More than ever moldmakers are pressed to push the envelope on what is feasible and reasonable when it comes to accurately creating complex profiles. Companies today are heavily vested in each new product they bring to market. And good is not good enough. Manufacturing specs are often riddled with GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerances) [...]
We all know that simulation technology delivers benefits but, as with most technology, we don’t typically take full advantage of it. Simulation has a lot to offer to mold manufacturing. It’s a matter of recognizing the problems that it can help solve. […]
Regular cleaning and proper maintenance are key to sustaining the life of a mold. If preventative maintenance procedures are consistently and correctly performed, they lower the cost of ownership and increase production quality: a win-win scenario for the manufacturer and the customer. […]
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 [...]