Comments on: Successful Mold Building: Technology or Art? http://www.matrixtooling.com/blog/successful-mold-building-technology-or-art/ A compilation of manufacturing tips covering plastic mold design, build, injection molding and the inspection of finished plastic products as well as often overlooked manufacturing issues from a small business perspective. Contributed by various employees of Matrix Tooling, Inc. & Matrix Plastic Products. Mon, 29 Mar 2010 01:47:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: andyz http://www.matrixtooling.com/blog/successful-mold-building-technology-or-art/comment-page-1/#comment-65 andyz Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:55:31 +0000 http://www.matrixtooling.com/blog/?p=10#comment-65 You make a good point. High-tech machines certainly aren't a replacement for talented craftsmen, and you're always going to need that talent overlooking the process and making sure everything comes together as planned. I would say the talent we have at each step of the process is what sets our company apart, not the expensive equipment. Though, obviously, the equipment helps. I wouldn't say that we run completely "lights-out" on the tooling side, but we do have robotics and automation implemented in our critical and time consuming areas. Our steel and graphite mills are palletized and/or robotically-loaded and -unloaded. Our sinker EDMs are also set up in robotic work cells that are capable of changing out both electrodes and work pieces. We even have alarms and cameras on our wire EDMs so that our operators can verify (and see) the machines are running over the weekends from home. But, to your point, some processes aren't well suited for automation. Polishing, finishing, fitting, etc. are still done at the hands of our mold makers. You make a good point. High-tech machines certainly aren’t a replacement for talented craftsmen, and you’re always going to need that talent overlooking the process and making sure everything comes together as planned. I would say the talent we have at each step of the process is what sets our company apart, not the expensive equipment. Though, obviously, the equipment helps.

I wouldn’t say that we run completely “lights-out” on the tooling side, but we do have robotics and automation implemented in our critical and time consuming areas. Our steel and graphite mills are palletized and/or robotically-loaded and -unloaded. Our sinker EDMs are also set up in robotic work cells that are capable of changing out both electrodes and work pieces. We even have alarms and cameras on our wire EDMs so that our operators can verify (and see) the machines are running over the weekends from home.

But, to your point, some processes aren’t well suited for automation. Polishing, finishing, fitting, etc. are still done at the hands of our mold makers.

]]> By: Mold designer http://www.matrixtooling.com/blog/successful-mold-building-technology-or-art/comment-page-1/#comment-51 Mold designer Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:48:49 +0000 http://www.matrixtooling.com/blog/?p=10#comment-51 The company I worked for is a combination of both... but a little more on the "art" side. We have hi-tech machines but we don't do "lights-out". Our process involve a lot of human interventions. Do you have resources of complete mold building techniques where lights-out is possible? The company I worked for is a combination of both… but a little more on the “art” side. We have hi-tech machines but we don’t do “lights-out”. Our process involve a lot of human interventions. Do you have resources of complete mold building techniques where lights-out is possible?

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