Standard slide assemblies have been available to molders and moldmakers since 1991. The design and production of a standard component is critical to the success of the product. Not only does the design have to be very reliable and proven, it also has to be versatile enough to fit many different applications. That is the [...]
Technology—including CAD technology—has changed dramatically since the 1980s. As soon as new technology is developed, it is integrated into products and our way of doing business. In the manufacturing world, CAD software versions are released at regular intervals with product design and manufacturing processes integrating the new CAD technology as soon as it becomes available. [...]
Surface finish problems can be profit killers for today’s mold manufacturer. One of the most common causes is chatter created by vibration in the CNC machine tool cutting process. This can lead to higher costs, delayed deliveries and even lost orders due to poor quality. In addition, vibration can cause uneven tool wear, resulting in [...]
Tools shops are looking for three things from their steel suppliers—steel that is inexpensive, good quality and can be delivered fast. The problem is that you rarely get all three of these needs filled at the same time. So what is the most important of the three? […]
When using standard, off-the-shelf slides, there is no question that the leadtime on a project can be reduced. The time that would have been spent squaring up blocks, machining, heat treating and grinding all of the slide components can be used to focus on the molding area—cores, cavities, slide faces, etc. […]
We all know that EDM setup can be extremely time-consuming. Automating the setup process can save valuable time, especially when considering that some tools (especially those with multiple cavities) require dozens or even hundreds of electrodes. […]
Most mold and die shops rely on three-axis machines to do most of their milling work. Five-axis machines were not considered sturdy enough to mill hard materials used in Class 1 mold cavities. Moreover, five-axis programming was harder to learn and program. In general, these statements remain true. […]
Blow molds and many prototype molds are made from aluminum. Aluminum is a very soft material and requires special polishing procedures. A fine finish can be achieved, although it may never be as fine as the finish that is possible on steel. The following is a basic polishing procedure for aluminum. In time and with [...]
A quality hot runner system is critical to the injection molding of consistent, high quality parts. One of the most important performance aspects of a hot runner system is its temperature uniformity. The temperature should be consistent across the hot runner system and should not vary with time. Even slight variations in temperature can have [...]
As economic conditions improve and global competition intensifies, mold manufacturers are flocking to cutting-edge machine technology to achieve maximum efficiency. However, while new machine technologies dominate popular interest, tooling sometimes remains on the backburner. […]