As talented toolmakers leave the field and fewer workers enter it, the importance of capturing the knowledge of skilled workers is critical to moving a business forward.
Companies spend a lot of money training a worker to become a good toolmaker. The costs include years of training on machines,

computer hardware, software, workholding techniques, and best moldmaking practices plus salary, benefits, utilities, insurance, and more. The knowledge is embedded in the worker, not the company, so when that employee leaves either for retirement or for another job the worker carries those costs and that knowledge out the door.

To retain the best toolmaking knowledge, a company must be able to capture and store it in a way that other toolmakers and trainees can use. An automated CAM system allows a company to put manufacturing process data that has been optimized over the years onto a computer, where it can be shared and used by anyone in the company with permission to access that information.

Storing knowledge within a CAM system lets the computer perform repetitive tasks, allowing highly skilled workers to spend more time improving manufacturing processes. Sophisticated CAM automation gives a mold company the advantage of allocating its valuable human resources to strategic endeavors that enhance the competitiveness of the entire business.