To get a clearer picture of the outlook for moldmakers and molders across the country and to identify the challenges facing moldmakers and the strategies of the winners, What was discovered was a general sense that, despite a variety of ongoing challenges, the worst of the recent industry struggles may be over. […]
In every molding operation, there is great pressure on purchasing agents to reduce tooling costs. When looking for a quality hot runner system, it can be extremely difficult to find the best value for your investment. […]
Competitiveness and price pressure in the injection molding industry has influenced many OEMs, molders and mold manufacturers to look for new ways to survive and thrive in their regional and global markets. […]
The design and manufacture of a silicone mold is different from thermoplastic tooling as well: e.g., tolerances, venting, part ejection and the installation of a vacuum system. […]
A continuing trend within the molding business is silicone molding, which is being used in the medical, electronics, packaging and automotive industries. […]
When designing cooling channels for a mold, the mold designer is frequently looking at deep-draw sections of a molded part and attempting to get as much heat as possible out of these areas. They tend to be the hottest of the hot-spots in most molds. […]
Mold cycle time tends to be driven primarily by the length of time it takes to cool the plastic material until the part can be ejected from the mold. The sections of the molded part that take the longest to cool are the hot-spots. […]
Polypthalamide, an engineering thermoplastic, is a member of the nylon family with excellent high temperature properties (heat deflection temperature of 280oC and a continuous use temperature of 170oC). […]
There are many different kinds of ejector pins in the market nowadays and it is a challenge for users to select the correct ones. In most cases, selecting an inappropriate ejector pin is wasting resources and creates inefficiency in production. […]
What is a standard mold base? This seems like an easy question requiring a short answer. A standard mold base is an off-the-shelf base ready to be machined to your specifications. Easy enough, but when you really sit down and think about it, it’s much more than that. It is not such an easy question. [...]