With requirements for lowest weight, highest thermal conductivity and ease of machinability, tool and mold applications are a natural opportunity for aluminum. Aluminum producers have responded with often-proprietary and trade-named products tailored to meet the diversity of challenges presented by these applications.
First, this question needs to be addressed. Alternative materials, particularly a range of steels such as P-20, H13 tool steel and stainless steels as well as copper-based alloys often containing beryllium, have been used in tool and mold applications.
They offer high strength and wear resistance, and, in the case of the copper alloys, thermal conductivity. However, no material has all of the desired properties for a given application, and the alternative materials are no exception. They are heavy, often less machinable, and, with the exception of copper-based alloys, have poor thermal conductivity.
Overcoming those deficiencies is where aluminum comes into the picture. Compared to steel, aluminum:
Has a four-fold increase in thermal conductivity. In molding operations, this reduces the required cooling cycles and also minimizes local hot spots that could lead to part distortion. Aluminum also allows for the design of simpler cooling systems, which require less design and machining time.
Is lightweight. Aluminum has roughly one-third the density of steel. This makes handling of the tooling and molds easier, allowing faster opening and closing of molds and tools due to reduced inertia. In addition, lighter weight tooling results in less press wear and reducing maintenance and downtime.
These benefits are particularly relevant to large tools and molds.
Can be machined and polished more rapidly. Depending on the specific aluminum alloy, machining rates are three to ten times faster than that of steel. This reduces the time required for production, particularly for large molds with deep cavities.
Exhibits high electrical conductivity. This, along with a lower melting point as compared to steel, enables the use of electrical discharge machining of aluminum at a rate four to five times higher than steel. As a result of these benefits aluminum producers estimate that using aluminum over steel for mold applications can save 30 percent in mold manufacturing costs, which can increase to 40 percent if the reduced part production cycle times and improved productivity are included.
One area in which steel offers an advantage is in the area of surface hardness. In some applications, such as those involving conventional plastic molding, the base aluminum surface has adequate properties. However, for those cases where higher wear resistance is required, surface treatments of aluminum such as hard anodizing or nickel plating, result in aluminum surface hardness levels approaching those of steel.
Evolution
Since there is a range of different conditions under which tool and mold materials must operate, different aluminum alloy and temper combinations have evolved to meet the various needs. Both cast and wrought products are available in a wide range of thicknesses, widths and lengths. Each product type has specific characteristics that have been tailored to application needs.
Cast plate materials have the following advantages:
Equiaxed grain structure-provided similar properties in all test directions;
Low residual stress-created by a controlled, post-casting thermal annealing process;
Extreme flatness tolerance capability-enabled by single-pass surface machining;
Good internal soundness-produced by closely controlled casting process parameters and superior metal treatment;
Excellent surface finish-achieved by specially designed milling heads with minimum metal removal.
Some of the applications in which cast plate materials have been used include food machinery molding plate and other low pressure molding, electrical heating plates, milling machine bedplate, automatic inspection machine board holder and screen printer base plate.
Wrought aluminum products also are widely applied. The nature of the improvements made to the plate products for use in tool and mold applications involved:
Improved uniformity in thickness properties. This is especially important because the products are available in thicknesses up to thirty-five inches in some cases.
Low residual stresses, accomplished through mechanical stress relief by stretching or cold compression after heat treatment.
Excellent flatness.
For applications such as low-pressure plastic and composite molding, including thermoforming and resin transfer molding, that require a material with excellent corrosion resistance and weldability, 5xxx alloys are preferred. Similar to 5083-O are alloys such as Fibralr, Giantal, and Alumold 4-150 and 4-110.
Other applications such as low-pressure molding of rubber and other elastomers, which involve temperatures in the 350x to 400xF range, necessitate a moderate strength material with good property retention at moderately elevated temperatures.
Here, aluminum producers offer alloys based on the 2xxx series, often similar to 2618 or 2219, which are traditionally the best conventional aluminum alloys from a high-temperature perspective. This group includes: Weldural, a 2219-type alloy, Tempralr, with the 2039 alloy composition, Alumold 3-350 and 3-300 and Alumec HT.
Another class of applications, particularly injection and compression molding as well as bolsters and force plates, call for high strength properties along with excellent machinability, high polishability and good shape stability. The 7xxx alloy family meets this need well, and products here include Certalr SPC, a 7122 alloy, Hokotol, a 7050-type composition, Alumold 1-600, 1-500, 2-450, and 2-400, and Alumec 79, 89, 99, and QC-7.
A survey of wrought tool and mold plate products would not be complete without mentioning moderate strength alloys of the 6xxx series.
Specialized versions of 6061-T6 in stress relieved tempers are available both in plate as compression stress relieved thick 6061-T652 or 6061-T651 Type 200 plate as well as extruded form Acc-U-Plate and Econ-O-Plate. In addition, a higher-purity 6xxx for semiconductor applications in which anodizing is needed called Semi6 is offered. Also, 6013-PowerPlate is a rolled product with 25 percent higher strength than 6061-T6 and improved machinability rating of “B” versus the conventional “C” for 6061-T651.
While conventional aluminum tool and mold products have some obvious advantages in these application areas, the competition is not standing still. Some developing technologies include both aluminum and steel tools manufactured using rapid prototyping (RP) methods, which have been trialed in short production run applications successfully.
Rapid manufacturing methods eliminate some of the advantages enjoyed by aluminum in terms of machinability and shorter leadtimes over conventionally processed steel. This area looks like one that will continue to see significant emphasis and development in the aluminum industry worldwide.
Actually there are some advantages to aluminum including:
Improved heat dissipation. Aluminum molds cool much faster than their steel counterparts. For some materials, this may enable faster cycle times, which reduces production cost.
Inexpensive changes. Not only are aluminum molds easier to produce, they are easier to modify in some circumstances. This can be a huge benefit when you are looking to validate a design.
Many companies that are pondering a small parts plastic injection molding project start by considering if aluminum is a viable option for them. When that’s the case, there are four key questions to ask:
Can aluminum stand up to the material we’re using? For example, glass-filled nylon is a material that is best used with a hardened steel mold while something like polypropylene will work fine with an aluminum mold.
What color? Many grades of untreated aluminum oxidize, which can leave hints of black marks on a white or clear part at startup.
What volumes will we run with this mold? If the number is higher than 100,000, aluminum probably is not the way to go.
Is there complicated part geometry? If the answer is “Yes,” you may need to use a steel mold.
In any case, steel is still the first choice of mold making?
after reading your post, i think we can try, maybe this is a good idea
I think this is an useful suggestion in mold design
your suggestion is correct,Aluminum has been increasingly used in molds
your suggestion is correct, we tried, it worked!
if you chose right aluminum material, it would be a perfect decision
aluminum material is used in a mould is a good idea:-)
our company has been doing like this, that is a good idea :-)
actually we did, and it worked! :-)
actually now aluminum material has been often used in our customer’s moulds in our company
your suggestion is correct
your suggestion is correct, actually now more and more mold company use aluminum material in their molds
actually we often use aluminum material in our molds, no problem!
we tried it, no problem!
please choose correct aluminum material for your mold
now more and more mold company uses aluminum material in their molds
actually aluminum material has been often used in our molds, the experience is great!
how to choose those aluminum material is very improtant
we tried! yes! it worked!
I am still waiting someone who tested it to share their experience:-)
good suggestion! I will try!
this is a good suggestion
this is an interesting try in mold manufacturing
your suggestion is very good, we will try it
your suggestion is very good
I think that is absolutely a good suggestion
actually Aluminum material has been used in our moulds for many years!
your suggestion is correct, we tried!
we have used it for many years! maybe when I feel free I will share some experience here:-)
in Japan, that kind of technology has been widely used in moulds
this is a good blog, I like to read it
we did it many years ago, no problem!
We have already put it into practice, and the result is very good!
yes! we have done like this for many years! it is very good!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on mold technology. Regards
actually using Aluminum material in a mold have been known for many years! no problem
this is a good suggestion, now many mold company have accepted it
this opinion is more and more popular in mold industry
I believe you are an expert in mold industry!
now in our local mold industry, Aluminum material is more and more used in moulds
now Aluminum mold is more and more common in mold industry.
Great post.
we tried! it worked!:-)
that is an interesting ideal, we will try:-)
this is an interesting suggestion:-)
WOW that is an interesting idea. please Come here to discuss related topic
This suggestion is worth every mould engineer’s attention.
obviously we will consider your suggestion
your suggestion is very interesting, maybe we will try:-)
the key is to find some Aluminum materials according to your requirement
your suggestion will benifit many mould makers
I am very interested in your suggestion, maybe this is a good ideal
Hello, this blog is very good, that’s truly a good ideal, we will try.
I am interested in it, we will try
interesting! we will consider your suggestion
your suggestion is very novel, it is worth having a try
Useful information, we will consider your suggestion carefully
no doubt we will try! then come back to share our experience.
frankly it is worth trying!
Very good write-up. I definitely love this website. Keep it up!
Good post. I want to read more
your suggestion is great! we will try
that is a new ideal, maybe we try to use Aluminum to make some inserts in some moulds
I was able to find some good advices from your content. thanks
as a professional mould maker, I think we will try when our customers have that kind of requirement
many reviews said they will try, have you got any experience? could you share some?
I think this is a good ideal
that is a good ideal!
yes! we are planning to try it
we will try, maybe you are right:-)
the key is to find that kind of Aluminum in our market, then we will try
for this issue, Until now I still choose to reserve my own opinion
Thank you for reminding, we will give it a try
your ideal is very interesting, but it is valuable for the future of mold industry
we would try if we have a chance
your ideal is great!maybe we will try it someday
I will recommend to our mould engineers to discuss, maybe that is a good ideal
it is not realistic to use aluminum material to complete a set of mold
we tried it, no problem, the key is that the aluminum material must meet our design requirements
Appreciate this suggestion, we will try it out
Appreciate this post. I will try it out.
we are still waiting for a chance to try it:-)
our mold engineers are very interested in reading this article, maybe they will try it:-)
I am really interested in this blog, OK! I will try:-)
Our customers didn’t make this request for their mold. so we didn’t have a chance to try
I hope a mould engineer who have done such mould share some practical experience
Our customers may not accept this solution, and maybe we will try if we have a chance
Unless our customer has such requirement, otherwise we would not suggest our customers to do so
Many mould companies may not have that kind of ideal, because their customers have no such requirement
all You said in this article are entirely correct, now we are using aluminum inserts in some of our moulds
when Aluminum materials are used in a mold, you will meet some porblem, in that article, I just find some of them, I will share my experience here soon.
in my opinion, please carefully use aluminum material in your mold.
I still want to tell every mold maker:” this is just a trend”
Nice post. I learn something new from this article, These suggestions are worth promoting
The most important thing is to find the aluminum material which meets the requirements of the mold
ʜi We sell aluminum material, maybe This is a good opportunity for us:-)
your ideal is great, but the Aluminum materials you mentioned are not easy to find in our local market.
It depends on the development of Aluminum material
use Aluminum material in a mold, interesting! it is a fresh topic for me:-)
I had ever discuss this topic with my colleagues before reading your article, now I learn a lot from it. thanks so much!
Hello, I enjoy reading all of your posts. I wanted to write
a little comment to support you.
Everything is very open with a precise explanation of the issues.
It was definitely informative. Your website is extremely
helpful. Many thanks for sharing!
excellent website, professional informations, Practical tips!!, I love your site!
Hi there, I want to subscribe for this website to take newest
updates, therefore where can i do it please assist.
until now, if you really like our website, one thing you can do is to come back often and browse firstratemold.com
A blog like yours should be earning a lot of money from Adsense:-)
Using Aluminum material in our mold is a very interesting topic, maybe in the future, I will try, but at present, Using steel material in our mold is the mainstream of mould manufacturing
I think the admin of this site is genuinely working hard in support of
his website, because here every data is quality based information. I am sure that their products showed in this website also are fine, because of professional maker, I wish my opinion is correct:-)
Just would like to remark that you have a good website,
I like the layout, it really stands out. it seems that the products you showed in this website are fine, I will take a look carefully
An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a friend who
had been doing a little research on this. And he actually ordered me breakfast simply because I discovered it for
him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!!
But yeah, thanks for spending the time to talk about this matter here on your web site.
If some one desires to be updated with most up-to-date technologies then he must be pay a quick visit
this site and be up to date all the time.
Thanks for ones marvelous posting! I certainly enjoyed reading
it, you’re a great author.I will be sure to bookmark your blog and will come back from now on. I want to encourage that you
continue your great posts, have a nice weekend!
Attractive section of content. I just stumbled upon your
website and in accession capital to assert that I get actually enjoyed account your blog posts.
Anyway I’ll be subscribing to your feeds and even I achievement you access consistently
quickly.
Hi there very cool site!! Man .. Excellent .. Amazing
.. I’ll bookmark your site and take the feeds also?
I’m glad to find a lot of helpful information here
in the post, we’d like work out extra techniques in this regard, thank you for sharing.
. . . . .
Good day! This post couldn’t be written any better!
Reading through this post reminds me of my previous room mate!
He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this article to him.
Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!
We are a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community.
Your site offered us with valuable info to work on. You have done an impressive job and
our entire community will be grateful to you.
all the informations I find in this website show this company is a very professional company in molding.
This is quite interesting, you’re a very experienced blogger.
I have joined your rss feed and look forward to reading more of
your fantastic post. Also, I have shared your site in my social networks!
Hi there, just wanted to say, I liked this post. It was practical.
Keep on posting!
Hello there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found that it is really informative.
I am gonna watch out for brussels. I will be grateful if you
continue this in future. Many people will be benefited from your writing.
Cheers!
Pretty nice post. I simpy stmbled upon your weblog andd
wanted to mentfion that I have truly enjoyed surfing around your weblog posts.
After all I’ll be ssubscribing onn your rss feerd and I am hoping you write
abain very soon!
What’s up to every single one, it’s genuinely a pleasant for me to visit this
web page, it includes important Information.
I evгry time spеnt my half an hour to reaad thіs website’s articles all the time along wіth
ɑ mug of coffee.
Attractive portion of content. I simply stumbled upon your site and in accession capital to
assert that I acquire in fact enjoyed account your blog posts.
Any way I’ll be subscribing on your augment and even I fulfillment you get right of entry to consistently rapidly.
please send an Email to [email protected] to tell us more details about your ideal
Do you mind if I quote a few of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back to
your webpage? My website is in the exact same area of interest as yours
and my users would definitely benefit from some of the information you provide here.
Please let me know if this ok with you. Thank you!
Wow, fantastic weblog layout! How lengthy have you ever been blogging for?
you make running a blog look easy. The total look of your site is
fantastic, as well as the content!
Hello, Neat post. There’s a problem with your web site in internet explorer,
may test this? IE still is the market chief and a huge component
to people will miss your great writing because of this problem.
This paragraph will help the internet users for creating new blog or even a weblog from start to end.
Hey there! I just want to offer you a big thumbs up
for the great information you have right here on this post.
I will be coming back to your blog for more soon.
hello there and thank you for your info – I have definitely picked
up anything new from right here. I did however expertise a few technical issues using this web site, since I experienced to reload the site lots of times previous to I could get it to load correctly.
I had been wondering if your hosting is OK? Not that I’m complaining, but sluggish loading instances times will very
frequently affect your placement in google and could damage your high
quality score if advertising and marketing with Adwords.
Anyway I am adding this RSS to my e-mail and can look out for
much more of your respective interesting content. Make sure you update this again soon.
Great goods from you, man. I’ve be mindful your stuff prior to and you are just extremely wonderful.
I really like what you’ve received here, really like what you’re
saying and the best way by which you are saying it.
You’re making it enjoyable and you continue to care for to keep it sensible.
I cant wait to learn much more from you. This is actually a great site.
It’s remarkable for me to have a web page, which is helpful designed for my experience.
thanks admin
Thanks for finally writing about >please consider to use aluminum materials in your mold
– Professional industrial design services, High value-added mold and High quality product suppliers <Liked it!
Hi colleagues, fastidious piece of writing and good arguments commented
here, I am in fact enjoying by these.
This is a topic which is close to my heart… Thank you!
Where are your contact details though?
Great goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you’re just extremely magnificent.
I really like what you’ve acquired here, certainly like what you’re stating and the way in which you
say it. You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it wise.
I can not wait to read much more from you. This is actually
a wonderful site.
Hello to every single one, it’s truly a good for me to visit this web
site, it contains priceless Information.
Its such as you learn my thoughts! You seem to understand a lot about this, like you
wrote the e-book in it or something. I think that you just could do with some percent to force the message home a little bit, but instead of that, this is magnificent blog.
An excellent read. I will certainly be back.
I’ve read several good stuff here. Definitely price bookmarking for revisiting.
I surprise how much effort you place to create one of these magnificent informative
web site.
Hi! This post could not be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my good
old room mate! He always kept talking about this.
I will forward this write-up to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read.
Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for any other excellent article. Where else could anyone get that kind of information in such a perfect approach of writing?
I have a presentation subsequent week, and I’m on the look for such
info.
You’ve made some good points there. I checked on the net to find
out more about the issue and found most individuals
will go along with your views on this website.
Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is a really well written article.
I will make sure to bookmark it and return to read
more of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I’ll definitely comeback.
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you writing this write-up and also
the rest of the site is also very good.
I need to to tɦank you forr ths good read!! I definitely enjolyed every Ьit of it.
I hаvee got you book marked to check out new things you
post…
Keep on writing, great job!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I truly appreciate your efforts and I am waiting for your
next post thanks once again.
I thіnk tҺiѕ is among the most vital info forr me.
Andd i am glad reading үoսr article. Βut wanna remark on feԝ general
tɦings, Tɦe site style is wonderful, tɦe articles
іѕ really excellent : D. Gooɗ job, cheers
whoah this blog is excellent i really like studying your articles.
Stay up the great work! You realize, many individuals are hunting around for this information, you could help them greatly.
great submit, very informative. I’m wondering why the opposite
specialists of this sector do not understand this. You must continue your writing.
I am confident, you’ve a huge readers’ base already!
Hi, Neat post. There is an issue together with your web site in internet explorer,
would test this? IE nonetheless is the marketplace chief and a big element of people will pass over your fantastic writing because of this problem.
It’s a pity you don’t have a donate button! I’d most certainly donate to this fantastic blog!
I guess for now i’ll settle for bookmarking and adding your RSS feed to
my Google account. I look forward to fresh updates and will share this
site with my Facebook group. Talk soon!
Thanks for every other great article. The place else may just anybody get that kind of
info in such an ideal way of writing? I have a presentation subsequent week, and I am
at the look for such information.
I am not sure where you are getting your info, but great topic.
I needs to spend some time learning more or understanding more.
Thanks for fantastic info I was looking for this info for my mission.
Hey just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the images aren’t loading properly.
I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue.
I’ve tried it in two different browsers and both show the same outcome.
Article writing is also a excitement, if you be acquainted with after that you
can write otherwise it is complicated to write.
Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wished to say
that I’ve really enjoyed surfing around your blog posts.
After all I’ll be subscribing to your rss feed and I hope you write again soon!
My brother suggested I might like this website. He was entirely right.
This post actually made my day. You can not imagine simply how much time I had spent for this info!
Thanks!
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point.
You obviously know what youre talking about, why
waste your intelligence on just posting videos to your weblog when you could be giving
us something informative to read?
actually, many visitors suggested us to do like this, we are planning to do it
I always used to study article in news papers but now
as I am a user of web so from now I am using net for
articles, thanks to web.
always i used to read smaller posts which as well clear their motive, and that is also happening with this
post which I am reading at this time.
It is really a great and helpful piece of information. I’m happy that
you shared this helpful info with us. Please stay us informed like this.
Thank you for sharing.
You actually make it appear really easy
along with your presentation however I find this topic to be really one thing that I believe I
might by no means understand. It sort of feels too complex and very wide for me.
I am taking a look ahead on your next put up, I will try to get the hold of
it!
Hello! This is my first visit to your blog!
We are a group of volunteers and starting a new initiative in a community in the same niche.
Your blog provided us valuable information to work on. You
have done a marvellous job!
There is definately a lot to find out about this topic.
I like all the points you made.
Good post. I learn something new and challenging on websites
I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It’s always interesting
to read through content from other authors and practice something from their sites.
Howdy! This article couldn’t be written much better!
Looking through this article reminds me of
my previous roommate! He constantly kept preaching about this.
I most certainly will send this article to him.
Fairly certain he’ll have a good read. Thanks for sharing!
I think this is one of the most important information for me.
And i am glad reading your article. But want to remark
on few general things, The website style is great, the articles is really excellent : D.
Good job, cheers
I have read so many content about the blogger lovers except this paragraph is
genuinely a nice piece of writing, keep it up.
I like the valuable info you supply on your articles.
I’ll bookmark your weblog and check once more here regularly.
I’m quite sure I will be informed lots of new stuff right right here!
Good luck for the next!
Thank you for another excellent post. The place else may just anyone get that type of information in such a perfect means of writing?
I’ve a presentation subsequent week, and I am
on the look for such info.
Highly energetic article, I enjoyed that bit.
Will there be a part 2?
Oh my goodness! Impressive article dude! Many thanks, However I
am experiencing problems with your RSS. I don’t know the reason why
I cannot join it. Is there anybody having the same RSS issues?
Anybody who knows the answer will you kindly respond? Thanks!!
Hi there everybody, here every one is sharing these
familiarity, so it’s nice to read this website, and I used to
visit this website everyday.
Somebody essentially help to make seriously articles I might state.
This is the very first time I frequented your website
page and up to now? I surprised with the research you made to create this particular publish incredible.
Magnificent activity!
Hello, There’s no doubt that your blog might be having
internet browser compatibility issues. Whenever I take a look at your blog in Safari, it looks fine however when opening in Internet Explorer, it’s got
some overlapping issues. I simply wanted to give you a quick heads up!
Other than that, wonderful website!
Hi please use a higher IE version, at least IE8.0 everything would be OK!