In the injection molding industry, it is common for companies to rely on trial-and-error methods to solve production problems. Without process simulation, operators suggest a mold configuration, which “should work” for a specific part geometry, based on experience. Factors such as tempering or processing times are defined later during the first production trials. It is [...]
It is a common thread among today’s mold engineers that mold design software isn’t as user-friendly as it should be. There seems to be a wish list of ideal components that a “perfect” mold program should possess to help moldmakers face their mold design challenges head on. […]
Name a problem that most mold manufacturers have in common. Many will answer that it is the time-intensive quoting process. A process often riddled with inaccuracies—from initial quote to quoting rework and design changes. Let’s not forget that many requests for quotes are submitted without perfect models, which further challenges profitability. In order to win [...]
The PVC monomer arises from the reaction between ethyne and hydrochloric acid, and the monomer thereafter is aggregated into PVC through various methods, PVC is devoid of stability against heat and light, and therefore, stabilizers shall be added therein to avoid discoloration or decomposition upon the materials’ being processed into finished products. Various stabilizers are [...]
Increasing the effectiveness of EDM operations does not come solely with technological improvements in the EDM sinker. This is one of many aspects needing to be considered when working to optimize EDM performance and increase productivity. Other areas of consideration include the type of dielectric fluid, tooling and electrode material used in the EDM applications. [...]
Speed, precision and stability are the key attributes of a mold machine. With the increased accuracy demanded by sophisticated molded assemblies, particularly in the automotive supplier industry, mold shaping machine tools are breaking new ground in precision, speed and multi-axis cutting. […]
The U.S. is one of the few countries in the world still designing and building molds to inch standards when the global standard for measurement is metric. By using the inch standard our industry is out of sync with the rest of the world (except Liberia and Burma). This became clear early on in my [...]
For years we have been hearing about the virtues of aluminum molds for injection parts, and First-rate mold company’s Mold Builders has built its fair share—mostly for special-purpose applications that did not require many actions. For smaller molds using specialty aluminum has its benefits; and, if cycle times are critical, you can justify the high [...]
In the injection molding world, everybody has an opinion about how molds should be gated – how many should be used; where should they be located; and, what size and shape should they be? Much of what is actually implemented into mold designs comes from experience, whether it is from the moldmaker, molder or material [...]
“How can we mold more parts on the same equipment in less time and lower our costs?” is a standard question whose common answers include reduce cycle time and/or improve mold yield efficiency. Surface treatments have been part of this solution and in the last 10 years a new family of coatings—DLC (diamond like carbon)—has [...]