Partnering Up on DFM and TCO

Increasing production efficiency for the customer and reducing operating costs requires a mold builder to focus on the total cost of ownership (TCO) and sustainability, according to Timo Steinebrunner, sales manager for injection mold builder Braunform GmbH.

This mold builder identifies all costs in advance. "As a moldmaker, it is important to focus on minimizing the development and manufacturing times of the end products, and this means paying close attention to the value of hidden costs and understanding that sometimes a higher investment can develop into an economic advantage,” Steinebrunner says.

Braunform was founded in 1977. Today the company has 380 employees focused on full-service engineering in mold manufacturing, starting with the development right up to qualification for the pharmaceutical, personal care, consumer goods, packaging, automotive, electric and water industries. The company specializes in manufacturing multi-component molds, multi-cavity molds, stack molds, molds for the medical industry, and rotary tables.

The key to providing a TCO at Braunform is using design for manufacturing (DFM) approach with the customer during product development. This approach considers a production-oriented design from the beginning with the involvement of the moldmaker focused on the mold concept, filling simulation, and any possible molding defects using virtual molding analyses. The approach helps to prevent a decrease in mold and part quality and performance.

On top of that, a joint project between Braunform and DUFNER.MDT (a partner in polymer science) has expanded the mold builder’s capabilities to include material analysis and material characterization using a new 2K injection molding machine from Arburg at Braunform’s Laboratory and Technology Center. Now all parties involved in a mold project can identify and eliminate weak points even better, minimize risks, and change the limits of what is feasible.