One of the greatest challenges facing moldmakers today is reducing production costs while still maintaining high levels of precision. Moldmakers have frequently relied on one of two technologies to help them accomplish this: […]
There are many reasons why molds and dies need to be welded—they get cracked, chipped or broken. However, most of the time it is because of engineering changes that have been made late in the product development process where repairing the mold is less expensive than manufacturing a new one. […]
With most new releases of CAM software, the developer will focus on the latest machining strategies that are available in the system. Over the past two years, however, promotional material for new versions has been full of claims about the ability to support the latest hardware developments, such as background processing and multi-threading. This article [...]
Recycling is part of our everyday lives. At home, recycling is done almost exclusively as our way of protecting the environment. At work—especially with in a manufacturing company—the concept of recycling goes far beyond the curb-side service done at home. By choosing the right recycling program, mold manufacturers can help sustain both the environment and [...]
There are many factors to consider when selecting a stainless mold steel.The final plastic part requirements are the most important factors to consider when selecting the proper mold material. Cosmetic requirements, resin type and filler content are the main considerations along with the expected tool life. […]
Wire EDM machines are, by nature, fairly large users of energy, due to the fact that they employ electrical spark erosion. This requires a generator/power supply to convert the standard three-phase current into cutting pulses, and to run all the servo drive and pump motors to support the process. Ten or 15 years ago, many [...]
When we apply manufacturing economics thinking to the machine investment process, a couple of questions come to mind: what do we want to manufacture and how quickly can we turn our investment into profit. […]
Much has been written about the benefits of 5-axis machining in recent years. The intention of such information is to educate readers of actual and potential process gains. […]
Manufacturers have many factors to consider when designing equipment to manufacture products in the plastics industry. Six-axis jointed robots can offer significant cost savings during mold design and manufacture, as well as during production. […]
1. Understand thy competition. There is no greater power in the world than knowledge. Understand that there are good and bad people everywhere. Look for the good and stay away from the bad. […]