Amerimold 2021 Post-Show Flashback: Build

At this year’s Amerimold Expo, Progressive Components proudly released a variety of new innovations to assist mold builders for the years ahead. These include new standards for greaseless and cleanroom molding, C-Series UniLifters to advance undercut release, Plate Retainers that offer a compact design for smooth plate sequencing and simplifying the installation removal of angle pins with its Angle Pin Holder offering. Also on display were advancements for mold monitoring such as new exclusives for hot running tools, cover plates to protect CounterViews and CVe Monitors during mold transfers, and added features to the ProFile asset tracking and maintenance system. To learn more about the products mentioned here and more, please visit https://procomps.com/New.

This 32-cavity INCOE hot edge-gated pipette engineered solution combined with Global Exclusive Opti-Flo Technology rheologically manages the melt properties to each part, assures optimal cycle time, reduced scrap and produces high-quality parts.

The HRScool cylinder from Amerimold sponsor Oerlikon HRSflow allows for the elimination of cooling lines to the cylinders for most operating temperatures lowering cost and setup time. 

Husky Injection Molding Systems demoed its Matrix5 Altanium Operator Interface for the company’s Altanium servo control platform. The touch monitor, optimized for high-cavitation molds, supports 2-255 zones of hot runner temperature control and includes 32 circuits of hydraulic or pneumatic valve gate sequencing control.

Another item on display was the company’s hot runner technology (shown above), which was used to produce medical diagnostic arrays, 0.5-millimeter-thick plastic disks used to store biological samples for infectious diseases for the Hot Shots Molding 2021 competition.

Amerimold sponsor Hasco was the life of the party, with an extensive range of hot runner technologies and mold components on display. MMT was also given a rundown of Hasco’s online portal (found at www.hasco.com), which has everything a moldmaker needs to design a mold in an easy-to-use format, from component accessories, plates and plates for the mold (K-, P and Z-standard) as well as hot runner and custom-made solutions. The portal also boasts a Mold Base Assistant feature for mold configuration, with a range of standard or custom plate selections. Another section details current news, upcoming webinars, Hasco’s newsletter and technical articles.

Hybrid Manufacturing Technologies highlighted their vast array of product offerings. The AMBIT MULTI and AMBIT FLEX laser metal deposition heads (pictured here) are just two examples of how users can apply additive manufacturing to hardface weld and ultimately extend the life of any mold. 

Breton, a company that designs, manufactures and commissions high-speed machining centers with overhead gantry architectures, highlighted a 3D-printed section of a mold for a boat, which was produced using one of the company’s hybrid machining centers.

Anova Innovations showcased a 3D-printed mold core and corresponding data, shown here. Three different examples are modeled with the actual core and two helical pattern cooling lines were displayed. FMEA stress analysis data and cooling simulation was displayed and reportedly showed an almost 15% improvement in cooling efficiency. Anova specializes in mold design services, strategically using 3D steel printed inserts within the mold for a more highly engineered system. The company is currently designing and building several projects, one of which is a 2x32 cavity stack mold running a sustainable biodegradable PHA resin. Anova also has a design apprenticeship that builds around helping underprivileged youths in the surrounding community.

This is a section of Xact Metal’s parts display printed in tooling steels, including 316L SS, M300 and 420 SS. These parts are unfinished and are meant to display the company’s as-printed quality as well as showcase how finite the detailing is. Within this photo there are heat sinks, molds with internal cooling channels and a propellor fan. 

Amaero came to Amerimold to showcase its full end-to-end solutions for additive manufacturing of metal components including design, manufacturing, equipment, services and materials. Through its partnership with the Monash Centre for Additive Manufacturing (MCAM), they work to push the technology boundaries of materials science, alloy design, metal 3D printing and surface engineering. Amaero says that they are an integrated research, design, prototyping, manufacturing and machine sales company—rather than just a metal 3D printing supply company.

TRAK Machine was demonstrating its capabilities as a CNC manufacturer on the show floor. The company emphasized that it produces small machines with the goal of getting next-generation workers into the shop. These U.S.-built machines are developed so they’re easier to use and to learn how to operate. At its booth, TRAK showcased the ProtoTRAK lathe, which is primarily useful for making small, round pieces, as well as a fully manned three-axis bed mill.

Allied Machine showcases its Wohlhaupter boring line at Amerimold. These hole-finishing tools are ideal for applications involving high production and extreme tolerances.

While OSG USA highlighted an amalgamation of its cutting tool solutions, the one that stood out the most was the company’s newest barrel cutter, shown above. Enabling a larger step versus a ball mill, OSG exhibitors contend that it allows for quicker parts and a better surface finish for mold work and are used with specific software (e.g., CAM-Tool and MasterCAM). Also, unlike bulling-style end mills, which offer a depth of cut or step-over of 0.003 to 0.01 inch, OSG’s barrel cutter offers 0.08 inch for this same process.

The fast and easy-to-use Haimer Tool Dynamic TD Comfort balancing machine is equipped with a PC, keyboard, mouse and monitor. The big screen enables a fast input of tool data and all the comfort of a graphical user interface. In addition, the software of the machine offers the possibility to correct the unbalance with the help of a milling program which is a very common way to correct the unbalance.

• While showcasing a large array of its cutting tool product offerings, Horn USA emphasized its diamond tools for high-polish machining in particular. These tools are made of monocrystalline diamond, which means that the molecules are aligned, enabling a finer edge that is finished with a laser; these tools are also said to cut down or eliminate manual finishing time. 

Entegris Poco Materials is a graphite manufacturer that can produce highly precise and complex parts for automotive, medical and caps and closures markets. The company, which primarily focuses on 1-, 5- and 10-micron graphite grade classifications, displayed some of its electrodes for EDM applications at the show, from a lens mold for a snowmobile, to a speaker for a car and a water bottle cap.

Entegris Poco also has a technical assistant training program with a new virtual option for basic courses; as of September, the company had just completed its first virtual training version for EDM, and hopes to maintain this option out of the pandemic.

The PCS Tri-Locks (left) combines the proven technologies of roller, straight and taper locking devices. The use of the large roller bearings are said to provide exceptional guidance for initial alignment and the 5-degree tapered interlock guarantees zero-tolerance positioning. These locks are made of A-2 material protected with a black oxide coating for wear resistance and longevity.

The BOLEXP ball guidance bushings (right) add a level of precision for the ejection system not found with other bushings, PCS noted at Amerimold. The ball bearing guide ejection bushing is made of hardened ground steel and has an internal high resistance bronze guide casing with roller bearings. The bearing surface consists of several rows of free-moving precision ball bearings.

DME’s booth was full of new mold component innovations, from its EZ-Latch Locks, S-Core Collapsible Cores (which provide 30% time savings), LT-Series Lifetime Side Locks, Accualign Lifters, a range of mold date inserts, vented pins and a demonstration of its servo unscrewing device, with more concepts still in the works. The EZ Slider unit, shown here, is a simplified, self-contained design tasked with molding undercuts and other part features, without the need for slide units, hydraulic cylinders or lifters. Moreover, it eliminates complex angular machine set ups, multiple component assemblies and holds mold injection pressure up to 15,000 pounds.

Meusburger showcased its Change Molds, which are a solution for the quick, cost-saving production of prototypes or small series. With the newly developed change system with positioning wedges, mold builders can easily change the inserts with a high repeat accuracy, according to the company.