Scholle IPN NA Tooling Manager Shares Three Favorite Articles: Community, Game-Changers and Training

Don Smith, the North American tooling manager for Scholle IPN, is responsible for managing and maintaining a fleet of North American injection molds, working with the new product development team to design and build them. This includes concept molds, pilot molds and multi-cavity production molds from inception through commercialization. 

Here, he continues this year’s EAB series by sharing his three all-time favorite MoldMaking Technology articles and how this content has been valuable to his work and career.

1. April/May 1998 – Premier Issue: Editor’s Note, Nothing but Moldmaking

It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to the first issue of MoldMaking Technology magazine — the only publication dedicated exclusively to the engineering, building and repairing of molds. Our goal for the premier issue was to set an editorial standard to be upheld throughout our existence —finding the hottest issues, addressing the most common problems and solutions, and providing the most valuable information in an easy-to-read, well-designed format.

I remember reading this article way back when and feeling great pride. Finally, my career choice in life had a purpose and the “things” we manufactured meant something. I suddenly felt a sense of becoming a “professional” because a publication was writing about our industry for the very first time.

This new media outlet provided me with a way to communicate with other moldmakers, engage technical people and view the new products that suppliers were trying to sell. The whole moldmaking world seemed to come to life for me. We were not just small fragmented shops that designed and built injection molds; instead, on that day, we became a community.

 

2. March 2018 – Top 10 Game-Changing Technologies

As part of its 20th anniversary, MoldMaking Technology reached out to readers and asked them to list what they believe are the top most impactful technologies since 1998.

When I first entered this industry, literally 50 years ago, all machine tools were manual machines. If you had a radial arm drill press, a Bridgeport milling machine, a Boyar-Schulz surface grinder and an EDM machine (probably an ELOX machine), you worked in a mold shop! Along with own your two hands, this is the equipment that a typical shop had from the 1940s until the late ’70s or early ’80s, when NC, and eventually, CNC, was introduced to the small tool shops. At this point, the transformation of moldmaking started evolving into mold manufacturing. 

In 1998, when MoldMaking Technology published the “first edition,” our industry was right smack dab in the middle of ever-changing CNC machines, CAD software capabilities, consistently faster computer hardware requirements and so on. Moldmakers no longer had control over lead times. It went from 12 weeks, to eight weeks, to a four-week delivery, for basically the same parts. In addition, the cell phone industry was the rage! Husky created the Pronto system to meet the need of the customer. They were challenging times, very educational and, I must admit, fun! I recommend reading this March 2018 article to see how far we have really come with this background in mind. History tells us that we need to know where we have been to know where we are going. 

 

3. December 2012 – Part 1: Finding, Training and Retaining Employees

Before beginning your search, sit with your management team and list the skills, accomplishments and attributes you know someone must have to succeed at your company.

The shortage of skilled workers is nothing new in moldmaking. We have been struggling with this issue for many, many years. As I combed through the MMT archives, there are articles on this subject matter back to 2000. And now, the rest of the world is struggling with this very issue due to COVID-19. 

I read this article and the next 12 in the series ten years ago. This series defines a training strategy that still applies in today’s post-COVID-19 world. Of course, thet need to be updated, and there will be a need to do more online training with actual moldmaking applications. We need to break the fragmented, regional training programs and develop a global training program that will take the “tribal knowledge” that my generation has acquired and pass it on to the mold builders of the future.