If you are wondering why you should focus on and learn mold tooling, then you need to consider these statistics. The market value of injection molding in 2022 was 20.14 billion dollars. However, it is expected to rise to a worth of 23.76 billion dollars in 2028.
You know that injection molding requires a perfect mold for efficiently manufacturing the part or product. So all of this growth of the industry expected in 2028 is dependent on mold tooling.
How?
Because tooling is required for making molds and thus ultimately affects the global market value of injection molding.
Interested in learning more about the process, its types, and methods to claimyour share from a huge market?
This article has all you need to know about injection molding tooling, including its types, materials, and maintenance tips. Read for more detail.
What is Injection Molding Tooling?
A process of making molds with inner cavities to make a desired product or prototype. Whatever your purpose for making the product is, the quality and efficiency of the tooling will ensure how perfect the manufactured product will be.
Whether it’s PVC or China injection mold, tooling is the first step. Tooling involves making molds for making the desired product parts. A reliable tooling ensures manufacturing of high-quality parts with accuracy and precision.
High-quality tooling must be easy to use, long-lasting, efficient, and wear-free, and should be manufactured at the lowest possible cost. Tooling includes the mold base, mold cavity, and mold core.
Mold Base
The base is the most important component of a mold designed with steel parts and plates. It should be a very wise step because it determines the quality of the overall mold. A good mold base determines a high-quality manufactured product.
Mold Cavity
The cavity is the empty or negative space inside a mold designed for shaping the product or prototype. The molten metal or plastic is poured into this cavity which keeps the molten form until it is cold and transforms into a solid product.
Mold Core
The purpose of a mold core is to give interior features to the product being manufactured inside the mold. It is usually on the moveable side of the mold for easy removal. These cores are made up of steel for easy functioning and excess.
Process of Creating Injection Mold Tooling
Making a mold can pass through different steps depending on the purpose of the mold and the material used. The three main steps usually involve designing, prototyping, and testing.
1: Designing
Designin1g an injection molding is the most expensive and crucial part. Everything included in the mold production must be designed before time to prevent any cost issues later. An improper design means an imperfect injection molded product.
2: Prototyping
Prototyping is when a 3D mold model is created to ensure the mold is set according to the requirements. If the 3D model fits the needs, it is used to create the mold. First, a negative of the desired part is created, and then a positive part is generated. This positive makes the final mold.
3: Testing
Once the mold is created, it needs to be checked to know how it works. There are different methods for checking the mold’s capacity and authenticity, including pressure test. Filling the mold with a liquid is also used to determine the mold’s accuracy and precision.
What Are the Types of Injection Molding Tooling?
The part or prototype the client requires determines the mold type a manufacturer should use. With multiple mold types available in the market, it becomes difficult to differentiate between them. However, our mold type guide will help you make a better decision.
Hot Runner Mold
A hot runner mold system requires a manifold as the heating element. These molds are self-working, separating the runner from the mold without needing external or robotic force.
The parts or prototypes manufactured using a hot runner mold have more precise details.
Hot-to-Cold Mold
This mold has two cavities where the nozzle takes the molten plastic to the runner system. If cost is a factor to consider, then using a hot-to-cold mold is more profitable for the manufacturer.
Cold Runner Mold
In this mold type, the cold runner receives the molten thermoplastic material. They are commonly designed with three plates or more, depending on the design. Once the process is complete, the runner is attached to the resultant product and needs to be separated.
Prototype Molds
As the name suggests, these molds are designed to test different product designs. They are usually prepared with aluminum because they are not used in real-time machines and products.
When a new design needs to be introduced in the market, prototype molds are used to make a copy of that product or design to check out all the advantages and disadvantages of the new design.
How to Choose the Right Injection Molding Tooling
To ensure the manufacturing of high-quality prototypes or parts using the tooling, choosing the appropriate mold is necessary. Soft and hard tooling is mainly used for various types of applications.
Below are some key factors to consider to determine if your product needs soft or hard tooling.
- It’s better to use soft tooling when molding aims to make a prototype and check the design. It is much more cost-effective and convenient to handle.
- In cases where a 3D-printed master pattern is used to add exact details, soft tooling is better because of the complex structure. Hard tooling will not be able to manage such precise details as effectively as soft tooling can.
- When higher production volumes are required, it’s better to use hard tooling. These two can contain more than one cavity within a single mold allowing the manufacturing of more parts within a single run.
- For using the molds immediately after manufacturing, it is preferred to use hard tooling. Molds designed with hard tooling can be used right away after their manufacturing. That’s why most manufacturers prefer them, where time is important.
- Soft tooling does the work to fabricate a few hundred molds because it is convenient to make and less costly than hard tooling.
- Tooling required for high-volume production with quick and efficient usage must be manufactured with hard materials like metals.
- Soft tooling can be the best solution when manufacturers need to make tooling for clients demanding a single test product.
- You cannot use hard tooling when you plan to use multiple products for making the tooling. You need to go with soft tooling as it offers more material options.
What Materials Are Used to Make Injection Molding Tooling?
Trying to decide which material is best for tooling? We’ve covered the most suitable materials for tooling, including aluminum, P30, and H13, each with its benefits and drawbacks.
Aluminum
This material is best when fast tool production is required with hard steel grades.
Advantages
- Manufacturing molds are twice faster as steel.
- Provides a cost-effective solution for low-volume part production.
- Provides features for damage-free heating and cooling of the molds easily.
- As it is a soft material, it is more prone to damage and wear quickly.
- Difficult to handle high pressure from molding presses.
P20
This materialoffers good cost-effectiveness, maintaining part quality and dimensional stability. P20 is the preferred material for companies like Fictiv for mold making.
- Being a hard material, the lifespan of tooling is better than softer materials like aluminum.
- Compared to other hard-grade steels, P20 is easy to tool.
- A maximum of 2 weeks are required for making the desired tooling.
H13
H13 is the most used grade of steel for high tooling production quantity. Manufacturers can get quick and easy maintenance of thermal fatigue with it.
- Manufacturers can expect to produce up to 1 million shots with an extensive lifespan of the tooling made with H13.
- It offers tight dimensional tolerance.
- Requires an additional heat treatment which requires extra budget and time for completing the manufacturing process
Tips To Maintain Injection Molding Tooling
To ensure the efficient production of molded parts by using the injection molding technique, it’s crucial to maintain mold tooling.
The importance of maintaining tooling includes:
- Increasing the lifespan of tooling.
- Reducing the need for repairs and after work on the injection molded product.
- To maintain consistency in the quality of the parts.
Below, we have five tips for you to help you identify and deal with the problems that come in the way of injection molding. Following these tips, you can prevent any upcoming issues and hurdles in the procedure.
1. Ensuring Basic Maintenance Checking
Before and after every production cycle, checking out all the tooling is essential to ensure their health. Check out if there are any leftover pieces or plastic contaminants because they might interfere with the next production.
2. Cleaning the Mold Cavity
Each production should lead to the cleaning of the tooling to ensure effective product quality. Using water to clean the molds is the most common practice. However, sometimes water also leaves behind dust and residue, so a double cleaning is required.
3. Checking Mold Runners
Checking all the vents and runners is important to avoid sticking manufactured parts with the molding tools. There should be no material buildup or damage to the tooling.
The entry gates are the most common places where wear is possible, so be careful about them too.
4. Look For Connector and Hardware
Check out all the water hoses, threads, and platens connected with the mold. There should be regular maintenance of all these connectors and hardware to ensure there is no leaking. Residue can also collect in these pipes, affecting product quality.
5. Storing Dry Mold
For storing tooling for longer, ensure you dry it before storing or sealing it. Even a little moisture in the mold can cause damage to its cavity, ultimately losing the quality of the manufactured prototype product.
Conclusion
Injection tooling is the center point of injection molding. A perfectly designed mold will help to process the parts correctly, maintaining the quality.
Quality and accuracy are the most important factors when designing a mold. The reason is that only precise molds will lead to a product that hits the right location for where it is manufactured.
We are sure you must be well-versed in this process. However, you can come to us if you still need to know more about mold tooling.
We have experienced mold tooling experts to guide you in detail about any questions you have in your mind.
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