the analysis on holes that have been geometrically changed. The analysis is not run on holes that are already assigned to sequences unless they were geometrically changed.
Analyze All Holes (overwrite previous analysis)	Re-analyze all holes, overwriting a previous analysis. This is the default option.

Start Analysis

Start the analysis to find groups of similar holes. A dialog is displayed indicating the number of groups of holes for which an appropriate sequence was found and attached.

The analysis result is displayed in the Validate Holes Pane.

The objects/faces selected for analysis are displayed in transparent gray, with the groups of holes colored as defined in the Validate Holes dialog (shown on the right). The image below shows holes sorted into groups of recognized hole types.

Example of the Validate Holes dialog

Press Close in the Feature Guide to complete the function.

Some functionality may be dependent on the product package. Contact your Reseller if you require a license.