Tooling and mold design is a complex process that combines the skills of various experts like tooling engineers, mold designers, material engineers, manufacturing experts, quality check experts, lab technicians, etc.
Following are the key steps involved in tooling:
Feasibility
This is the stage in which the design and tooling team works together to determine the mold materials to be used, functionality, product design specifications, operational issues, need for enhancements, etc.
The feasibility stage involves looking at any potential issues that may come as a result of the geometry of the design. Additionally, aspects like special tooling and mold design requirements are considered at this stage.
Further, engineering teams work together to understand the physical and chemical properties of the selected plastic resins in order to select the mold material and review aspects like mold design, mold flow evaluation, gate location, and cooling conditions.
Finally, tooling specifications are finalized to purchase the required components.
Design
Designs are created in 2D and 3D to give an accurate idea of the mold geometry and sizes. Final designs are created once the preliminary designs are reviewed and approved.
Final designs are created using a tool builder. Specifications are fed into the tool designer to create a mold after final adjustments have been made.
Constructing Primary and Secondary Tools
Tool drawings are prepared along with a review of the construction standards. Once the drawings are verified at all engineering levels and specifications fed into the tool builder, its progress is closely reviewed until mold completion. Completed molds are then inspected for final approvals.
Using the tool for preparing samples
Once the molding process and the parameters are established, the initial samples are produced. These are prepared using defined molding practices. Sample parts are then sent for a final check and qualification.
Final tool corrections
Upon inspection of the sample produced, new adjustments can be recommended for the tools. If the samples are approved, tool construction is verified and documented to be used for future productions. Plastic parts are created using these tools and submitted to the customer for approval before starting the final large scale production process
Injection molding is a manufacturing process that uses a metal mold to shape molten plastic resins. The mold is often referred to as tooling. Mold and tooling are relatively interchangeable terms for the metal mold at the heart of the injection molding process. Mold tooling may also be used to describe the process of machining the mold out of a block of metal. A core & cavity is cut into the negative shape of the part. The injection molding machines holds the mold together while it is injected with molten plastic at high pressure. Once the plastic has cooled, the mold is opened and the part is ejected. The process is repeated until the desired amount of parts has been completed. Injection molding is a cost efficient way to manufacture a high volume of complex plastic parts.
Steel and aluminum are the most common metals used to produce injection molding tooling. we prefer to use steel tooling for full-scale, high-volume production. Steel can tolerate higher temperatures and pressure without compromising the mold. Injection mold tooling made from steel can produce hundreds of thousands up to millions of plastic parts. Aluminum mold tooling will typical only produce in the thousands. Steel mold tooling is easier to maintain, will last without rusting, provides an excellent finish to each piece, and is easy to change with simple welding. Steel mold tooling can be made with electrical discharge machining (EDM). EDM is a very precise method and affords our engineers the opportunity to create tooling with highly complex geometry and very tight tolerances that could not be manufactured by conventional means. Aluminum mold tooling is not compatible with EDM and must be made with conventional methods like CNC machining. The high upfront costs should be weighed against the overall advantages of steel mold tooling. Steel molds can be less expensive as they will run many more cycles than aluminum molds. Aluminum mold tooling is also difficult to change or repair and must be replaced often.
Injection molding tooling is highly customizable. we can produce injection-molded parts that match your exact specifications. Working in conjunction with our designers as well as our production facility, we can produce custom plastic mold tooling to meet the unique requirements of your project.
Mold tooling includes sourcing and acquiring all of the mold components and machinery necessary for the job including, jigs, gauges, fixtures, and other equipment. These instruments are critical to the success of the part. The efficiency of a mold can be improved as well as the overall quality of the injection-molded part by using the right injection mold tooling. The tooling process will largely dictate the project cost and quality of the end part. High-quality injection molding tooling will be expensive, however, it will ensure high-quality parts and mold tooling with an exceptional lifespan. Mold tooling that is made to last will help cut the overall project cost and significantly reduce the price per part. The more parts that can be made with the mold tooling, the less each part will cost over time.
Injection mold tooling is generally made of steel, aluminum, or alloys. Most mold tooling will consist of two halves, however, some tooling may be more complex with multiple sides or internal components. The components on the inside of the mold may include slides, guides, lifters, pins, bushings, ejectors, and alignment devices. The proper mold material and components must be used with a compatible injection material to ensure the dimensional tolerances are met and mold tooling longevity.