# Enhancing Complex Injection Mold Design Validation Using Multicombined RV Environments
## 2 Materials and Methods
### Application of VR Technology to an Industrial Activity  
After outlining the VR environment and user interaction capabilities concerning injection molds, the following section details the proposed activity aimed at evaluating this technology within a realistic industrial context. To achieve this goal, two injection mold design evaluation sessions were conducted in collaboration with an engineering company highly specialized in the industrial and automotive sectors (refer to Figure 11). Renowned for its expertise in designing highly complex plastic parts, this company excels in crafting advanced injection molds, produced both in-house and through external suppliers via subcontracting. Within the company, the mold design review sessions were conducted by injection mold manufacturing experts with vast experience in the sector. These meetings serve as validations of the work conducted by the mold design development team and provide recommendations for enhancing the design. Furthermore, they aim to impart specialized information to suppliers, facilitating efficient decision-making whenever feasible. The sessions were conducted in small groups, with no more than three participants, who reviewed the designs and shared their experiences from various perspectives. In the initial phase, an experienced mold maker specializing in CAD design within the company selected three complex injection molds for evaluation. The injection molds (refer to Figure 12) were chosen based on design, size, and complexity criteria. Figure 11: Development of injection mold design verification activities with VR technology. Figure 10: User movement operation throughout the VR environment. Subsequently, a list of eight common defects in the design of injection molds was compiled. These defects were derived from real situations and the extensive experience of the company. It is noteworthy that although the defects may be similar in different case studies, they rarely coincide in the same location of the mold. The errors or defects in the presented molds were classified into the following groups:  
* Sizing errors in the cooling and ejection system;
* Accessibility problems for assembling the parts in the mold;
* Interferences between the different parts of the mold;
* Deficiencies in the logic of the cooling layout;
* Absence of parts or poor placement of small elements, such as sealing gaskets;
* Misalignment of mold components;
* Lack of robustness in critical areas of the mold. These defects represent key areas that require attention and correction during the injection mold design and manufacturing process. A total of 22 participants were involved in the development of this methodology, distributed across 7 work teams. These review teams were formed in a heterogeneous manner, ensuring that each member contributed a different vision, based on her professional experience. For each group, a period of 40 min was assigned to complete the activity in its entirety. During this, the two design review approaches were explored on various 3D CAD models. The process of the proposed activity and its evaluation was developed as follows:  
* Introduction: 15 min. * Design review using VR or Catia V5 support in 3D model. * Second review: 15 min. * Design review using the alternative method (not used in the previous step) on the 3D model. * Quiz: 10 min (see Table 1). In the introduction phase, the procedural details were outlined, and participants were prompted to identify potential design flaws in the 3D molds provided. Teams initiated the review process by utilizing the VR tools as described earlier (refer to Figure 3). All participants utilized the HP Reverb G2 VR devices. While one team member engaged with the VR devices for the review, the remaining team members observed the transmitted images from the VR software on a designated monitor (refer to Figure 11). Following this, after 20 min, the group shifted to utilizing CAD modeling software to examine the second injection mold model.