MoldMaking Technology's Top-Viewed Content 2021: Profiles

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Structured in a Q&A format, MoldMaking Technology’s monthly profile articles offer readers a deep dive into a moldmaking company, typically touching on topics such as culture, technology/equipment/service capabilities and investments and even challenges faced or past/current/upcoming projects. You can even find them in MMT’s digital/print issues!

While these articles are useful to potential customers or readers just wanting to keep up on the industry, they have been particularly important for 2021, serving to emphasize the trials and tribulations—and the successes—North American mold builders have experienced during and coming out of a global pandemic.

Whether it was investing in young talent, seeking out new technologies to stay current or actively improving productivity, quality and customer service, the five shops featured below are only a few of many that continue to make a difference in the mold manufacturing industry, no matter the setback. Based on analytics, they are also the top five most-viewed articles of 2021. Learn more about them below!

1. Automation Opens Door to New Possibilities and Need for More People at Minnesota Mold Builder

Photo Credit: Mold-Tech

Increasing automation throughout the shop with both palletization, EDM and five-axis machining has allowed Mold-Tech to grow in technology, throughput and people.

Every detail matters to the Mold-Tech team who takes total care of each mold by using the latest advancements in equipment, project management and training to continually improve quality, productivity and customer service.

2. Shared Engineering Expertise Overcomes Design and Delivery Challenges

Collaboration on part and mold design between a molder and mold builder were vital to overcoming design and production challenges for a unique automotive project.

Industrial Molds (under parent company Pyramid Molding Group) designs and builds molds for thermoplastics, thermoset, die-cast and insert precision applications for automotive, appliance, electronics, caps and closures, medical, recreational and lawn and garden markets. Its strong team approach enables the company to achieve mold design, build and sampling in record time.

3. Growing AM's Presence in Moldmaking

Advanced Michigan mold manufacturer advocates for additive manufacturing in moldmaking through collaboration and education.

Action Mold & Machining is a veteran-owned business committed to providing cost-competitive tooling, repairs, modifications and custom plastic injection-molded components completed to customer specifications on time. Understanding additive manufacturing (AM), EDM, machining, polishing, plastic injection molding and metrology and keeping current with the latest technology are a couple of the company’s strengths.

Photo Credit: Action Mold & Machining

4. Information Is King—in the Shop and with the Customer—at A1 Tool

This mold builder uses information to improve its operation, molds and customer service from data collection to data sharing.

The strength of the A1 Tool Corp. team is engineering and manufacturing complex, multi-shot, multi-action, stack and tandem molds. The company prides itself on fostering a culture based on open communication with customers and continuously reviewing its quality management system (QMS) for process improvement.

5. Diversification and Departmentalization Drive Growth for Wisconsin Mold Builder

Photo Credit: Innovation Mold & Design (IMD)

New ownership at Innovation Mold & Design (IMD) grows the company by investment in technology that serves a departmentalization and diversification, business model.

Innovation Mold & Design (IMD) has been operating since 1974 as a full-service mold manufacturing company. IMD says its chief competitive advantage is combining innovation, technology and precise craftsmanship to deliver the highest quality products the first time and has a team philosophy: “The best people create the best processes. The best processes create the best technologies. The best technologies create the best products.”