Mold Industry Research Articles

Improvements in Injection Moulds Cooling and Manufacturing Efficiency Achieved by Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing Using Conformal Cooling Concept.

The plastic injection moulding industry is a constantly developing industrial field. This industrial process requires the manufacturing of metal moulds using complex heating and cooling systems. The purpose of this research is to optimize both the plastic injection moulding process and the mould manufacturing process itself by combining practices in this industry with current additive manufacturing technologies, specifically Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) technology. A mould punch was manufactured by using both WAAM technology, whose internal cooling system has been designed under the concept of Conformal Cooling, and conventional cooling channel designs and manufacturing techniques in order to carry out a comparative analysis. Theoretical results obtained by CAE methods showed an improvement in heat extraction in the WAAM mould. In addition, the WAAM mould was able to achieve better temperature homogeneity in the final part, minimizing deformations in the final part after extraction. Finally, the WAAM manufacturing process was proven to be more efficient in terms of material consumption than the conventional mould, reducing the buy-to-fly ratio of the part by 5.11.

Comprehensive Measurement and Simulation of Prototype Injection Moulds

The injection moulding industry is dynamically developing. The growing demand for more customizable products can be served by low or middle volume production using prototype moulds and inserts. The conventional material of prototype moulds is aluminum because of its excellent machinability, acceptable strength and stiffness and outstanding thermal conductivity. Prototype moulds are gaining ground in the injection moulding industry, yet their operational behavior (including exact mechanical and thermal process parameters) is largely unknown. We created a comprehensive state monitoring system that measures the operational strain, cavity pressure and temperature of different prototype injection moulds. This way, all important process parameters can be measured and the relations between the moulding parameters and the operational pressure loads, deformations and temperatures can be quantified and analysed.

From waste to an added-value commodity: challenges in valorization opportunity of tin-residual sand for silica-based industry

Abstract Extensive tin mining activities produce sand piles with high silica, leaving vast environmental and economic responsibilities. The circular economy implementation can address these problems by valorizing quartz sand as industrial sand. Therefore, the study assesses the quartz sand left over from tin mining and processing activities on Bangka Island to become a valuable product within the CPQvA Framework consisting of classification (C), potential utilization (P), quantity and viability (Qv), and application (A). The criteria comprise 12 weighted questions to define the criticality indices categorized as easy, moderate, and difficult. With complex purification technology, quartz sand can be used as silica sand for ceramics, foundry mould, refractory bricks, glass, and solar cells. The quantity is large and feasible for a factory scale with expensive investment and operational costs. The product performance shows good quality from a technical aspect. Due to impurities content and its complex purification technology, the valorization of quartz sand produces a difficult criticality index for the solar cells, a moderate criticality index for the glass and ceramics industry, and an easy criticality index for the glaze, refractory brick, and foundry mold industries. Therefore, proven and efficient purification technology is crucial for further research.

Wear Mechanism of an AlCrN-Coated Solid Carbide Endmill Cutter and Machined Surface Quality under Eco-Friendly Settings during Open Slot Milling of Tempered JIS SKD11 Steel

In the die and mold industry, tempered JIS SKD11 steel is selected to manufacture cold-forming dies that require an optimum balance of toughness, strength, and wear resistance. Therefore, the machinability of tempered JIS SKD11 in the milling machining process is challenging. The use of eco-friendly machining settings is intended to diminish tool wear and enhance the quality of the machined surface as well as the accuracy of the machined components. Adapting to the aforementioned factors for cold-forming dies is a pivotal issue. In this study, the machinability of tempered JIS SKD11 steel was analyzed under dry, MQL, cryogenic cooling with liquid nitrogen (LN2), and liquid carbon dioxide (LCO2) machining settings during open slot milling operations with varying input parameters, including cutting speeds and cutting feeds. An in-depth evaluation of output responses, including tool wear, surface roughness, cutting temperature in the cutting zone, and microhardness of the machined surface, was also conducted. The findings unveiled that the flank wear of the cutters and surface roughness of the machined surfaces obtained minimum values of 0.22 mm and 0.197 µm, respectively, during open slot milling operations at a cutting speed of 100 m/min and a cutting feed of 204 mm/min under cryogenic cooling with liquid carbon dioxide (LCO2). The findings from this study suggest that employing cryogenic cooling with LCO2 could serve as a viable substitute for dry, MQL, and cryogenic cooling with LN2 methods to enhance the machinability of hardened JIS SKD11 steel.

Lubricant transportation mechanism and wear resistance of different arrangement textured turning tools

The textured tools present improved cutting efficiency and tool wear and be applied to the turning of difficult-to-cut materials. The unique transport performance of lubricant in the second deformation zone of the cutting zone is one of the advantages for sustainable manufacturing, which is significantly affect by micro-textured arrangement. However, the direct observation of infiltration phenomenon is rarely studied. The anti-friction performance and machinability of cast iron MQL turning with micro-textured tool is needed. This paper undertook theoretical analysis, infiltration and turning experiments of six typical arrangements of textured tools to provide a comprehensive understanding of the transportation and antifriction mechanism. Firstly, a theoretical analysis of the transport mechanism of different textured tools was conducted, revealing variations in surface wetting speeds due to the capillary action mechanism during the transport process. Secondly, confirmation was obtained through the capture of real-time infiltration processes using a high-speed camera, showing that, compared to non-textured tools, the infiltration speed noticeably slowed. This increased lubricant storage time and enhanced lubrication performance. Lastly, it was revealed through turning performance experiments that the 45° textured tools demonstrated outstanding performance in enhancing material removal efficiency and reducing heat accumulation. The wear resistance was superior, with reductions of 15.3%, 16.7%, and 25.4% in cutting forces in the three directions compared to non-textured tools, and a 12.2% decrease in cutting heat. Thus, validating the correctness of the capillary action theoretical analysis lays the foundation for the future application of textured tools in aerospace, automotive manufacturing, mold industry, and other fields.

A Concise Review on Materials for Injection Moulds and Their Conventional and Non-Conventional Machining Processes

Injection moulds are crucial to produce plastic and lightweight metal components. One primary associated challenge is that these may suffer from different types of failures, such as wear and/or cracking, due to the extreme temperatures (T), thermal cycles, and pressures involved in the production process. According to the intended geometry and respective needs, mould manufacturing can be performed with conventional or non-conventional processes. This work focuses on three foremost alloys: AMPCO® (CuBe alloy), INVAR-36® (Fe-Ni alloys, Fe-Ni36), and heat-treated (HT) steels. An insight into the manufacturing processes’ limitations of these kinds of materials will be made, and solutions for more effective machining will be presented by reviewing other published works from the last decade. The main objective is to provide a concise and comprehensive review of the most recent investigations of these alloys’ manufacturing processes and present the machinability challenges from other authors, discovering the prospects for future work and contributing to the endeavours of the injection mould industry. This review highlighted the imperative for more extensive research and development in targeted domains.

Investigation on the optimal ultra-precision machining of nitriding mold steel by in-situ laser assisted diamond cutting

S136 (STAVAX ESR) mold steel is an advanced material for the optical mold industry. The precisely machined surface quality is essential for guaranteeing the excellent performance of molds. Diamond cutting is a high-efficiency machining technique in optical mold manufacturing. However, the chemical wear of diamond tool is a huge challenge in precisely machining steel mold due to the reaction between atoms C and Fe. In this study, the hybrid machining technique which combined the in-situ laser assisted diamond cutting (LADC) and plasma nitriding was used to machine S136 mold steel. Furthermore, the impact of the various machining conditions on the machined workpiece surface roughness Sa was comprehensively investigated by the Taguchi method (TM) and Response surface methodology (RSM). The experimental results of material characterization indicated that a 90 μm nitride layer was generated on the workpiece surface by plasma nitriding. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) results demonstrated that the feed rate and laser power had an important impact on the machined surface roughness Sa. According to the RSM, a precise mathematical model was developed which is explored by experimental investigations. The results showed that the optimal machining parameter combination by RSM generated the better surface quality of 6.393 nm in in-situ LADC of nitriding steel. This study provides a reference for mold steel ultra-precision machining technique and parameter optimization method for surface integrity.

Assessing the Carbon Footprint of Plastic Bottle Blow Mold Based on Product Life Cycle for Managing the Mold Industry’s Carbon Emission

Calculating the carbon footprint (CF) holds paramount importance in today’s world as it provides a tangible measure of our impact on the environment. In the corporate realm, businesses armed with CF data can optimize operations, reduce waste, and adopt greener technologies, leading to both environmental and economic benefits. In this study, carbon emissions—a significant global issue—are investigated through the lens of the ISO 14067-ISO Product Based Carbon Footprint (CF) standard, focusing on the operations of a mold company. The primary innovation lies in meticulously tracing every stage of plastic bottle blow mold production, the most prevalent product in the mold industry, from its raw material input to its final form as a mold in the factory. Subsequently, detailed calculations and analysis are conducted to quantify the carbon footprint associated with this process and its impact on the environment. The calculated CF for one ton of PBBM produced by Petka Mold Industry is presented. This study fills a critical gap in the literature by providing a holistic understanding of the carbon footprint of plastic bottle blow mold (PBBM) production, thereby offering valuable insights for managing carbon emissions and promoting sustainability within the mold industry. By integrating a life cycle product carbon footprint thinking into industrial practices, a greener, more sustainable future can be paved, mitigating the ecological footprint of the PBBM.

Exploring productivity improvement consulting operation cases and development directions to foster the composite mold industry

Exploring productivity improvement consulting operation cases and development directions to foster the composite mold industry

Smoothing interpolation of five-axis tool path with less feedrate fluctuation and higher computation efficiency

Five-axis machine tools are widely used in aerospace, die and mold industries. Most of the time, the tool path is described by connecting a series of short linear segments. The tangency discontinuity of the linear segments leads to the discontinuity of the kinematic profiles, hence generating discontinuous interpolation points, and resulting in fluctuation of machine motion, which reduces the machining efficiency and causes excessive tracking and contouring errors. This paper aims to generate smooth interpolation points at servo sample intervals with the proposed G2 continuous five-axis corner rounding algorithm suitable for reducing feedrate fluctuation along the smoothed toolpath and improving machining efficiency, and the modified jerk-limited feedrate planning algorithm suitable for eliminating feedrate fluctuation within the feedrate planning units and improving interpolation computation efficiency. In this paper, the five-axis linear segments are first smoothed by curvature-optimized cubic Bezier splines, which reduces the number of the feedrate planning units along the smoothed toolpath and improves machining efficiency. Then, the jerk-limited feedrate planning algorithm is modified to ensure that the time interval of each different scheduled feedrate phase is an integer multiple of the axis position control loop closure time (i.e. servo sample interval), which eliminates the feedrate fluctuation within each feedrate planning unit and reduces the interpolation computation load of position command in each interpolation period (i.e. servo sample interval). At last, the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is demonstrated with simulations and experiments following a five-axis, curved tool path on a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine tool.

Scheduling Molds Manufacturing Processes through Process Mining

The molds industry, being a highly competitive sector, is constantly driven by organizations looking to optimize their business processes to gain a competitive edge. To access advanced management tools, there has been a strong push for integrating Industry 4.0 technologies, which in turn has resulted in a significant increase in the amount of manufacturing process data, enabling more accurate and real-time analysis of processes. However, challenges persist due to the unpredictable and ad-hoc nature of this industry’s business processes. As a result, effective resource management has become a crucial aspect that organizations are actively addressing. In this study, our objective is to leverage process mining algorithms and complement them with a genetic algorithm to generate efficient scheduling solutions to produce mold parts on factory floors. By analyzing existing data and identifying the workflows through process mining, we seek to gain a more realistic perspective on the mold manufacturing business process. Through this analysis, our aim is to uncover meaningful workflows and sequences for producing mold parts, ensuring that critical activities are appropriately incorporated while minimizing unnecessary repetitions. By identifying these purposeful sequences, we can provide the factory floor with schedules that optimize resource usage and enhance the overall efficiency of mold manufacturing processes.

Superfinishing of hardened steel for the moulding industry of automotive lighting parts

Achieving a mirror-like finish surface quality in plastic injection molds and dies is necessary for the manufacture of optical components in the automotive industry. Any defects present on the mold surface will be evidenced on the injected part, compromising the functionality of the final product. Moreover, the typically employed finishing techniques (milling and polishing) in mould steels can be excessively time-consuming. The identification of machining and polishing combinations that meet the demanding surface requirements while minimizing time and material resources is therefore essential for ensuring the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the mould-making process. In this work, an experimental study was conducted on the milling of hardened tool steel using a 6 mm two flute ball nose end mill. Distinct configurations of axial and radial depths of cut as well as feed per tooth were considered and their impact on the pre-polishing surface roughness was analysed. A methodology for the parametrization of polishing conditions was developed, ensuring consistency of speed and pressure. Further tests were conducted to evaluate the relation between post-polishing surface quality and the total duration of the combined finishing approach. The polishing stage consisted on submitting the milled samples to SiC paper (800 and 1000 grit) and diamond cloth (6 and 3 µm) polishing. The method provided enhanced control of the polishing operation and revealed milling/polishing improved sequences for attaining surface roughness technical requisites.

Global Workforce Challenges for the Mold Making and Engineering Industry

The mold industry faces unprecedented challenges in the current global economic and social landscape, including increasing environmental concerns and the need for sustainable solutions. To address these challenges, the plastics tooling industry needs to face critical issues associated with the shortage of skilled labor and disruptions to global supply chains. This work reviews and analyzes the global workforce challenges and their relationship to sustainable economic and environmental growth. The characteristics and challenges of the mold-making and engineering industries are assessed and critically discussed. New technologies, such as data-driven automation in design and manufacturing, are discussed, considering their current and future impact on employment in the industry. Ultimately, the paper argues that the mold industry must address these workforce challenges to promote sustainable and continued growth. Indeed, workforce and technology development are the key drivers for the sustainable growth of the mold-making industry, as they support the timely and cost-effective manufacturing of numerous essential plastic products. The industry stakeholders should work on structural solutions to foster a more conducive environment to produce plastic molds.

Surface morphological evolution and microhardness change of Cr12MoV steel by pulsed laser polishing

Laser polishing is gaining more and more attention because of its environmental friendliness and ability to process complex surfaces. It is considered as one of the technologies to replace traditional methods in the mold industry. In this work, the variation pattern of surface roughness with single pulse energy density and light-out overlap rate during nanosecond pulsed laser polishing of Cr12MoV steel was investigated. The surface roughness increased and then decreased with increasing single-pulse energy density and beam overlap rate, respectively. The lowest surface roughness was found to be 0.50 μm, which is a decrease of 79.34 % compared to the untreated sample. The effect of each parameter on the surface morphology during the laser polishing process is explained. There is minimal austenitization on the surface of the sample after laser polishing. The second phase of the remelting layer disappeared. The microhardness of the remelting layer increased by 36.17 % because the grain size was reduced by 30.65 %. This work further explains the mechanism transformation threshold for pulsed laser polishing of steel. With 95 % beam overlap, the melting and gasification energy density thresholds for Cr12MoV steel are respectively 1.269 J/cm2 and 2.937 J/cm2. The beam overlap rate of 95.5 % is the critical condition for continuous melt movement. It provides a new idea for the mechanism judgment of pulsed laser polishing.

AISI D2 Soğuk İş Çeliğinin Delinmesinde Deneysel ve Sonlu Elemanlar Analizi Yoluyla Delik Kalitelerinin İyileştirilmesi ve İşleme Parametrelerinin Optimizasyonu

Increasing supply chain problems in recent years have a negative impact on costs in many areas. Due to the global crisis, raw material prices increased and the manufacturing sector was seriously affected. Production planning and material saving should be done correctly in order to minimize the losses in the manufacturing sector. The most efficient way to reduce production costs is to use suitable cutting tools and choose the right machining parameters. In this study, the drilling of AISI D2 steel, which is widely used in the mold industry, was examined and optimum machining parameters were determined. TiN coated drills are used for drilling operations. The effects of machining parameters on Surface Roughness (Ra) and Thrust Force (Fz) were investigated by Taguchi and ANOVA. Surface roughness and thrust force values during drilling were measured. Thrust force values were also analyzed numerically by the Finite Element (FE) method. Ra and Fz were also low at low feed rate and low cutting speeds. While the feed rate affected Ra the most, the Fz affected the cutting speed the most. The lowest Ra and Fz were at 30 mm/min feed rate and 25 m/min cutting speed. According to the ANOVA, it was determined that the machining parameters were effective on both Ra and Fz. R2 values for Ra and Fz are calculated over 95%.

Microstructural and Mechanical Characterization of Large Surfaces after Laser Cladding by Wavering of Nickel Coating on Cast-Iron Molds Used in Glass Industry

Laser cladding of a Ni based powder on cast iron is performed by a 4kW continuous diode laser. For this, a robot programming method named “Wavering” is used. Indeed, this method allows to cover large surfaces (width higher than 5 mm and thickness higher than 4 mm). The cast iron substrate used during this work is employed for its thermal properties in glass mold Industry. However, it has drawbacks which are weak wear, corrosion, and abrasion resistance. Conventional techniques used to protect the molds, like Plasma Transferred Arc (PTA), affect the molds microstructure, but also the thermal and mechanical properties. The laser cladding of the Ni based alloy allows to protect the molds without affecting the cast iron thermal properties (low Heat Affected Zone). The purpose of this research is to produce a well bonded Ni based melted powder without pores or cracks on large and curvilinear surfaces. First, the coating, adapted to this substrate geometry, is optimized. Then, an investigation of the impact of the processing parameters (power, scanning speed and wavering frequency) on the microstructure is carried out. Besides, the mechanical behaviour is analysed by microhardness. In addition, the evolution of the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) according to the processing parameters is observed. Two kinds of areas are inspected in terms of microstructure: a stable area obtained after a single pass and an interferenced area linked to superimposed passes. Those analyses led to a cladding parameter optimization to obtain perfect bonding, to avoid porosity propagation and to limit the HAZ emergence on curvilinear surfaces. Finally, in comparison with the PTA technique, it appears that laser cladding process with wavering method leads to a good coating of curvilinear surfaces.

Searching for operational cases and development directions for strengthening capabilities to foster the composite mold industry

Searching for operational cases and development directions for strengthening capabilities to foster the composite mold industry

Change Management In Machine Mold Industry: A Research In Bursa

Change is an inevitable consequence of globalization. Especially in production sector, organizations that cannot adapt to the changes and make innovations, cannot last their life spans long. In addition, without professional management of changes, the possibilty of chaotic situations emerges. Thus, the employees resist change and adopt negative perceptions towards change. In production sector there is a wide variety of industrial branches; therefore it constitutes importance to make researches on specific branches, especially on which requires contemporary technology use. Therefore, machine mold industry comes afore in the context that technology changes in an accelerating pace and not only keeping up with these changes but also keeping employees adapted to the constant changes without hesitation is crucial. In this context, the purpose of this study is to find out the attitudes of machine mold industry employees towards organizational change. In the scope of the research, the white collar employees that work in machine mold businesses that are active in Bursa City Nilüfer District Organized Industrial Zone, Türkiye, has been defined as sample.

H13 tool steel fabricated by wire arc additive manufacturing: Solidification mode, microstructure evolution mechanism and mechanical properties

The critical application value of AISI H13 tool steel in the die and mold industry and the great application potential of additive manufacturing (AM) technology in die manufacturing and repair have attracted extensive attention from researchers. However, there is no consensus on the solidification mode and microstructure evolution mechanism of H13 during AM. The relationship between the unique cellular/dendritic substructures and the grain structures in AM-fabricated H13 components has yet to be fully understood. This work focused on the microstructure and mechanical properties of different regions of the H13 component manufactured by wire arc additive manufacturing technology. Thermodynamic calculations and experimental results confirmed the formation of δ-ferrite during the non-equilibrium solidification of AM. The cellular/dendritic substructure is caused by the solidification of δ-ferrite and austenite together with the accompanying segregation. The results of optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, as well as the reconstructed prior austenite grain structure by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) all confirmed that the formation and distribution of cellular/dendritic substructures were not directly related to the prior austenite grain. The EBSD pole figures show that although the martensite transformation weakened the preferred orientation of crystals, the martensite phase in the typical structure of the deposition area still had a high texture strength, which may be the main reason for the anisotropic mechanical properties of the H13 component.

CNC Machines Integration in Smart Factories using OPC UA

This paper examines the idea of Industry 4.0 from the perspective of the molds industry, a vital industry in today’s industrial panorama. Several technologies, particularly in the area of machining equipment, have been introduced as a result of the industry’s constant modernization. This technological diversity makes automatic interconnection with production management software extremely difficult, as each brand and model requires different, mostly proprietary, interfaces and communication protocols. In the methodology presented in this paper, a development of monitoring solutions for machining devices is defined supporting the leading equipment and operations used by molds industry companies. OPC UA is employed for high-level communication between the various systems for a standardized approach. The approach combines various machine interfaces on a single system to cover a significant subset of machining equipment currently used by the molds industry, as a key result of this paper and given the variety of monitoring systems and communication protocols. This type of all-in-one approach will provide production managers with the information they need to monitor and improve the complete manufacturing process.