Re-Working Overseas Molds
Perhaps one of the more interesting markets we’ve seen in moldmaking in recent years is applying North American quality to overseas molds. In other words, shops are finding that making poorly made molds work properly, even having to re-machine features or whole molds, is an area of growth potential.

Even the simplest molds have to fit together properly and the resulting parts must meet specific finish and tolerance requirements. When a mold is produced thousands of miles away from where it’s used, the mistakes of the molder often can’t be corrected efficiently without bringing in a local craftsman with high-performance machining abilities.
Often, these orphaned and defective molds have already been heat treated, so those willing to take on this work have to fix the mistakes in hardened steel. They need hardmilling skills and a machine capable of cutting hardened tool steel, as mentioned earlier.

Re-working defective overseas molds is a new and growing sector of moldmaking with great potential for those willing to fix the mistakes of others and invest in machinery capable of high-accuracy hardmilling.

Demand for Micro
Advanced manufacturing technologies have made micro components and devices commercially viable for the aerospace, automotive, electronics and biomedical industries. Mass replication of these devices requires micro molding, forming and stamping technology on an economical scale.

Micromachining certainly has its share of challenges. Cutting forces and tool pressures on cutting tools as small as 0.05 mm in diameter are significantly different than those on larger applications. Machine tools designed for micro must be able to recognize and achieve submicron movement commands. Machine tool stiffness and rigidity also are extremely important here, as even the slightest distortion or deflection will destroy the dimensional integrity of such miniature parts. Unchecked temperature change can quickly overshadow micro component tolerances. In addition, do not underestimate the challenges of measuring parts and part features in the micron range.

Some shops are producing flat parts in materials such as 420 stainless steel that require tolerances of 0.0002 inches, with absolutely no variance, over as much as a 6-inch distance.

Micromachining requires tremendous technology advances in tool construction and design, and usually calls for careful programming and very small tools that are hard to handle. But with the demand for miniaturization at an all-time high, those shops that have adopted the proper technology are quickly realizing the benefits.

Large Mold Manufacturing Requires Specialized Tools
Big molds require a substantial investment, which includes massive tooling that’s hard to move, heavy-duty machinery and other equipment to make the process as efficient as possible.

Modern high-performance machining is widely accepted to be a cost-effective solution for the production of small mold cavities with complex geometric surfaces. But the same demand for detail is often overlooked in selecting machinery for the production of larger molds. When dealing with large mold production more is invested in material costs and time, which increases the risk associated with scrap and re-work, placing greater emphasis on the quality of machinery used to manufacture these large tools.

It’s a significant challenge for moldmakers to get these operations set up to the point where they can be run efficiently. As a result, large moldmakers are using high-end CAD/CAM systems that are capable of generating effective toolpaths. This technology, coupled with machine tools that can remove materials at faster rates unattended will greatly help large moldmakers reduce production times.

Molds Are Growing in Complexity
In addition to size, mold complexity is becoming a significant issue in the moldmaking industry. Today, more emphasis is being put on ultra-precision, multi-cavity injection molds, specifically for customers in the medical, packaging and technology markets.

Some complex molds can have more than 1,500 parts and require extreme levels of accuracy and precision. As U.S. moldmakers take on more complex work, they are spending more time planning their molds and turning to reliable machine tools with excellent cut times and accuracy that eliminates the need for hand-work so they can turn out more molds more quickly.

Surface finish requirements can become a major issue, as some complex molds don’t allow hand-polishing in areas where a human hand can’t fit. The machine has the job of finishing the part, and has to perform this task flawlessly to allow the mold to work properly.

Moldmakers are relying more on advanced machines2 with fast control capabilities to speed up production on complex molds. They are looking to integrate total performance packages to process long, complex mold programs, at extremely fast speeds, while achieving levels of accuracy and finish previously unattainable.

Diversification
A new, emerging trend is for mold shop owners to take a hard look at their core competencies in order to discover where those abilities can be applied in other markets.

While not giving up on moldmaking, these innovative shops are applying their machining and manufacturing expertise to satisfy the demands of aerospace, medical, energy and telecommunications customers.

These shops are finding that excess capacity can be quickly put to work in highly profitable production areas, as well as traditional moldmaking, allowing them to bid on a whole variety of new work.

This strategy of diversification can be an effective means of increasing business by utilizing the skills and equipment already in place to satisfy new customers.

After all, the production business currently booming in North America is that of the highest precision in tough materials, which is exactly the type of work moldmakers are used to. Not limiting your shop to molds can go a long way to a better the bottom line.