Scenes from Amerimold 2018

This year, Amerimold had more than 220 exhibitors, and attendance was up from 2017. Needless to say, it was a busy show!

As always, Amerimold featured technical presentations at its Tech Talk Theater. The Tech Talks offer attendees cutting edge technical information as a complimentary value that they receive with registration. Sessions begin at the top of each hour and feature a panel or presentation on a specific topic that is vetted by MMT Editorial Director, Christina Fuges. 

At its booth, Hasco had its Z1545 gear housing and Z1547 rack unit, which the company says enable the simple, reproducible and inexpensive installation of stack molds. DLC-coated slideways minimize wear and extend maintenance intervals.

Makino recognizes that recent trends in milling have focused greatly on the benefits of five-axis machining over traditional three-axis milling.Therefore, Makino featured new strategies and technologies for optimizing five-axis machining at Amerimold.

Faro Technologies had the Faro Quantum S 3D Scan Arm on display. Faro’s scanning services offer a complete set of data for the scanned object overall. What is more, the scan provides a picture and 3D graphic that is saved indefinitely.

Progressive Components displayed a wide variety of component innovations and also presented a demonstration of new ways to keep track of mold performance at Amerimold.

At its booth, Alro Steel Corp. highlighted its six-sided squaring service, which it performed on this blue, aluminum manifold. The company cuts the metal to size for a closer tolerance so that holes can be put into the manifolds more quickly.

MMT Editorial Director Christina Fuges taking a “virtual” tour of Cheto’s deep hole drilling/milling machine. The company says its goal is to increase feed rates and save time on the overall process.

At its booth, Westminster Tool talked about its joint venture, the Plastics Technology Alliance, with other former Leadtime Leader winners Mold Craft and Extreme Tool and Engineering. Westminster Tool talked about the project, how it’s evolving and how it’s shaping the future of moldmaking.

Krieger Craftsmen, MMT’s 2016 Leadtime Leader, pulled out all the stops including bringing a massage chair and tropical plants to pamper customers! The company highlighted J Flex technology and more at the show.

At its booth, Bonal Technologies highlighted a classic alternative to heat treatment for stress relief in molds with its vibration system, which booth visitors could experience by standing on its vibration platform. Vibration can relieve stress in a mold in as little as one hour. 

The ID1-Fiber Laser Welding System machine from Alliance Laser Sales uses Fiber Solid State (FSS) laser technology, which generates laser power through a series of diode pumps instead of crystals and mirrors.

At its booth, B A Die Mold discussed its patented PERC System for unscrewing molds and the strategies it recommends to customers for implementing training. B A Die Mold celebrates 50 years in business in 2018.

JMT and Coulter Precison debut the Axile machine at Amerimold. The first showing of this gantry-type five-axis vertical machining center in North America!

YG-1 displayed an array of cutting tool products for moldmaking during Amerimold, including its X5070 and X-Power carbide end mill lines, shown here. The X5070 end mills (at right) are designed to process materials ranging from 50 to 70 HRC. The tools feature tailored coatings that allow cutting through hardened steel, steel forgings, castings and a variety of other materials. The X5070 also features a blue coating that helps to identify wear.

It’s a family affair for MMT’s 2018 Leadtime Leader Award winner, Maximum Mold Group, as owners Dave and Cindy LaGrow chill out with the family before the awards ceremony. Watch for more highlights in our upcoming Amerimold recap blogs!

Boride Engineered Abrasives had a line of Dedeco Sunburst Radial Discs on display. Watch the discs shine the grime off of a penny, but not remove the top copper coating.

At the SilcoTek Corp. booth, a representative was on hand to discuss CVD Nano coatings. The gas-based coating helps molds with lubricity and release. 

This single valve gate system was just introduced by Mastip following 18 months of development. Benefits include its ability to handle a variety of materials, it is easy to install and operate and it keeps stack heights to a minimum. Mastip also featured its new Nexus pre-assembled and pre-wired hot runner systems with its FlowLoc leak protection technology.

MoldTrax introduced this new, portable Doc Station at Amerimold. The Doc Station is designed for use at the mold maintenance bench for more efficient access not only to tools needed, but to the user’s computer and the MoldTrax or other mold documentation software. The Doc Station is more ergonomic to use, plus it has an eight-hour battery backup system so the system does not need to be tethered to an outlet.

Millutensil featured its Blue Line of die and mold spotting presses. Pictured here on display at Amerimold is the model BV26E-R, which is designed to be used for assembly, checking and adjustment, as well as repair of molds. Table size is 980mm x 750mm or 38 inches by 29 inches. Electronically proportional servo valves control this machine’s hydraulic system, and its parallelism is controlled using Heidenhain optical rulers. The spotting press comes complete with a Siemens PLC control with touch panel interface.

Developed exclusively for the injection molder, the Mold-Vac eliminates molding problems caused by air and gas entrapment. The end result is improved part quality.

And that’s a wrap! Stay tuned at moldmakingtechnology.com in the coming days to see more coverage from this year’s event. Next year, the show is back at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois, on June 12 and 13, 2019. See you next year!