The following issues need to be noted when making molds
Don't only focus on product design and ignore mold manufacturing:
Some users often only focus on product research and development in the early stage when developing products or trial-producing new products, and ignore communication with mold manufacturing units. After the product design plan is initially determined, there are three benefits to contacting the mold manufacturer in advance:
1. It can ensure that the designed product has a good forming process and will not modify the final design due to the difficulty of processing the parts.
2. The mold maker can make design preparations in advance to prevent inconsideration in a hurry and affect the construction period.
3. To make high-quality molds, only close cooperation between supply and demand can ultimately reduce costs and shorten the cycle.
Don't just look at the price, but consider it from all aspects of quality, cycle, and service:
1. There are many types of molds, which can be roughly divided into ten categories. According to different requirements such as part materials, physical and chemical properties, mechanical strength, dimensional accuracy, surface finish, service life, and economy, different types of molds are selected for forming.
2. Molds with high precision requirements need to be processed by high-precision CNC machine tools, and there are strict requirements for mold materials and forming processes. CAD/CAE/CAM mold technology is also required for design and analysis.
3. Due to special requirements for molding of some parts, molds also need to use advanced processes such as hot runners, gas-assisted molding, and nitrogen cylinders.
4. Manufacturers should have CNC, EDM, wire cutting machine tools and CNC copy milling equipment, high-precision grinders, high-precision three-coordinate measuring instruments, computer design and related software, etc.
5. For general large-scale stamping molds (such as automobile cover molds), it is necessary to consider whether the machine tool has a press mechanism, even edge lubricants, multi-station progressive, etc. In addition to the stamping tonnage, the number of punches, feeding devices, machine tools and mold protection devices must also be considered.
6. The manufacturing methods and processes of the above molds are not available and mastered by every enterprise. When choosing a cooperative manufacturer, you must understand its processing capabilities, not only looking at the hardware equipment, but also combining management level, processing experience and technical strength.
7. For the same set of molds, different manufacturers sometimes have a big difference in their quotations. You should not pay more than the value of the mold, nor should you pay less than the cost of the mold. Mold manufacturers, like you, need to make reasonable profits in their business. Customizing a set of molds with a much lower quotation will be the beginning of trouble. Users must start from their own requirements and make comprehensive assessments.
Avoid multi-head collaboration, and try to have a one-stop service for mold making and product processing:
1. Having a qualified mold (qualified test piece) does not necessarily mean that a batch of qualified products can be produced. This is mainly related to the selection of machine tools for parts processing, forming process (forming temperature, forming time, etc.) and the technical quality of the operator.
2. With a good mold, you also need good forming processing. It is best to have a one-stop collaboration and try to avoid multi-head collaboration.