Equipmentaccuracy and finish demands are higher. “Customers expect to get finished parts off the machine with very little polishing (for the obvious reason of cost),Accuracy demands also have increased. Moldmakers want greater control of wall thickness and feature location than ever before. It’s no surprise, […]
Ultrasonic cleaning tooling is one of the most demanding applications for ultrasonic cleaning equipment. We need heavy-duty equipment that can withstand a lot of abuse. Operating temperatures are high (ideally180°F), loads are heavy (which absorb ultrasonic energy), cleaning solutions are typically alkaline in chemistry for best cleaning performance, […]
The use of relatively inexpensive yet specialized grit brushes or honing tools can be highly effective in improving the accuracy of mold assembly or enhancing injection molding productivity through more efficient cleanup of metal surfaces. […]
Aluminum molds is a hot topic with molders and moldmakers alike discussing and debating the advantages of using aluminum as a cost-effective way to become more competitive. Because the advantages are very valid ones—e.g., shorter leadtimes on the tool build due to faster machining times, […]
The following example demonstrates the power of simulation in optimizing a generic mold, A 3-D geometry of the mold was initially obtained from an after-market U.S. plastics molder in the STEP format. This was then read into a FEA pre-processor for preparation of a computer-based (or virtual) model of the mold in operation. [...]
Moldmakers have developed step-by-step guidelines for taking a customer’s idea for a product through part shaping, preliminary plastics requirements, design considerations, layouts, checklists, and working and assembly drawings. […]
Have you bought a new car recently? If you have, think about how you used the Internet to research that purchase—you likely checked out the make and model, looked at options and features, and then approached the dealer to negotiate and place an order. […]
Add to this phenomenon the evolution of manufacturing into a global ecosystem, and a perfect storm has formed that places enormous challenges on you and all North American SMMs. […]
Rule 1: Mold tolerances become more critical.As parts get smaller, any miscalculations have a significantly greater impact. When requesting a micro mold, aim for 10 percent part tolerances, as opposed to the 25 to 50 percent level commonly seen in macro molds, […]
It’s unlikely that a moldmaker who is close in proximity to his customer or molder will take any shortcuts because when a performance issue pops up, they’ll be stuck with no-charge fixes. […]