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 Mold Buyer’s Tip Guide

Table of Contents

Article Page

Tips to Make the Mold Buying Process Easier……………………………………….1

What to Look for in a Mold Supplier………………………………………………….2

When to Use Hot Runner Systems…………………………………………………….3

Prototype Tooling – Is it Worth the Added Costs? ........................................................4

Getting the Moldmaker Involved Early………………………………………………..6

Why Minor Changes in a Part/Mold Design Could Result in Major Costs Increases…7

Selecting the Optimum Type of Mold for your Part………………………………….. 9

Does Off-shoring Molds Still Make Sense? ..................................................................10

Typical Mold Materials: Which One is Right for the Mold You Require? …..…….…11

What Constitutes a Good, High-Production Mold? .......................................................12

Determining the Number of Cavities in a Mold? ….…………………….……………13

Ten Pointers for Better Mold Production ………………………………………………14

Advantages of U.S. Molds………………………………………………………………15

Appendix A - What Characterizes a Good, High-production Mold?

Appendix B – Part Production by Mold Cavities Charts

Appendix C - Finding the Total Cost of Your Mold Worksheet

AMERICAN MOLD BUILDERS ASSOCIATION

3601 Algonquin, Suite 304
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
847.222.9402 fax 847.222.9437

Find a moldmaker at: www.AMBA.org

Tips to Make the Mold Buying
Process Easier
Buying a mold is a complex and sometimes tedious
process, but a few rules can help make the process easier.
They’re not written in stone, but you’ll find that to most
moldmakers they are gospel.
1. Send an RFQ that is as detailed as you can make it.
Don’t make the moldmaker guess what you want.
Moldmakers are a lot of things, but mind-readers they’re
not! Be specific about the type of mold, the number of
cavities, the steel, expectations of mold life, and any
guarantees you’ll need. If you aren’t certain about any of
these items, get input from your moldmaker to help you
determine exactly what type of mold is best for your
requirements. The more detailed the RFQ, the more
accurate the moldmaker’s quote will be.
2. Be honest about why you are requesting a quote. If
you need a ballpark figure to submit to marketing, say
so. But don’t ask for a complete engineering evaluation
and quote, then casually mention it’s just a preliminary
quote on a project that’s at least a year away. Or you’re
just fishing. Quoting is time-consuming, and
moldmakers want to spend their time quoting jobs that
have good promise of becoming a reality soon.
3. Respect the intellectual property of the moldmaker.
The knowledge and creativity a moldmaker has acquired
are his or her intellectual property. Keep those ideas and
suggestions confidential when going out for quote. If you
choose another mold shop to do the work, don’t tell
moldmaker “B” to make it the way moldmaker “A”
suggested in his quote. Remember, moldmaker “B”
didn’t quote it that way and may not understand why
moldmaker “A” made that suggestion.
4. Consider the benefits of forming a true partnership
with your moldmaker(s). Bring in him or her early on
your project for input; work with him in regard to costing
goals and budgets; life of the project and part quantity
expectations. Moldmakers don’t like being mushrooms!
The best purchasing is done by those who truly know
their suppliers and play as a team, openly and honestly,
to the benefit of both companies.
5. Communicate with and solicit communication from
your moldmaker on a regular basis. Many provide
Gantt charts or other types of progress reports online, or
provide online access to regularly posted updates.
Knowing where the mold build stands and if it is on
schedule is critical, so request scheduled information
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from the start so the moldmaker knows what you expect.
6. Make your payments on time per the agreement.
Few moldmakers can afford to play banker, and building
a mold entails many, sometimes large, up-front expenses
on their part. There are a number of ways to approach the
payment schedule, such as 30% down, 30% at half
completion, 30% at completion, and 10% upon part
approval and mold shipment. Different moldmakers have
different plans, or will work with you on a payment
schedule that is fair, equitable and will benefit both
companies.
7. Changes to the part design can mean changes to the
mold. Remember, the more changes you make during
the mold build, the less likely you are to get a mold in
the lead time or at the price quoted. Understand that
when you require part design changes, it often leads to
changes in the mold design, which can add both time and
cost to the mold build.
8. Define up front when the mold is considered
complete. When is a mold complete? That often
determines when final payment is made. Is the mold
complete upon approved part sample? Upon shipment?
Usually a mold is complete when it is capable of
producing a part according to specifications and
dimensions on the part print. Most moldmakers will
make small changes and tweaks to get the mold to spec
to make the part according to print dimensions. A
decision to make a change to the part, and consequently
to the mold, after the part has met print specs doesn’t
mean the mold isn’t finished. When the part meets print
specifications and dimensions, the mold is complete.
Changes are done via an ECO (engineering change
order) and will be priced accordingly.
9. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. You
may find a moldmaker who quotes very low prices on a
job. Maybe he’s hungry, or maybe his overhead is low so
he can price lower than other shops. However, any quote
that comes in too low might not be the bargain is appears
to be.
10. Offshore molds are often not the bargain they
seem to be. With the increased interest over the past
decade in buying molds offshore, from China or other
Asian countries, there is an increased need to be more
cautious. Most OEMs that choose a moldmaker in China,
for example, do so because the price of the mold can be
30-50% less than the price for a U.S. built mold.
However, price doesn’t always equal cost. Things to
consider are intellectual property and confidentiality
issues; the cost of travel (air fare, hotel, per diem, etc.)
and time away from the company for an engineer to
oversee the mold build; the cost of shipping a large mold
from Asia to the U.S.; the cost of engineering change
orders that a U.S. moldmaker will have to do (you won’t
be shipping a mold back and forth across the Pacific
Ocean for rework and ECOs!); and the cost of the mold’s
productivity and efficiency, and maintenance over the
life of the program.
When purchasing a mold, it’s especially true that you get
what you pay for. Your molded components are only as
good as the mold they come from, so be sure your mold
is optimum to mold the parts you need for the life of the
program.
Excerpted from “Purchasing Injection Molds: A Buyer’s
Guide”, by: Clare Goldsberry
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What to Look for in a Mold Supplier
When engineering comes to purchasing with a
requirement for a mold for a new plastic component or a
group of components for a new product, many times the
purchasing person isn’t knowledgeable enough about
purchasing molds to know where to go for the
requirement. In some companies, project or product
engineers are in charge of finding a mold manufacturer,
but even then there are questions about what to look for
in a mold supplier.
Many purchasing people will go online as a first step,
and there they will find a plethora of mold
manufacturers. So how to pick the right one for the job?
Most mold shops have similar machine tool capabilities
and CAD/CAM software systems. Where the differences
come into play are the mold types in which different
shops specialize. Some of the types of molds include:
• Insert Molds: molds which accommodate inserts
(either robotically or manually inserted) which
the plastic is molded around to eliminate
secondary or post-molding operations.
• Overmolding molds: molds which
accommodate placement of a substrate part over
which another material is molded, i.e. an ABS
substrate with a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE)
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molded over it. (Think toothbrush handle.)
• Two-shot molds: mold which are built to
accommodate multi-material molding or multi-
color molding, such as an automotive tail light,
which might require both red and orange
polycarbonate material to be molded for a
complete tail light.
• Rotary Stack Molds: molds that produce
multiple parts that require multiple processes.
The mold is built in a “cube” and after each
process the mold rotates 90 degrees for the next
process. This is for highly complex components
requiring both multi-material or multiple steps
to complete, but the result is a final, completed
and assembled unit. Eliminates secondary
operations, multiple steps after molding or
multiple molds to make a complete unit.
• Unscrewing molds: molds that accommodate
threaded parts such as screws, caps and
closures, and generally have either id or od
threads.
Some mold manufacturers specialize in very large-sized
molds such as those that would be used for bumpers on
cars or trucks. Some specialize in very small molds for
micro-molding. Most fall somewhere in between, and
can generally handle molds that fit up to a 500-ton
injection molding press. Mold manufacturers also have
market niches with which they have become well-
acquainted with such as extremely high-cavity molds
(128 cavities for example) for the packaging industry; or
smaller cavitation molds for the medical industry; or
very aesthetic molds for the cosmetics packaging
industry.
Mold manufacturers develop certain areas of expertise
over their years in business, and generally are more
successful when they stick to those areas of expertise.
While it’s not impossible that a moldmaker that has only
built smaller, 2, 4, 8 or 16-cavity molds could
successfully build a 96-cavity medical mold, it’s best to
find a mold manufacturing company that has a track
record in building the type of mold that the OEM
requires to help ensure everyone’s success.
For example, a mold manufacturer might be good at
large multi-cavity molds, but has never built an
unscrewing mold for a cap application. There are mold
manufacturers that specialize in building unscrewing
molds and have built hundreds over the years. The
opportunity for a successful build for a large, multi-
cavity unscrewing mold from a shop experienced in this
type of mold is much greater than one which has never
built an unscrewing mold.
If the price sounds too good to be true . . .
You’ve heard it before – it probably is. Mold
manufacturers do not have “standardized” pricing, so if
you go out for bid from several different mold
companies, you’ll probably get several different prices
which can range all over the map. Much of this price
variable has to do with the expertise of the mold
manufacturer in designing and building the type of mold
you require. It also has to do with their shop rates, which
can vary depending on the size of the shop or where the
shop is located, and other variables. But beware of a
mold price that sounds just too good to be true. This has
happened when OEMs get China pricing. The price often
comes in so low that it seems unbelievable. You will get
what you pay for!
If you get quotes that are very wide in price, go talk to
each moldmaker that submitted the bids and ask for a
detailed explanation of the quote and how he/she arrived
at that price. Make sure your RFQ contained all the
detailed information about the mold’s requirements and
that the moldmaker didn’t miss something that might
have added cost to the mold. Moldmakers are human too,
and none of them are mind-readers.
Finding a good mold manufacturer that can meet your
needs with a high-quality mold that will give you high-
quality parts isn’t rocket science, but doing your
homework is important. That is why when you go to the
member directory of the American Mold Builders
Association at www.amba.org; you’ll find a listing of
some 300 mold manufacturers, representing some of the
best in the industry, with their specialties in mold types,
markets, and much more. You can pre-qualify the
company before you send out RFQs so that you are sure
of getting “apples-to-apples” quotes. It will save you
time and money in the long run.
About the author: Clare Goldsberry has 28 years
experience in the plastics industry and has been a
marketing/sales manager for molding/moldmaking
companies. For the past 20 years, she has been writing
about the plastics industry for the top industry trade
magazines in North America. For more on this topic,
write for her book: Purchasing Injection Molds: a
buyer’s guide, available from the AMBA for just $25.
Call 847-222-9402 for more information.
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When to Use Hot Runner Systems
Hot runner (runnerless) systems are seeing more demand
in today’s high-speed, high-volume molding operations
due to higher material prices, a need to reduce cycle
time, reduce scrap rates, and increase overall
productivity and costs to manufacture, as compared to a
“cold runner” system.
Particularly in applications in which regrind cannot be
introduced (virgin resin only applications) back into the
material to produce the parts, hot runner systems have an
advantage in reducing the amount of material used as
well as the amount of scrap created by the runner
system.
In the book, “What Is A Mold?” produced by Tech Mold
Inc., a Tempe, AZ-based mold manufacturer, it says that
a “hot runner system is used to eliminate or lessen the
use of runners which must be removed from an injection
mold with the molded parts. If runners are eliminated,
the point of entry to the mold cavity (gate) will have a
hot drop (nozzle) suspended in the gate area. This is
necessary to retain controlled heat sufficient to promote
continuous moldability in the drop area directly adjacent
to the mold cavity.”
Tech Mold explains that the system has “a manifold
suspended behind the drops” that is electrically heated,
“as are the drops, in order to contain heat in the hot
manifold assembly. The system is also suspended so as
not to transfer unwanted heat into the rest of the mold.
The mold itself is designed to dissipate heat in order to
solidify the molded parts as quickly as possible to lower
cycle times.”
Hot runner technology is becoming a “fully-accepted”
and indeed the preferred method of gating many multi-
cavity molds, says Bruce Catoen in his new book,
“Selecting Injection Molds”. “They are replacing more
and more of the older runner methods especially the 3-
plate systems. In fact, older, existing 3-plate molds can
often be quite easily rebuilt into hot runner molds.”
Catoen notes in his book that “Today, there are many
well-established companies specializing in hot runners,
who sell either the basic hardware (manifold, nozzles,
heaters, etc.) or assembled hot runner systems, complete
with all associated plates and other hardware ready to be
joined to an otherwise complete mold built by the mold
maker. All that is required for a purchase order is to
specify the important interface dimensions and any
production data such as plastic to be used and the mass
of the product. These hot runner suppliers mass produce
the hardware items and use specialized methods and
equipment to produce better quality system parts at lower
costs. Such hot runners [systems] are then guaranteed to
work in the new mold and eliminate the need for the
mold maker to experiment and waste time and money
trying to get a “home made” system to work.”
While hot runner systems are typically used on large,
multi-cavity molds (32-cavity and up), many companies
are choosing to put hot runner systems on smaller multi-
cavity molds (8- or 16-cavity) because of the increased
productivity and reduced scrap.
Catoen writes that “In some molds, often for smaller
products with a large number of cavities, but also with
larger ones, a combination of cold and hot runner
systems can be of great advantage.
* It can eliminate a large portion of the cold runner and
thereby significantly reduce the mass of plastic to be
reground or lost.
* There is much less pressure drop between the machine
nozzle and the gates, because the pressure drop in the hot
runner manifold is smaller than in a (long) cold runner.
* It can be used when very small cavities cannot be
located very close to each other, as a “pitch” (distance)
for which there are no standard-spaced hot runner
nozzles available, or where it is not possible or practical
to use hot runner gates. Typically, a cluster of 2-6 (or
even m ore) very small products can be gated from a
small runner or a disk, which is fed from a hot runner
drop.
* It will shorten the cycle time. Large distributing (cold)
runners take much longer to cool than the final runners
feeding the cavities. Especially if the products cool
rapidly, such heavy runners significantly slow down the
molding cycle. The cold runner portion in such cases can
be treated as any cold runner mold; it could be a 3-plate
arrangement (rarely used) or a 2-plate system with edge
or tunnel gates in the product.”
Tech Mold’s book lists some of the advantages of a hot
runner system vs. a cold runner system:
· No runners to separate from the molded parts.
· No runners to either dispose of or regrind and
reprocess with the possibility of introducing
contamination into the virgin material if being
mixed with virgin.
· Hot drops carry consistent heat at processing
temperature directly into the cavity.
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· Cooling time for thin sectioned parts is shorter due
to the absence of thicker, longer cycle-
dependent runners.
· No need to provide robotics for runner removal.
· Plasticized material (shot size) is reduced by the
runner weight.
· Lower injection pressures may be realized during
packing stages due to heated gate areas in hot
runner systems.
· Less clamping pressure required versus two plate
cold runner molds
· Sprue sticking and nozzle freeze-off associated
with cold runners is eliminated.
· A cleaner molding room can be realized without
dealing with regrind, an advantage particularly
in clean-room molding environments.
While hot runner systems typically add somewhere in the
range of $40,000 - $60,000 to the cost of the mold, the
advantages of using a hot runner system provide fairly
fast payback in the right mold. However, Catoen writes,
“There are still some molds for which the advantages
cannot be justified economically, especially for low
production items. In these cases, the older systems,
especially cold runner 2-plate molds are still much in
use.”
If the OEM believes that they have an application that
might be suitable for a hot runner system, they should
consult with a mold manufacturer that is experienced in
producing molds with hot runner systems. Most of the
AMBA member companies build hot runner molds for
customers in a variety of industries, and can help the
OEM determine if the application will benefit from a hot
runner system.
For more information contact Bruce Catoen at 905-877-
0185, Jerry Seidelman at Tech Mold Inc., 480-968-8691,
or visit www.techmold.com or visit the AMBA web site at
www.amba.org to locate a mold manufacturer.
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Prototype Tooling - Is it Worth the
Added Costs?
Many engineers wonder about the value of prototyping
whether that involves rapid prototyping of parts using
one of the many processes available (stereolithography -
SLA ; selected laser sintering - SLS; fuse deposition
modeling - FDM), or Rapid Tooling (RT) that will mold
parts in the actual polymer material. Typically, if OEMs
want just one or two pieces to prove out the design,
they’ll use SLA or some other rapid prototype process.
But just how valuable is prototype tooling? Should you
spend the additional money to have a prototype mold
built to produce parts in the actual resin required?
Prototype tooling can be wise investment if you’re
unsure of the part’s functionality or moldability, or even
whether or not the marketing group will like the design
or ergonomics of the new product. Especially if you’re
going to be molding millions of units it’s important to
get it right.
Pre-production tooling can be helpful in defining a part’s
form, fit and function, allowing the OEM’s engineers
and the moldmakers engineers to collaborate in a way
that the OEM gets the part they need, prior to building a
high-cavitation mold. Most mold manufacturers offer a
variety of methods to achieve the OEM’s goals:
prototype parts can be helpful and a cost effective way to
test form and fit, and while not always in the polymer
material that is ultimately required, provides a “touchy-
feely” part that helps with initial evaluation. Some rapid
prototype equipment makers are developing a wider
range of materials however, that offer a greater
opportunity to prototype in the end-use material. There
are many options available to produce prototype parts,
and many mold shops have a partnership with a service
bureau if they do not have rapid prototyping in-house.
Another prototype method is to build a core and cavity in
either Direct Metal Laser Sintering process or in “soft”
tooling (P-20 or aluminum). Many OEMs prefer building
a pre-production mold or “bridge” mold that can that can
be expanded to accommodate production molding. A
pre-production mold can consist of a single core and
cavity in a larger base, which can then be expanded to
accommodate four or eight cavities when the part meets
the requirements.
Many OEMs choose to build soft tools to qualify the
molded part, and then run several hundred or even
several thousand pieces. MET Plastics Inc. ( Elk Grove,
IL ) specializes in aluminum tooling for prototype, short
and medium production runs. “Absolutely prototype
molds are worth the cost,” says Mike Walter, vice
president of MET Plastics. “If the OEM wants to qualify
molded part designs and do their quality checks with all
the inherent stresses of an actual molded part, or if they
need to run several hundred pieces, or perform multiple
design modifications, it’s worth the cost of that extra step
to do a prototype mold.”
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Walter says that most often his customers want a
prototype mold because they’re not sure if product will
take off in the market. “So they start with an aluminum
tool as a bridge tool until they get funding for the
production mold or until they determine market
requirements for the part,” he adds. MET Plastics has in-
house molding operations on presses ranging from 40-
720 tons.
But building an aluminum “bridge” tool often ends up
being the production tool, as OEMs continue to use the
aluminum mold for production parts. Walter says the
oldest aluminum mold they have was built as a prototype
mold in 1971 to run parts molded from glass-filled
Lexan. “We’re still running 5,000 parts a year off that
mold,” he chuckles. “That’s a bit extreme, but we
continue to use bridge tools to mold 50,000-75,000 units
a year. That’s very common to use the prototype mold
for low-volume production.”
A prototype mold can help eliminate surprises at a lower
cost than building a hardened steel production tool.
OEMs can qualify that the part can be molded to their
requirements, or they might find a part doesn’t meet the
mechanical requirements, or aesthetically the part isn’t
what they expected. “It absolutely helps the whole
engineering process,” says Walter. Over the years, he
notes, the requirement for prototype parts has dropped
because people are doing simulated FEAs with computer
software, so they don’t have the expense of prototype
tooling.
Tech Mold Inc. ( Tempe, AZ ) established an R&D
center a few years ago to help customers with their
prototype requirements, which Tech Mold calls “pre-
production” molds. The advantage of Tech Mold’s
dedicated R&D facility to customers is having the ability
to design and build dimensionally correct pre-production
molds, quickly and cost-effectively, while taking the
lessons learned in the design and development stages to
the multi-cavity production mold when the customer is
ready.
“Developmental prototype molds offer the customer
greater opportunity to have true-to-spec, dimensionally-
correct parts in hand, while at the same time laying the
groundwork of critical manufacturing information for the
multi-cavity production mold to reduce mold-build time
and costs,” said Brad Bollech, Tech Mold’s R&D
manager.
A customer came to Tech Mold with a four-part
assembly, one of those parts being a 2-shot component,
along with 300 molded parts that needed to be delivered
in six weeks that met all dimensional and quality criteria
so the customer could perform a marketing study on the
new product. Rather that manufacturing separate
prototype and production molds, which would result in
longer lead times and higher costs, Tech Mold R&D
offered a quick, short-term solution with a long-range
approach. Knowing their customer’s needs would not
require multiple tools in multiple presses, Tech Mold
R&D’s approach was to design and build a custom mold
with five molding stacks into one mold base in order to
be aggressive in lead time and cost, while giving the
customer the advantage of being able to scale up to a
production mold when required.
“We designed and built a high-quality prototype mold
that provided parts meeting all the dimensional and
quality criteria,” said Bollech. “Manufacturing custom
molding stacks to be interchangeable in a single mold
base for the pre-production mold allowed us to maintain
greater precision and flexibility of design as well as the
ability to change out molding stacks in the press in 10-15
minutes.” “This hybrid approach of manufacturing
quality prototypes that deliver production quantities
means reduced capital expenditure for our customer’s
entire program,”Bollech said.
It’s obvious that building a prototype mold or “bridge”
tool is worth the extra cost up front on a project in which
there are still many unanswered questions, and where
much collaboration will need to happen between the
OEM’s engineers and the mold company’s engineers.
It’s far more cost effective to get it right in a soft tool,
and then produce a multi-cavity hardened tool, if that’s
what’s needed, than to continually re-cut hardened
cores/cavities trying to get it right after the fact.
[For more information on Rapid Tooling methods see
April’s Injection Molding Magazine at
imm.plasticstoday.com/imm/articles/rapidtools0409]
By: Clare Goldsberry
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Getting the Moldmaker Involved
Early
A successful mold manufacturing program involves
strategic planning, and one of the most important aspects
of that plan is getting the mold manufacturer involved in
the process early in the game. Most mold manufacturing
companies today are fully staffed with engineering
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personnel who are knowledgeable in plastic part design
as well as mold design, including design for
manufacturability.
Many OEMs are not aware of the knowledge base that
exists in many mold companies, and the opportunities
that offer the OEM to utilize that knowledge base to
design and develop optimum parts and molds that will, in
the long run, save time and money. In fact, the mold
manufacturer can become a part of the OEM’s
manufacturing team.
Wade Clark, president of Electroform Company Inc. in
Rockford, IL , believes that early involvement with the
moldmaker is key to the success of any program. “We’re
an extension of our customers’ R&D operations,” he
states. “Our early involvement helps customers reduce
their product launch time.”
It doesn’t matter how great your part design is if it can’t
be molded. Your first step should be to take your concept
model (3D computer model or prints or an SLA model)
and sit down with your mold maker’s engineering team
and get input on the part design. Can you really do what
you think you want to do in manufacturing this part?
Is this part moldable? If so, what type of molding process
is optimum? Injection molding or thermoforming? Blow-
molded or rotationally molded? Are there design issues
that would make this part more ideal for one process than
another? Are there design issues that will increase the
cost of the mold? Can those design issues be resolved in
some way to reduce the cost of the mold?
Working from the outset with the moldmaker can save
you a lot of money and time going forward. Some OEMs
work directly with the molder and it is then the molder
that works with the moldmaker. Or in some cases, the
molder has in-house moldmaking capabilities which then
put the entire project under one roof, which has benefits.
If however, the molder doesn’t have mold manufacturing
capabilities and must sub-contract the moldmaking that
makes the molder a “middle-man” in the project, which
often adds a layer of complexity to managing it.
Innovation Mold & Design Inc., Germantown, WI ,
specializes in early involvement with the OEM. Dan
Fairbanks, President, says that his company begins with
part design assistance. “The OEM might have concept
drawings, but maybe doesn’t know if that design is
manufacturable from an injection molding standpoint,”
Fairbanks says.
Fairbanks always recommends that customers get an
SLA functional prototype part made first to make sure
the components fit. “You can choose not to get an SLA
prototype part, but if you don’t we’re not responsible for
the end product,” says Fairbanks . The next step is to
decide on the actual plastic material to be used in the end
product based on criteria for use established by the
OEM.
Next, Innovation Mold will produce a prototype mold in
P-20 steel, because prototypes often require a lot of
engineering changes and P-20 accommodates welding
and other necessary changes better than aluminum.
Using P-20 steel and burning or machining the inserts
right into the steel so the investment for Innovation
Mold’s customers are just the inserts. The company has
modular bases to accommodate a variety of inserts even
3-plate or hot-tip.
“Because of the way we make our prototype molds, we
can do fast turnarounds, generally about two weeks, and
then get the customer functional parts in their material,”
Fairbanks explains. “We also have a molding machine
here at our facility so that we can not only qualify the
parts but we may be asked to run 10,000 to 20,000 parts
once approval is given to fill the pipeline until the
hardened steel production mold is built, which is another
advantage of using P-20 steel.”
Because Innovation Mold works with the OEM from the
outset, the entire program including the final production
molds, can move forward much faster. Additionally,
Innovation Mold provides all the information necessary
for the molder, including CAD files, cycle time, shot
weight, and other pertinent information. “When they go
to the molder they are armed with all the information
they need to get good piece part prices,” says Fairbanks .
Fairbanks also believes that involving the moldmaker
early in the project gives the OEM better control over the
quality of the mold and hence, the molded parts. “You
get what you pay for,” he says.
Early involvement case study
When Innovation Mold & Design asked its customers
what was needed to help them be more competitive in
today’s demanding manufacturing environment, the
typical response was: help us manufacture the highest
quality parts in the shortest possible lead times and
reduce the investment.
Up to the challenge, Innovation proposed a simple and
effective approach to the typical process of quoting a job.
Dan Fairbanks, President of Innovation Mold, says, “A
large percentage of our customers are OEMs. When our
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designers work closely with our customers’ design
engineers we develop solutions in a collaborative way,
improving not only the part but the mold to produce that
part as well; a mold that will perform better, save time
and bottom line - reduce costs. Keeping an open line of
communication and staying involved in the development
process avoids potential issues from being easily
overlooked.”
A challenging project recently completed by Innovation
Mold took full advantage of early involvement and
working collaboratively with the customer to optimize
the outcome. This newly developed product required a
complex tool that needed to be completed in a very short
time frame, and had to stay within a tight budget. In
addition to identifying and addressing any potential
issues early on, Innovation Mold incorporated pioneering
ideas. The end result delivered a 16-cavity; multi-slide
tool in just eight weeks, and the tool’s performance
exceeded the customer’s expectations. “To be as efficient
as possible we need to invest in the latest design software
and machine tool technology,” Fairbanks states. Early
involvement in any new project is a key factor in
allowing us to optimize our capabilities in a way that
benefits the customers.” By: Clare Goldsberry
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
Why Minor Changes in a
Part/Mold Design Could Result
in Major Cost Increases
Let’s face it – changes in the part design and/or mold
design are an inevitable part of the mold development
and build process. Rarely is an engineering data file cast
in stone from the outset, which is why good
collaboration between the moldmaker and the OEM’s or
molding company’s engineering team is required for a
successful program. However, one important thing to
remember is that the OEM or the molder for the OEM,
can’t expect to make a lot of changes to the quoted
part/mold design and not expect changes to the cost of
the mold.
What might seem like a minor change to the OEM might
in actuality be a major change to the moldmaker,
resulting in a major cost increase. Depending on what
stage the mold build is in, the change could result either
no cost increase, minor cost increase or a big cost
increase. That’s why it’s increasingly critical to have the
CAD file as accurate and close to the desired end-
product as possible.
“Small changes to a part design can result in a long list
of adverse effects on the mold design and the processing
of that part,” says Hans Noack, mold designer for Matrix
Tooling Inc. (Wood Dale, IL) “Features that have been
added, adjusted, or even eliminated may affect cooling
and ejection, which will then alter the cycle time.”
Missed dimensional numbers in file translations from
one type of CAD system to another, continue to plague
moldmakers in spite of the many improvements that have
been made by CAD software makers. If the mold
company works in 3D, you can see a “virtual model” of
the part before steel is cut, and that is a prime
opportunity to make any changes that might be required.
Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) can create problems.
Moldmaking industry standards generally dictate that
when a customer calls with an ECO to the part design,
the moldmaker tells the customer by phone personally or
by e-mail (which creates a paper trail), that the change
might affect the lead time and/or price of the mold. Both
of these can be costly, depending on the changes made.
After a review by the mold designer of the change
requested, the mold company can then make the
necessary changes to the schedule and/or the price, and
notify the OEM or the molding company of those
changes in writing. Everything should be in writing!
Don’t leave anything to verbal instruction or
information, because if it isn’t written down and
confirmed, it’s like it never happened. This practice
stems from customers who make major changes to a part
design that result in changes to the mold that in turn
result in additional costs and a longer lead time, yet
expect to hold the mold manufacturer to the original
price and lead time. Change is just what it indicates:
CHANGE. In many cases nearly everything changes
when one thing changes.
If an OEM begins to make a lot of changes, the
moldmaker might be forced to put the project on hold
until all the changes are worked through and finalized on
the part design before actually cutting steel. Once the
mold manufacturer begins cutting steel, any changes to
the part’s design can become more costly, depending on
how far along the moldmaker has gotten in the build
process.
“Tool designs are always based on the final geometry of
any given part. Prior to manufacturing, all designs are
usually be modified with relative ease,” explains Noack.
“Design changes after the manufacturing process require
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much more careful consideration.”
Changes that require re-cutting steel or re-burning
electrodes often mean major delays, and the moldmaker
is then put on hold until the new changes can be
approved by the customer. When the customers drag
their feet in approving part designs, mold designs, or
changes to part or mold design, they risk delaying
delivery of the mold and increasing the price.
Many years ago, when 16-20 week lead times were
common, shops had time to allow for changes. No one
was in a big hurry. In today’s fast time-to-market
demands from OEMs, and lead time averaging eight
weeks or less for straight-forward, lower-cavitation
molds, changes may come too late in the game. High-
speed machining means that steel gets cut in a matter of
hours rather than days, as it used to be two decades ago.
So, OEMs need to keep that in mind when moving
forward on a new program.
In some cases, the molder or the OEM might change the
way it processes or handles the manufacturing process,
and that might require an engineering change. Noack
also notes that OEMs need to consider how the part will
be used. “In some cases robotics and other automation
will need to be adjusted in production to compensate for
a design change.”
Jim Ziegenhorn, Matrix Tooling’s CAM programmer,
provides an example of a picture frame part. “The design
will reflect all the cooling, ejection, strength and support
issues. Then comes a request for a simple connecting
span of plastic between the outside portions of the frame,
which seems simple enough at first, but you have to
consider that you may not be able to add adequate
ejection due to cooling lines being in the way,”
Ziegenhorn. “If you remove some of the cooling to add
proper ejection then the cycle time will be affected. If the
cooling becomes unevenly distributed, you could have
issues with part warpage. Support may also be affected
due to the additional ejection which can have an adverse
effect on strength.”
Changes during the mold build or changes after the mold
build to accommodate different processing parameters or
the use of automation, can often be costly. And, as
Ziegenhorn points out, it’s often a series of affects when
one, seemingly simple change is made. “Some of what
seems to be the most minor modifications can adversely
affect the whole process of the tool build and part
processing.”
Thanks to Matrix Tooling Inc. (www.matrixtooling.com)
for its input into this article. If you have questions for
moldmakers, see www.amba.org and click on “Ask a
Moldmaker”. By: Clare Goldsberry
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Selecting the Optimum Type of Mold
for Your Part
When OEMs consider a new plastic product or
component part that requires a mold, one of the first
things they think is “how much will this mold cost?”
Mold cost is not the first consideration that a company
should make, but what type of mold will reduce your
overall cost to manufacture while improving quality.
Part cost will vary depending on the type of mold that
you choose. And the type of mold that you choose is
based on a number of factors:
·Number of parts required annually - this figure should
be an accurate figure, not something pulled out of the air
or a guess. If you need 3 million parts annually, then
you’ll need a mold capable of running 3 million parts per
year comfortably so you can meet your manufacturing
schedule without downtime.
·Will a secondary operation be required for the part? If
so, there are various technologies that can reduce costs
such as inline operations or even in-mold technology that
can significantly reduce cycle time and manual handling
of parts that will improve quality.
·Material selection is also key to the type of mold you
will need. Certain filled engineering thermoplastics cause
more wear and tear on the mold, so you will want a
hardened steel mold for many applications in which glass
filled or other filled materials are required.
· Part cost is also important. Do you know your target
part cost? If so, talk to your mold supplier about that cost
because he/she can help you get to that target by
designing the appropriate mold for the part.
· Design of the part. All plastic parts must be designed
for manufacturability. While a part design might look
good on paper, it might not be manufacturable in its
current iteration. Or it might be manufacturable but at a
very high cost in both mold and piece-part price.
There are many different types of molds and the best
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thing an OEM purchasing agent or engineer can do is to
educate themselves about these various types of molds.
1) Conventional or standard mold: A standard mold
with an ejector-plate assembly is generally used when
parting line runner are acceptable, and ejector pins,
sleeves, or blades are adequate to remove the molded
parts from the mold. A standard mold is sometimes
referred to as a two-plate mold and consists of a cavity
and a core side.
2) Slide-core Mold Base: When an undercut or coring
feature is required that cannot be formed and ejected
through a standard mold opening, a slide-core mold base
is generally used. The slide core is used to form the
feature and is withdrawn prior to ejection of the part.
When slides are present, the mold closes, the slides come
into place, the plastic is shot into the mold, the slides pull
out, and the mold opens, allowing for easy removal of
the part. This mold is good for parts with complex
features.
3) Stripper-plate mold: When ejector pins or blades are
inadequate or objectionable in removing parts from a
mold, a stripper-plate mold is generally used. Caps and
closures with internal threads are examples of parts that
might be molded in this way.
4) Three-plate mold: When placing a gate at the side or
edge of a part is objectionable because is could cause fill
problems, a three-plate mold permits a central fill point
that allows for uniform filling without part-weakening
weld lines.
5) Thread-forming (unscrewing) mold with a hot
manifold: When a part requires internal threads and
cannot be ejected by a stripper-plate mold without
damaging the threads, a thread-forming mold generally is
used. The hot manifold is a heating and distribution
system for the resin, used for many types of molds; the
system feeds from the molding machine’s injection
nozzle and carries the melted plastic directly to each
cavity or to a secondary runner system. Thread-forming
molds are used in producing plastic nuts, bolts, certain
gears and caps and closures for the food and beverage
industry. Internal threads can sometimes be stripped or
molded with collapsible cores, as in soft-drink and coffee
closures, respectively.
6) Family mold: Multiple components of a product, all
made of the same resin, can be molded in a family mold
cavity. A good example of a family mold’s use is for a
plastic model car or airplane in which parts of various
sizes and shapes come still attached to one runner. But
don’t let that fool you when it comes to price or
complexity. Family molds are extremely complex and
must be carefully designed in order for them to be
balanced and permit optimum molding. The use of
sequential gaging technology for timing gate openings
and closings, which results in optimum parts from a
family mold, makes the process easier. However, Anne
Bernhardt, president of Plastics & Computers Inc., notes
that “a family mold increases the complexity of the
process and of the mold, requiring a more precise
operation all the way around.”
7) Stack mold: Essentially, a stack mold is two molds
stacked back-to-back that share a common plate. A stack
mold doubles the cavitations without the need to increase
press size, and are typically used for flat parts such as
food container lids, coffee-can lids or thin-walled
shallow food containers. Stack molds have gained in
popularity over the past decade, particularly in the
packaging industry as the volumes tend to be high and
stack molds provide high-productivity and efficiencies,
often without adding molding equipment or production
space.
8) Rotating Stack mold: Rotating stack molds or
“Cube” molds have also come onto the scene over the
past decade. Another name, Spin Stack(tm) technology,
requires a license. This is generally a multi-cavity mold
which combines a number of processing technologies
including in-mold labeling, in-mold painting, in-mold
assembly, etc. through the use of a “cube” mold. The
first station is where the initial plastic substrate is shot
into the cavities, then the mold rotates 90 degrees, and
perhaps another type of plastic such as a thermoplastic
elastomer is shot over that. Then another 90 degree
rotation takes it to a station where another operation such
as assembly is performed and then another 90 degrees
where the part is ejected. While the molds are not cheap,
much can be saved in secondary operations by doing
several steps in the mold.
9) Two-component molds: For molding parts that have
two different materials (a thermoplastic substrate with an
overmolded thermoplastic elastomer, for example) or
two different colors (such as a red and orange tail light
assembly), a two-component or “two-shot” mold is idea.
Doing both materials or both colors in one mold saves
time in having to remove the first component from the
mold, and placing it into a second mold for the second
shot. Tooth-brushes are a good example of a hard plastic
substrate with a thermoplastic elastomer grip over-
molded onto it. Generally, two different material
shrinkages must be considered and good bonding
between the two materials must be ensured.
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While you don’t need to know all the details about all the
types of molds that are available, you should be familiar
with a few of the options before you send out a request
for quote. This ensures that you can get the best mold for
the money, one that will meet your needs and provide
optimum manufacturing in a cost-effective manner. The
more you know about your own requirements, the better
your mold supplier can assist you with making the right
decision.
For more information, order your copy of Purchasing
Injection Molds: a buyer’s guide, by Clare Goldsberry.
Available from www.amba.org
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Does Offshoring Molds Still Make
Sense?
U.S. moldmakers have become more competitive in price
and leadtime over the past decade than ever before.
While U.S. mold manufacturers are not afraid of
competition, they continue to fight for "fair" trade, not
just "free" trade. They know that when bidding on a job
against China , they can come close to the Chinese price
thanks to technologies such as 3D CAD modeling, High-
Speed Machining (HSM), and more efficient ways of
mold build. Still, they are being asked to find a China
source. Recently, a mold manufacturer told me that a
major appliance maker was set to let $26 million in
tooling over the next year, and announced that as proof
that they were promoting manufacturing in the USA .
The catch was that while the jobs were to be released to
U.S. mold companies, they required 70% of that work to
be sub-let to Chinese mold shops -- regardless of whether
or not the U.S. mold maker could meet the Chinese
price.
The American Mold Builders Association is engaged in
an effort to educate OEMs about the True Cost of their
molds that are let to Chinese mold builders, so that when
mandates come from upper management that a
percentage of mold programs MUST be let to Chinese
shops, engineers and purchasing managers have the
knowledge necessary to show upper management the
benefits of staying in the USA, particularly for molds
that will be run in facilities in the USA.
Recently, Farouk Shami, CEO of Farouk Systems Inc.,
Houston, Texas , announced that he is moving all of his
manufacturing from China to Houston , where the
company's headquarters are. He has enlisted two
molders, so far, to mold the parts for his hair blow dryers
and hair irons, and other hair care products containers,
and is looking for U.S. moldmakers with to partner. His
main reason for moving manufacturing from China is the
tremendous costs associated with piracy and
counterfeiting. He was spending upwards of $500,000 a
month to combat counterfeiting and in refunding money
to customers who bought his products which then failed
to perform, as counterfeit products often do.
Many other companies, major firms such as Emerson
Electric, are moving manufacturing from Asia back to
North America . Many are choosing to manufacture in
Mexico , our neighbor to the south and NAFTA partner,
with the molds being made in the U.S.
Many AMBA member companies build complex, highly
technical molds that provide long life, high productivity
and efficiency, and perform over the long term as
expected. And U.S. mold manufacturers offer support
after the sale, without the expense of shipping the molds
across an ocean!
However, if you have molds built in China that need
engineering changes, rework, repair or rebuild -- as many
do once they hit U.S. shores, there are many AMBA
member companies that specialize full time in these
projects for OEMs that buy molds from China.
The cost of shipping, engineering time away from the
office to oversee mold builds in Asia that require
expensive air fares, hotel bills, and other expenses are
drastically reduced or in some cases eliminated with
building molds in the U.S. And, U.S. mold
manufacturers can, in most instances, come within 10% -
20% of the quoted prices on molds from China . Thus,
there is no real benefit to building molds in China if
those molds are to be run in the USA .
Below is a link to an article for you to read that we think
addresses this issue quite well, and hope you will find it
informative. If you want to understand your costs to
buying offshore vs. the US, please write to us and
request, "Knowing the True Costs of Your Molds", a
brochure with a worksheet to help you determine
whether or not it makes sense for you to build offshore. If
you decide that it doesn't make sense for you, go online
to www.amba.org, and look at our list of nearly 300
mold manufacturers. There is quality-oriented mold
manufacturer near you, right in your own backyard.
Then you can proudly say, "Made in the USA ."
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http://www.scmr.com/article/329491-
Does_offshoring_still_make_sense_.php
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Typical Mold Materials: Which One
is Right for the Mold you Require?
There are many types and grades of mold materials to
choose from when specifying your mold. So how do you
know which is best? Generally, your mold manufacturer
can help you make that determination when you sit down
to discuss those criteria that will impact which mold
material is suitable for your requirements.
Some of the considerations that are critical to the choice
of mold material are:
* Program life - Do you expect the program for the
particular components to last one year? Five years? or
longer? If you anticipate a long program life, then you
need a mold that will be extremely durable to provide the
most trouble-free molding operation.
* Plastic material - What type of material will be used to
mold the parts? This also weighs heavily on the type of
mold material you will choose. For example, if the resin
is abrasive, i.e. is a glass-filled material, metal-filled,
etc., a softer mold material will mean greater wear on the
cores and cavities, more maintenance and shorter life of
the mold. Unfilled commodity-grade materials such as
polypropylene, low-density polyethylene, and even
unfilled engineering-grade materials such as
polycarbonate or ABS, generally are okay for a softer
grade of mold material.
* Number of parts required - How many parts will you
require per month? per year? If that number is low –
100,000 parts or less annually – then you can probably
get away with a softer mold material. However, if you
require five million parts annually, you might want to
look at hardened tool steels to meet these requirements.
There are a number of different types of mold materials.
A) Aluminum - This is becoming an increasingly popular
material for injection molds, primarily because many of
the grades of aluminum can provide a cost-effective
alternative to mold soft mold steels. In today’s
manufacturing world, many programs are seeing shorter
lifespans as products evolve to meet changing consumer
needs, so that a program that might have lasted five years
a decade ago only last a year now. That means fewer
parts that need to be molded and an aluminum mold will
work just fine. Aluminum is easy to machine, so lead
times can be reduced and overall cost-savings realized.
Aluminum is also typically used for thermoform molds
and blow molds. Typically, aluminum isn’t used where
tough, abrasive resins are required for the parts.
B) P-20 - This is a pre-hardened chrome-moly tool steel
made specifically for machined cavities. Usually no heat
treating is required. Many times, P-20 will be chosen as a
step above aluminum for longer life.
C) H-13 - This is a chromium-based mold steel designed
for increased production and longer mold life. It is
thermal shock and fatigue resistant, and offers superior
machinability and polishability.
D) S-7 - This is a versatile grade recommended for
applications demanding high degrees of toughness and
moderate wear resistance.
E) Stainless Steel - This steel is used for extremely high
part volumes and provides high polishability for molding
aesthetically sensitive parts, particularly medical-grade
components, and products for the cosmetics industry.
Bohler-Uddeholm provides a prehardened 400 series
Stainless Steel that offers many benefits
(www.bucorp.com/files/MMT_Bohler_M303extra_featu
re_article.pdf).
Some mold steel companies offer their own “brands” of
these various mold materials, such as International Mold
Steel. That company supplies a variety of mold materials
such as Porcerax II, a sintered porous metal with porosity
in the range of 20-30% by volume. Using this in
appropriate areas eliminates gas build-up, reduces
injection pressure, lowers cycle times, gloss levels and
substantially reduces scrap and reject rates, according to
the company.
International Mold Steel also provides NAK 55 and a
NAK 80, both are 40 HRC pre-hardened to 38-42 HRC
and machine fast, don’t need stress relieving generally,
and are highly weldable. The company’s PX5 is a
modified P-20.
As is typical when processing plastic parts – no matter
what the process, be it injection molding,
thermoforming, or blow molding – there are many
variables involved that impact the choice of mold
material. The best way to make an optimum selection is
to consult your mold manufacturer, who has excellent
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contacts with all the mold steel and aluminum suppliers,
and can provide you with spec sheets and other
information on the suitability of the various materials to
your mold and molded parts requirements.
Additional Resource: Moldmaking Technology Magazine
- www.moldmakingtechnology.com/articles/080001.html
Want to extend the life of your mold? Read Clare
Goldsberry’s article in Injection Molding Magazine on
Using Plating to Extend the Life of Your Mold. June 3,
2009
www.plasticstoday.com/imm/articles/gaining-edge-
plating-longer-mold-life
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What Constitutes a Good, High-
Production Mold?
Building high production, high cavitation molds requires
a mold manufacturer whose expertise is in this arena.
While every mold the OEM builds needs to be a well-
built mold, made to specifications and able to make a
conforming part, building molds for high production
requires special diligence and careful choice of mold
manufacturer.
Early involvement with the mold manufacturer is always
key, and you need to crunch the numbers to make sure
that the mold you buy is really the one you need. Often,
OEMs will estimate a greater number of parts required
than they actually need when they start production. It’s
not uncommon for an OEM to ask a mold manufacturer
to quote a mold that will make 500,000 parts per month,
only to find out that the product isn’t taking off as
marketing anticipated or the ramp-up was slower to
happen.
In estimating the number of parts high-production molds
make, there is the actual part production in one hour vs.
part production in one hour at 85% efficiency. For a part
running at a five-second cycle in a 32-cavity mold, the
actual number of parts is 23,040. For that same part
running at 85% efficiency, you’ll get 19,584 parts per
hour. That translates to 171,555,840 parts in one year.
[See Appendix B of this Tip Guide]
Many high-cavitation molds can be seen running with
several cavities blocked off because those cavities were
not making conforming parts. For molders, whether
custom molders or OEMs’ in-house molding operations,
sometimes it’s easier to block off the non-conforming
cavity and keep running that to stop the press, take the
mold out and fix it. You don’t get the best productivity
out of a high-cavitation mold – say 32 cavities – if only
half of them are running.
Part cost and productivity go hand-in-hand, but realize
that only a well-built, precision mold will provide you
with the productivity required to reduce cycle time and
thus part costs. Those considerations need to be made up
front, with a mold manufacturer that is qualified to build
high-production molds that run in a high-volume setting.
Excerpted from Purchasing Injection Molds: a buyer’s
guid, by Clare Goldsberry. For more information,or to
order your copy, available from www.amba.org.
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
How Big, How Small, How Many?
Determining the Number of Cavities
in a Mold
Determining the number of cavities in your mold
requires more than just an educated guess. It’s critical to
the productivity and efficiency of the mold, and to your
own inventory needs to have the appropriate number of
cavities.
The number of cavities in a mold is a function of the
number of parts required annually. A mold with too few
cavities won’t be able to meet your requirements – or
will be able to meet them only if the press runs 24 hours
a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. Since that is
nearly impossible and there is always some downtime to
consider for mold maintenance, repairs, or other
unexpected interruptions, estimating the number of
cavities is critical to meeting your demand for parts.
Typically, say those in the industry, mold buyers don’t
define their targets with respect to manufacturing goals.
Buyers should ask themselves, “Why do I want a 16-
cavity mold vs. a four-cavity mold?” And the answer
should be a better one than “Because it’s cheaper.”
The more cavities you have, the larger the mold must be
to accommodate them. With a large part, more than one
cavity means a mold with a footprint of several square
feet, and it might be better to choose a one-cavity mold.
Smaller parts are more easily accommodated in a
multicavity mold.
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Volume is another consideration. Mold buyers with
large-volume requirements, such as several million parts
annually, often prefer to buy a large multicavity mold –
one with 32, 64, or even more. (Remember, the number
of cavities must be balanced – 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 or more.
This is sometimes referred to as the “power of 2”
meaning 2 to the second power equals 4, 2 to the third
power equals eight, and so on.)
Small components like disposable medical parts or caps
for soda bottles, or milk or water jugs, and other closures
for food containers, are often molded in large,
multicavity molds that require presses with larger
tonnage. Some of these molds are more than 200
cavities! That’s a lot of parts, but then companies that
produce millions of bottles annually need a lot of bottle
caps!
Some mold buyers with high-volume requirements prefer
several smaller, multicavity molds – perhaps four 8-
cavity molds that run in a 150-ton press vs. one 32-cavity
mold that runs in a 300-ton press. The strategy of using
four 8-cavity molds means that the molds have a smaller
footprint, and run in smaller presses that cost less to
operate, and can often reduce overall costs to
manufacture. Although the piece part price is
exponentially less with a higher cavitation mold, the fact
that the mold must run in a larger press that costs more to
operate often offsets any real savings in piece part price.
Smaller molds are easier to move in and out of the press,
and easier to maintain.
Some molding personnel point out that rarely do you see
a 64-cavity mold with all 64 cavities running. With a
large mold, should a cavity begin making a non-
conforming part, maintenance will typically block off
that cavity until the mold can be taken out for repair. It’s
not unusual to see a high-cavitation mold with a dozen
cavities blocked off because the mold needs to run 24
hours a day, seven days a week until they can get a break
in the production cycle. From a production standpoint,
this is neither efficient nor productive or cost effective.
In making a decision as to size and number of cavities,
the prudent approach is to work with a moldmaker to
evaluate the number of parts required weighed against
the cost-effectiveness of large vs. small multicavity
molds.
Excerpted from Clare Goldsberry’s Purchasing Injection
Molds: A buyer’s guide.
 ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
Ten Pointers for Better Mold
Production
Although the criteria and the technology used to produce
molds have changed dramatically in recent years, the
basic rules for developing a mold that meets the original
design criteria, and functions effectively, have not
changed at all. These tips are based on more than 30
years experience in the field of mold and die
manufacturing. Many of these tips talk about
communication. As any moldmaker will tell you, all too
often there is incomplete information available at the
onset of a program. This is like having only half the map;
the chances of getting to the final destination on time are
very slim.
1. Design with specified cost and time criteria.
The old rule of “good, fast and cheap” still applies. There
always seems to be time for rework or adjustment after
meeting that ultra short deadline, but it is better to allow
reasonable time in the design stage for review and
correction.
2. Make sure your design specifications can be
produced using existing technology.
Programs like Solidworks and the availability of rapid
prototyping can provide early insight into potential
problems that might occur before metal gets cut. Provide
the engineering group with full specifications, do not
leave anything out. If something is left out here it will
cost time and money to fix later in the process.
3. Share your company’s design philosophy with your
moldmaker and allow the moldmaker’s design team
the opportunity to contribute.
Many companies design new molds and dies based on
their current inventory and their operating environment.
It may be possible to speed up production with some
very simple modifications to a design. Invite your
moldmaker to make suggestions that can enhance
moldability.
4. Set clear guidelines on required minimum tool life
and capacity before manufacturing starts.
A clear definition of the expected performance and
service requirements on a mold or die can help to save
money upfront. If your product is likely to be modified
or replaced in a relatively short period of time the
moldmaker’s engineering group can design accordingly.
- 14 –
Find a moldmaker at www.AMBA.org
5. Have the moldmaker establish a production
timetable that allows reasonable time for bench
testing prior to delivery.
All too often a mold is delivered to meet a production
deadline without being fine-tuned in a lab situation. Your
moldmaker should have the opportunity to run sample
parts at his facility. If there is a problem he can correct it
before delivery.
6. Set up a weekly progress report call/e-mail with
your sales representative during the manufacturing
process.
Sales reps are busy people. It helps to establish a regular
contact point to ensure the project is on schedule and on
budget. It doesn’t matter what size the project is, it’s
worth a weekly call to eliminate assumptions.
7. Ask the moldmaker for clear guidelines on how to
maintain the mold once it is installed.
Molds may be operated in less than ideal conditions.
Poor storage of materials, mold cleaning on an irregular
basis, bad press maintenance and ill-trained operators
can all contribute to poor mold performance. Your
moldmaker should include a set of instructions for care
and maintenance based on the specifications for usage.
8. Have a field sales representative from the mold
shop present during initial start-up and try-out.
A buy-off is very important. Many molds and dies have
sustained serious damage and require immediate repairs
due to poor installation. Having a technical
representative on site the first time the mold or die is
installed is good insurance.
9. Remember that the design and manufacture of a
mold or die is a collaborative effort.
Mold and die making is a combination of science and art.
Building a tool that will work 24/7 if required, demands
careful planning and checking at every phase of
production. Allow the time and expense for your staff to
visit the mold shop facility during production.
10. Don’t cut corners!
Giving the job to the lowest bidder might not make
sense. There is a reasonable price to pay for a mold or
die. If your budget is too low the chances are that you
will be rebuilding or repairing the tool within a fairly
short period. Trying to squeeze the last dollar out of a
moldmaker’s estimate can end up doubling the cost of
the project. After all, price is what you pay for a mold.
Cost is what you continue to pay for a mold that was not
built correctly in the first place.
By: Kevin Hartsoe, President, NEU Dynamics Corp., • U.S. mold builders use SPI mold standards to
www.neudynamics.co, Contact the author at ensure high-quality molds.
kevinhartsoe@neudynamics.com.
• U.S. mold builders provide collaborative
product development
■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■
• U.S. mold builders building in the US means
you have recourse if you have a problem. U.S.
mold builders use quality mold steels and mold
Advantages of U.S. Molds components to ensure long-lasting production.
The local mold builder knows that the tools may
be seen again later for maintenance or repairs so
• U.S. mold builders won't copy your intellectual
the local toolmaker’s approach is going to
property -- your valuable proprietary
include the use of quality steels and
information is safe. A local mold builder
components, and he’s going to make the tools
overwhelmingly holds the advantage of the trust
easy to service and not take any short cuts that
factor.
will lead to dreaded ‘no charge fixes’.
• U.S. mold builders stand behind their work -- if
• U.S. mold builders support their customers in
you have a problem with your mold, they will
long-term relationships -- you have a friend in
make it right!
the American Mold Builders Association!
• Typical lead time for the freight is 3 to 4 weeks
• Buying products made in American factories by
for off-shore vs. 3 to 5 days in the U.S. Have
American workers keeps jobs in the US.
you factored in the cost and lead time to ship a
large mold from Asia to the U.S.? The cost of
ECOs or rework that a U.S. moldmaker will • Over the life of the mold, the value of that
have to do? (You won’t be shipping a mold tooling investment is enhanced through a
back and forth across the Pacific Ocean for relationship with the U.S. mold builder. Good
rework and ECOs!) And the cost of the mold’s communication during the program launch, part
productivity and efficiency, and maintenance revs to be in sync with the mold design through
over the life of the program. collaborative engineering, a familiarity with the
mold buyer’s past preferences, assistance during
startup and service after startup: all reasons to
• It’s been said by a U.S. mold buyer, “The price
dismiss the lure of seemingly cheap overseas
difference for equivalent tools is getting closer”
tooling.
between U.S. mold builders and overseas mold
builders. U.S. mold builders have adopted lean
practices and process optimization including
high-speed machining technology and robotic
work cells. Reducing time and labor has helped
reduce costs. Today’s pricing of U.S. molds
may be lower than you think!

• U.S. mold builders speak your language --

nothing gets lost in the translation. What is your
time worth? Communication can be a challenge
when you’re working with off-shore suppliers.

• U.S. mold builders are right in your backyard --

you can visit them quickly and less expensively
than you can if you had to fly to Shanghai or
Mumbai.

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Find a moldmaker at www.AMBA.org

 What Characterizes a Good, High-production Mold?
The difference between a well-designed and solidly built mold, (A) planned to produce reliably good quality products at the lowest cost, and a low-cost
mold (B) intended for the same product, can usually be seen right from the start, by visually comparing the two molds, and becomes obvious after
operating the mold for a relatively short time. * (excerpted from "Selecting Injection Molds, By Herbert Rees and Bruce Catoen.)

Subject Mold (A) Mold (B)

Conceived from start with high productivity and lowest cost Little if any thought has been given to the mold,
1. Concept & Design product in mind. Much time is spent on the mold concept except getting the shape of the product right, at the
before starting the actual design, or beginning to cut steel. lowest possible mold cost.

As long as the mold can produce the desired

2. Runner Systems
Much thought is given to decide on the most suitable runner product, even only for a short length of time, it is
system, the gating, cooling, and ejection of the products. considered acceptable.

3. Servicing of hot
runners
4. Strength of materials
In hot runner molds, access to the hot runner system for
minor servicing (changing heater bands or nozzle tips, etc.) is The mold must be removed from the machine for
possible right in the machine, without removing the mold. any service to the hot runners.
The strength of materials used in the mold is properly Cavities and cores are often not strong enough and
engineered. This applies typically to the strength of cavities expand or deflect when subjected to high injection
and cores to contain the high injection pressures and the size pressures. The mold plates are thin, just strong
of mold plates to support both cavities and cores. enough to hold the components in position.

Support plates are too thin and supports under the

5. Strength of supports Support plates are adequately heavy and sufficient supports cavities and cores are too small and often too far
are provided under the cavities and cores to ensure minimum apart, resulting in excessive deflection of these
deflection of the plates under load by clamping and during plates, misalignment between cavities and cores and
injection, thus guaranteeing quality products. causing excessive wear in the alignment features.

Appendix A
 What Characterizes a Good, High-production Mold?
The difference between a well-designed and solidly built mold, (A) planned to produce reliably good quality products at the lowest cost, and a low-cost
mold (B) intended for the same product, can usually be seen right from the start, by visually comparing the two molds, and becomes obvious after
operating the mold for a relatively short time. * (excerpted from "Selecting Injection Molds, By Herbert Rees and Bruce Catoen.)

Subject Mold (A) Mold (B)

Mold steel selection is appropriate for the expected life and

6. Mold steel selection
7. Mold hardware
performance of the mold and often, the best quality steels
and other materials are selected, without too much concern Any grade steel is used for the plates and cost of
about the added cost. (After all, with large production runs, materials and mold components is a serious
the additional cost per molded piece is infinitesimally small). consideration.
Leader pins are often too short and too slender, just
long enough to engage to LP bushings. They deflect
easily and do not ensure proper alignment of the
Careful consideration is given to select the best quality of mold halves. Tapers are usually too short, wear
(purchased) mold components to ensure trouble-free soon, and do not hold the cores aligned with the
operation. cavities.

Alignment feature (leader pins, tapers). Long, especially
8. Mold Alignment unsupported leader pins are heavy to ensure minimum
deflection. They are long enough to protect the exposed
cores from damage. Tapers for alignment are sized
proportional to the length of the core.
9. Tapers Alignment tapers are properly engineered, with specified
amounts of preload, to ensure holding the matching parts in
alignment securely.
Leader pins are often too short and too slender, just
long enough to engage to LP bushings. They deflect
easily and do not guarantee proper alignment of the
mold halves. Tapers are usually too short, wear
soon, and do not hold the cores aligned with the
cavities.
Tapers are matched without proper preload, and
therefore do not provide alignment. This can be
easily seen just after a few days of operation when
both matching surfaces are seen dirty or corroded.
Properly preloaded tapers are always shiny.

Appendix A
 What Characterizes a Good, High-production Mold?
The difference between a well-designed and solidly built mold, (A) planned to produce reliably good quality products at the lowest cost, and a low-cost
mold (B) intended for the same product, can usually be seen right from the start, by visually comparing the two molds, and becomes obvious after
operating the mold for a relatively short time. * (excerpted from "Selecting Injection Molds, By Herbert Rees and Bruce Catoen.)

Subject Mold (A) Mold (B)

10. Productivity
Cooling channels are carefully planned for optimal size and
location to provide maximum cooling efficiency and ensure
highest productivity. Cross drilling of the plates (which is
possible because they are thick enough) simplifies the
installation of the mold and improves the accessibility of the
mold for servicing during startup.
Cooling channels are frequently placed almost as an
afterthought, rather then planned from the beginning,
and often omit difficult-to-cool hot spots. They are
then connected outside the plates and often require
an excessive number of hoses to be connected; they
are making setup and servicing more difficult and
invite errors.

Moving plates, such as ejector plates, are properly

11. Moving plates Moving plates, such as ejector plates, are properly guided guided and supported to minimize wear of delicate
and supported to minimize wear of delicate pins, etc. Proper, pins, etc. Lubrication of wear points is left to the
often automatic, lubrication of wear points is provided. operators of the machine.

12. Mold mounting
13. Testing of mold
Mounting the mold to the machine is considered from the
beginning and the most suitable mounting methods are
provided.
The mold is thoroughly tested at the mold maker, not just for
product sizes and fits but also for productivity of the mold,
before delivery.
Usually, only mounting ledges are provided for the
use of rather unsafe mold clamps to hold the mold in
position.
The mold is only tested to check the sizes of the
products, and then shipped.

Appendix A

The difference between a well-designed and solidly built mold, (A) planned to produce reliably good quality products at the lowest cost, and a low-cost
mold (B) intended for the same product, can usually be seen right from the start, by visually comparing the two molds, and becomes obvious after
operating the mold for a relatively short time. * (excerpted from "Selecting Injection Molds, By Herbert Rees and Bruce Catoen.)
Subject
14. Cost of extras
15. Mold manual
16. Productivity
What Characterizes a Good, High-production Mold?
Mold (A) Mold (B)
Cost of extras are included in the mold price. These extras
consist of all necessary hardware to store, install, start up
and run the mold. To have these costs included makes it
possible to compare fairly all potential vendors. The following
list shows some but not necessarily all of these items: (Note
that when requesting a quotation, it is good practice to
request that any such foreseen item or feature is included in
the quotation.) 1.) Materials used for construction, 2.) Mold making is a very competitive business, and by
Coatings and finishing including plating (molding surfaces), omitting to commit oneself on expected productivity
3.) Pipe fittings and hoses, 4.) Electrical cables, 5.) Mold feet, and to consider necessary extras, the quoted mold
latches, and lift bars, 6.) Suggested spare parts, 7.) Crating price could become lower, thus more interesting to
and preparation for shipping, 8.) Cost of re-cuts, 9.) Cost of the unsuspecting buyer, who will later be faced with
re-tests, 10.) Guarantees on product size, 11.) Expected many additional expenses, or lack of productivity of
productivity, 12.) Payment terms and conditions, 13.) Extent the mold. The difference could be as much as 20%
of warranty. of the mold price.
The customer is supplied with a "Mold Manual", which
documents all that is to be known about the mold and its
accessories and vendor's products. It includes mold
drawings, test reports, safety tips, and mold maintenance
and trouble shooting instructions. There is usually no such mold manual supplied.
With every of the frequent breakdowns the molder
loses money, and any savings on the mold are soon
surpassed by the costs of downtime & repairs. Low
The molder smiles when he sees the mold producing large productivity & higher costs per unit produced will cost
quantities of good quality products, without breakdowns. The the molder much more than was saved in the first
higher cost is soon forgotten. place, particularly with large production runs.
Appendix A
 - Finding the Total Cost of Your Mold
U.S. MOLDMAKING SOURCE OFFSHORE MOLDMAKING SOURCE

Price of mold $ _________________________________________

Price of mold $ _________________________________________
Travel:
Air fare: $ ________________________________________________ Travel:
Hotel: $ _________________________________________ Air fare: $ ________________________________________________
Food: $ _________________________________________ Hotel: $ _________________________________________
Food: $ _________________________________________
Transportation: $ ________________________________________________
Transportation: $ ________________________________________________
Miscellaneous: $ ________________________________________________
Miscellaneous: $ ________________________________________________
Phone/Fax: $ _________________________________________
Phone/Fax: $ _________________________________________
Shipping prints: $ ________________________________________________
Shipping prints: $ ________________________________________________
Consultants fees: $ ________________________________________________
Consultants fees: $ ________________________________________________
Brokers fees: $ _________________________________________
Brokers fees: $ _________________________________________
Mold tryout: $ _________________________________________
Mold tryout: $ _________________________________________
ECOs/Rework: $ ________________________________________________
ECOs/Rework: $ ________________________________________________
Lost Production: $ ________________________________________________
(due to ECOs/Rework/slow cycle time) Lost Production: $ ________________________________________________
(due to ECOs/Rework/slow cycle time)
Mold Life Guarantee ____________________Years ________________cycles
Mold Life Guarantee ____________________Years ________________cycles
Replacement Tooling Cost: $ ________________________________________
Replacement Tooling Cost: $ ________________________________________
Cycle time: __________________________________________
Cycle time: __________________________________________
Shipping costs: $ ________________________________________________
Shipping costs: $ ________________________________________________
Maintenance costs: $ _________________________________________
Maintenance costs: $ _________________________________________
1. Total cost of Mold program: $_____________________________________
(total all items above) 1. Total cost of Mold program: $_____________________________________
(total all items above)
2. Life-time cost of parts: $____________________________________
(price * annual volume * years) 2. Life-time cost of parts: $____________________________________
(price * annual volume * years)
3. Freight, Warehouse, Logistics costs: $ _____________________________
3. Freight, Warehouse, Logistics costs: $ _____________________________

TOTAL COST OF PRODUCT: $ ______________________________________ TOTAL COST OF PRODUCT: $ ______________________________________