Mold shops that recognize the potential of technology and equipment, and prioritize both accuracy and productivity will increase their competitiveness in the marketplace. The key is utilizing machines that are engineered to reduce the time-consuming elements of mold manufacturing, increase mold quality, enhance accuracy and eliminate opportunities for human error. […]
Moldmakers are always juggling the various complexities in a mold build. If the mold is relatively flat, the balls (tennis) are relatively easy to juggle. As the mold becomes more complex or deeper, the weight and size of the different balls changes (add a bowling ball and a ping pong ball). At the end of [...]
The production of electrodes is a key stage in the manufacture of many types of tooling, including injection molds, so the availability of a faster, more automated method for their development will increase efficiency and reduce leadtimes across a number of industries. Here is where CAD/CAM comes into play. […]
The lead angle of your cutter has a dramatic effect on not only the chip that you generate, but also the cutting forces in both the axial and the radial directions. All of this can affect your overall productivity. There are many milling lead angle concepts on the market today and each is designed to [...]
Much has been written and discussed relative to the cooling of mold cavities. Most molders and moldmakers are at least aware of the benefits of placing as much heat removal technology into a mold core or cavity as possible. Simply drilling a hole into the bottom of a core for a closure and inserting a [...]
In the injection molding industry, it is common for companies to rely on trial-and-error methods to solve production problems. Without process simulation, operators suggest a mold configuration, which “should work” for a specific part geometry, based on experience. Factors such as tempering or processing times are defined later during the first production trials. It is [...]
It is a common thread among today’s mold engineers that mold design software isn’t as user-friendly as it should be. There seems to be a wish list of ideal components that a “perfect” mold program should possess to help moldmakers face their mold design challenges head on. […]
Name a problem that most mold manufacturers have in common. Many will answer that it is the time-intensive quoting process. A process often riddled with inaccuracies—from initial quote to quoting rework and design changes. Let’s not forget that many requests for quotes are submitted without perfect models, which further challenges profitability. In order to win [...]
The U.S. is one of the few countries in the world still designing and building molds to inch standards when the global standard for measurement is metric. By using the inch standard our industry is out of sync with the rest of the world (except Liberia and Burma). This became clear early on in my [...]
For years we have been hearing about the virtues of aluminum molds for injection parts, and First-rate mold company’s Mold Builders has built its fair share—mostly for special-purpose applications that did not require many actions. For smaller molds using specialty aluminum has its benefits; and, if cycle times are critical, you can justify the high [...]