Popular Posts: December 2019

Now that the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is winding down and the new year is fast approaching, why not take a second to relax and read up on the top five posts from the month of December. We know you were probably too busy with holiday activities to catch them on MoldMaking Technology’s blog, so we’re posting them again for you, right here!

Improving Finishing Operations with Circle Segment Cutters

As machining capabilities become more and more sophisticated, mold manufacturers are moving towards machining parts as close to near net shape as possible in the milling process. Grinding and polishing can be time-intensive and expensive operations. The more we can shorten these processes, the more we drive manual work and cost out of an operation.

Traditionally, ball nose tools have been used to try and finish parts as close to near net shape as possible. This is accomplished by using the radius at the end of the tool and taking small step over tool paths to minimize the scallop to an amplitude that fits within the surface finish specification. The advantages of this approach are that it eases programming, makes it possible to reach deep into cavities and allows the inclination angle to be versatile. The main disadvantage of using this process is that it requires many tool passes, resulting in very high cycle times.

Another strategy is using a circle segment cutter (Figure 1) that comes in several different designs. The basic concept involves matching the tapered angle of the tool to the inclination angle at which the part is machined. This allows the use of a larger radius in the tool, which then machines a larger area while producing the same scallop size.

Read the rest of the article here.

When Is 3D Printing Cost Effective?

Digging into metal additive manufacturing quickly reveals how expensive it can be, as some parts produced using incumbent technologies, such as laser sintering and binder jetting, can cost thousands of dollars. If there's one lesson Matt Sand, President of 3DEO, a Los Angeles, California-based metal AM parts supplier, has learned over the last few years, it's that cost is everything when it comes to serial production.

“If you're not in the ballpark on cost, you might as well not even play the game because there's no way to get into production without being cost competitive with conventional manufacturing techniques,” Sand says. “If you are not cost competitive, you're not at the table,” So, to get the total cost structure down, 3DEO developed an end-to-end manufacturing process around Intelligent Layering, a very low-cost metal additive manufacturing technology the company’s founders invented. Based on binder jetting technology, Intelligent Layering uses a proprietary spray system to bind the entire layer, and then uses a CNC end mill to cut the perimeter of the part and any internal features. (Read more about 3DEO’s technology and company strategy.)

Although 3DEO’s Intelligent Layering process offers a new take on additive, the company’s differentiator is that “we are not trying to sell machines, we’re only selling parts,” Sand says. The competition for its additive process is not metal 3D printing; it's traditional manufacturing. 3DEO is competing against CNC machining and metal injection molding and is already cost competitive with both of these technologies when it comes to small and complex metal parts, according to Sand.

There are three key factors he considers in determining whether it will be cost-effective to 3D print a given part.

Read the rest of the article here.

Addressing Aluminum Tooling Objections

Mold builders need to ask themselves if their shops will be ready when an OEM or key tier supplier looking to remove costs from their operations suggest an aluminum mold. There are sound technical and economic reasons why aluminum tooling is an appropriate choice for numerous automotive applications. OEMs who have studied aluminum, molders who have adapted their operations to realize the 30 to 50% cycle time advantages of an aluminum mold and mold builders who know how to design and build high-quality aluminum molds are reaping the benefits of this material.

However, if that’s the case, why hasn’t aluminum tooling seen more widespread usage in recent years? Aluminum is a mature material option that has been in use for high-volume applications for around 15 years, but many still do not use it.

Unique Tool and Gauge is one mold shop that is successfully building aluminum molds for automotive applications for several OEMs and tier suppliers with production runs of up to 2.3 million shots on the same mold. Our shop believes that in just about any medium-sized or large-part application, an aluminum mold will be the chief driver of manufacturing productivity, and its usage will guarantee a lower piece part cost.

Here is a breakdown of the technical and financial advantages Unique Tool has experienced with aluminum tooling.

Read the rest of the article here.

3 Lessons from a Professional Development Day at Cardinal Manufacturing

The Cardinal Manufacturing Team and Founder/Technology Education Instructor Craig Cegielski hosted a workshop for high school teachers called “Starting or Growing Your School-Based Enterprise Workshop.” As this was my first visit to a revenue-generating high-school program like this, Cardinal Manufacturing far exceeded my expectations. While I attended this workshop to learn how my local high school (Plainfield High School) and I could adapt something similar, there are three key findings I want to share with the entire moldmaking community: (1) student safety, (2) program sustainability and (3) community.

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Automation is for Small Manufacturers

Thomas Mathew is a software product manager at ANCA CNC Machines who believes that automation technology has leveled the manufacturing playing field, saying that “Now smaller firms can be nimble, niche, and with new efficiencies compete against the big guys.”

Here are some technology and marketing insights from Mathew with a focus on tool manufacturing for grinding as an example all small shops can learn from.

New technology means that smaller businesses have access to a huge amount of capability that may have been too large an investment in the past to consider. Automation also reduces the cost of manufacturing meaning companies don’t need a huge turn over to be viable and competitive. The networking of older machines can be achieved at relatively low cost, and the production benefits can be huge.

A report by Deloitte shows high performing manufacturers outperform their competition not because they’re bigger, but because they leverage brand, reputation, new markets and customers, and advancing technology. To use available networking and automation technology focus on quality, break down the experience barriers, increase production, harness automation for your own production boom and shout from the top of the internet.

Read the rest of the article here.