A look at non-destructive cleaning processes for complex molds that require the removal of tenacious surface contamination to ensure surface quality and longevity of precision mold and molded part surfaces. […]
DFM. No, not Designed for Manufacturability, Designed for Maintainability. Every mechanical apparatus will eventually need maintenance; it’s a fact of life. Knowing this should be all the impetus needed to motivate anyone with a vested interest to give more than just passing thought to the design of injection mold tooling. The understanding that tools will [...]
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 [...]
Planned workholding, in its simplest form, is planning in advance how the workholding will be accomplished prior to the job getting to the machine. In the more complex form, all workholding for each machine is planned at the design stage with documentation that will provide the plan for the workholding at each operation. Planned workholding [...]
High quality plastics components are becoming an increasingly important part of the perceived quality of products. An important part of this high quality perception is a flawless and often high gloss surface finish. Traditional methods such as surface coatings and other secondary operations are often expensive and impractical for high-production volumes. In many cases, 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 [...]
Job scheduling plays a big role in our on-time delivery performance and leadtime, which determines our competitive position within our industry. This is particularly true as competition has gotten more fierce in recent years. Only the best shops have survived. And those shops have very good quality and lead the pack in expertise. This means [...]
Thriving manufacturing businesses tend to take advantage of the right market opportunities, just when they present themselves. Examples of such opportunities could be establishing a new customer in a different regional market (maybe a different country), adding a product line from an industry in which you don’t already do business or creating a niche market [...]
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? […]