Editorial, News, and Products
How to Cut Mold Machining Costs in Half
How to hard mill and finish grind in a single setup, including an in-machine probing inspection.
2021 Leadtime Leader Award Winner: Westminster Tool—Perseverance with a Plan
Westminster Tool’s latest commitment to the plan—investment in new technologies, processes and capabilities, workforce development/training and sales & marketing—helped them edge out this year’s competition.
Erowa Technology to Preview PowerChuck P to Amerimold Attendees
The new system offers users a more flexible and precise interface between machine and workpiece, with 10,000 N clamping force, a compact design and complete automation.
Mold Builder’s Automated 24/7 Unattended Machining Speeds Up Simple to Complex Mold Builds
Industrial Molds, a division of Pyramid Molding Group specialize in designing, engineering and special machining to create quality, precision tooling.
The Lean Dream Team: How to Achieve High-Cavitation, Critical Dimension Molds
Incorporating multiple automation technologies enables Industrial Molds to produce and repair highly complex, precision molds with a very lean team.
Using the Right Technology at the Right Time and in the Right Way
Michigan mold and die maker puts its engineering expertise to work for each customer.
Makino Continues to Raise the Bar on Machining Technologies
Packed with information to help attendees advance moldmaking, and more, Makino’s Technology Expo shows the company’s commitment to its customers’ successes.
2019 Technology Review: Mold Components
MoldMaking Technology’s 2019 Technology Review and Sourcing Guide offers some of the latest highlighted products and services from supplier companies from a variety of categories, including mold components.
Highly-Automated Tool Shop Achieves Efficient, Precise Medical Device Manufacturing
When a basketball player needs a knee replacement, standard implants simply won’t do. With a total of 18 different additive manufacturing systems, the Aesculap division of medical company B. Braun is the place to go to have custom implants printed to size. However, the highly-automated tool and mold shop has much more to offer when it comes to producing injection molds, complex progressive dies as well as prototypes and fixtures for series production.
The Most Viewed Products of 2018
MoldMaking Technology wraps up the year by showcasing the most-viewed products of 2018.
Strategic Shifts Enable Growth for Fairway Injection Molds
Since its 2017 acquisition by Westfall Technik Inc., Fairway Injection Molds has been making many strategic changes to its infrastructure in preparation for growth.
New Erowa SmartChucks Make Workholding Industry 4.0-Ready
Erowa unveils smart workholding and automation products at IMTS.
2018 Technology Review and Sourcing Guide: Machining
MoldMaking Technology’s annual Technology Review and Sourcing Guide is an accurate, comprehensive, easy-to-read and easy-to-use use guide for researching today’s technology, equipment, products and services. The year’s latest moldmaking product developments within mold engineering/design, build and maintenance/repair are broken down into 10 sections, including machining.
2018 Technology Review and Sourcing Guide: EDM
MoldMaking Technology’s annual Technology Review and Sourcing Guide is an accurate, comprehensive, easy-to-read and easy-to-use use guide for researching today’s technology, equipment, products and services. The year’s latest moldmaking product developments within mold engineering/design, build and maintenance/repair are broken down into 10 sections, including EDM.
Past LLA Winners Celebrate 15 Years of Moldmaking Excellence
Winning MoldMaking Technology’s Leadtime Leader Award helped these shops realize their strengths and recognize their weaknesses.
Tradeshow Tuesday: On Display at Amerimold 2018
Cruise through this week’s slideshow for a peek at some of what will be on display at Amerimold 2018.
Successful Supplier Nights Help "Mold" Careers
The Chicago Chapter of the American Mold Builders Association (AMBA) recently hosted its fourth successful supplier night fundraiser that continues to provide much-needed support for promoting careers in moldmaking.
Clamp Elements Are Versatile for Small-Batch Parts Production
Erowa says that they are simple to handle and serve a wide variety of applications while decreasing set-up times, increasing machining times and improving productivity.
Technology Tuesday: Automation Fuels Productivity
Cruise through this week’s Technology Tuesday blog to see ways in which automation is boosting productivity and efficiency in moldmaking.
Four European Countries in Three Days
The German Association of Tool and Mould Makers‘ (VDWF) networking event for young entrepreneurs took around 40 moldmakers on a three-day trip around Lake Constance in October 2017 to visit OEMs and innovative mold shops in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Realizing EDM's Full Potential with Automation
EMO Hannover 2017 was a showcase for EDM developments, automation solutions and software for data-driven manufacturing.
Technology Tuesday: EMO Wrap Up on EDM, Automation and Industry 4.0
EMO Hannover 2017 was a showcase for EDM developments, automation solutions and software for data-driven manufacturing. EDM technology is evolving through new machine designs, thermal stability, powerful generators, parts handling robots, linear handling systems and software solutions for future Industry 4.0 infrastructures.
Fun Friday: The Moldmaking Community Shows Patriotism, Heart and More
On September 15, 2017 our team at Alliance Specialties and Laser Sales partnered with our friends Tim and Kim Bartz from iWarriors and Mold Craft to host the inaugural Alliance iWarriors Charity Golf Outing.
Powerful Production
Automated cells with RFID technology facilitate a “productionized” approach that helps this shop make molds more accurately and efficiently.
Masters of the Details
The right information, the right culture and a systems approach to every operation ensure nothing escapes the scrutiny of this team of mold manufacturing specialists.
All According to Plan
This moldmaker influences its own destiny by staying true to itself, knowing exactly where it wants to go, and ensuring everyone in the organization understands how to get there.
Untapped Production
Automation allows this mold manufacturer to run its EDM machines nonstop for months.
2014 Leadtime Leader Awards Winner: Westminster Tool Inc.—Bridging the Gap without Losing Focus
A strong sense of self and a focus on people enabled this mold manufacturer to rapidly expand pre- and post-manufacturing services without getting overwhelmed by its own growth.
From Craft to Science
For this shop, efforts to adapt to technology that reduces the need for human labor have driven a fundamental and ongoing shift to a more standardized manufacturing process.
Implementing Automation
The first two shops I’ve visited as an editor for MoldMaking Technology have made major strides in implementing automation. They’ve also expanded their range of capabilities to cover more than just tooling.
“Fixing” to Get More Accurate, Increase Productivity with Automation
The Roku-Roku machine, EROWA workholding system and the EROWA Robot Multi form the production team. Optimally used, this team can deliver up to four times higher productivity.
Dedicated Electrode Design Module Revolutionizes Copper Electrode Production
A tooling manufacturer says the combination of a new Sodick EDM AG60L spark eroder and switching to Vero Software’s dedicated electrode design module, VISI Electrode, has completely revolutionized the production of their copper electrodes.
How to Produce Consistent, Repeatable Electrodes
When it comes to electrode production, workholding and automation technology must be accurate and consistent to ensure repeatability and reduce machining time.
A Story Worth Sharing
For years now, my husband and I have felt connected to the men and women who serve our country in the Armed Forces.
Another Memorable Trip for iWarriors
The moldmaking industry takes part in a movement to bring the gift of technology and communication to our Wounded Warriors.
How to Better Utilize Your Existing Equipment
It is time to begin to rebuild capacities and get the highest utilization out of your current shop equipment.
Richmond Tooling, Inc.: Tooling, Inc.: Success with Small Mold Building Niche
A group of 11 dedicated employees—several with more than 10 years with the company—are able to keep overhead costs down and pass those savings onto its customers.
Automation Investment Yields Speed and Flexibility
In 2004, Industrial Molds Group took the first steps toward integrating automation to reduce both costs and turnaround times.
2010 Leadtime Leader Award Small Shop Winner Mold Craft, Inc.: Innovation with Automation
With an average leadtime of eight weeks, Mold Craft, Inc. (Willernie, MN)—this year’s Small Shop Leadtime Leader Award Winner—builds tight-tolerance, high-volume, multi-cavity and multi-mold projects that produce small, intricate, precision plastic parts.
Automation Innovations
The use of automation continues to rise as mold manufacturers respond to industry demand of constantly shrinking leadtimes. Manufacturers and suppliers have taken action with better, faster equipment and processes.
Automation, Innovation Chart EDM’s Course
Advances in EDM technology—including increased automation and combining machining processes to get the job done as efficiently as possible—help EDM stay afloat and keep moldmakers successful.
Standardize Before You Automate
After standardization, automation will create the largest increase in profits that any one area can produce.
Automation and Moldmaking: Streamling Processes
Automation is coming into the forefront as moldmakers are on the hunt to automate with software and equipment to streamline processes for optimal productivity—and quality.
Streamlining Your Setup Operations with the Right Workholding System
Creating a powerful manufacturing cell from a one-minute palletization solution.
Team Approach Is Key to Proper Inspection
Using a group rather than one person and changing the order of inspection is a win-win for this moldmaker—repeatable results with no rework.
IDEAS, INC.: Good Thinking!
This moldmaker’s decision to venture into the rapid tooling market added up to rapid growth—and the winning of the 2006 Leadtime Leader Honorable Mention: Small Shop for the second year in a row.
Automation
EROWA Technology (Arlington Heights, IL) will highlight its many automation solutions.
The Center of Automation
Macro pallet-mounted gage balls reduce overall costs in electrode machining/manufacturing and reduce leadtime by 25 percent.
Speed Comes From Your Choice of Machine, But Your Accuracy Comes From Your Choice of Tooling
Innovation in both the design and moldmaking processes has helped one moldmaker stay ahead of the game.
Standardized Tooling and Automation Take the Lead Role
A moldmaker and its automation supplier team up to create a global competitor.