SHOWROOM

“The key to investing in new machinery is to get more work done with the same amount of people, not the same amount of work with fewer people. To accomplish this, you need automated machining capabilities that are both flexible and reliable."

A streamlined approach to your mold manufacturing process is accomplished most effectively through machine automation.

F8/F9

Ultimately, the Roembke Mfg. mold was a single-drop cold deck with a standard LSR valve gate design featuring side injection versus back injection for the plastic.

Motorola has placed an increased emphasis on adding new software tools to improve its engineering and manufacturing operations. For its moldmaking business, this has meant implementation of new procedures in Cimatron-E and implementation of a Hexagon PC-DMIS solution on the shop floor.

Cavalier Tool & Manufacturing Ltd. of Windsor, Ontario, explained on Monday during Makino's Lunch & Learn how it handles drilling, boring, thread milling, tapping, 2-D and 3-D machining without the operator ever touching the part. Cavalier Tool believes that technology is increasing at a tremendous rate, which demands that they keep up with the latest innovations, and in order to do this they developed an in-house program that continuously analyzes their current technology, makes recommendations based on the current technology and replaces older equipment with newer, faster automated machinery. On average, three to four pieces of equipment are replaced annually through this program.

Makino has launched its new corporate website, www.Makino.com, featuring detailed information on products and services, and access to hundreds of technical resources that help manufacturers make what matters.

A “Make What Matters" campaign has recently been launched to recognize those who have make contributions to the advancement of North American manufacturing. It is nice to see companies that applaud their customers' efforts instead of merely selling their products!

VMCs/EDMs

When Precise Tool & Die (Willoughby, OH) was founded in 1969 with one lathe and a Bridgeport, owner Steve Hunyati was worried about competition on the other side of Cleveland. Building a successful mold and die shop that thrived into the ’80s took persistence and vision, and those qualities served the company well even as it saw future competition—and opportunity—grow on the other side of the globe.

A roundtable of machine tool suppliers reviews the advancements in machining technologies that push machining and tooling to their limits—and can kick every moldmaker’s capability up a notch.

See Us at Booth #783

When the mold manufacturing industry was affected by the downturn in the economy several years ago, injection mold and die manufacturer Lens Tool and Mould Ltd.

Online seminars focus on improving efficiencies and productivity.

Electric Anti-rust Unit

Pelco Tool & Mold, Inc. (Glendale Heights, IL)—a producer of close-tolerance, high-quality tools for the closure, food and beverage, personal care, and medical industries—designs and builds a plethora of molds, including, single face and stack, rotating ratchet ring (RRR), conventional unscrewing, strip, side-action, collapsible core, compression, front-loaded core, insert and prototype.

PS-Series

Oct. 12-13 at Makino Technology Center in Auburn Hills, MI.

Mission Critical: Workforce 2021” makes imX event a destination for one of manufacturing’s most daunting challenges.

MPmax

Unprecedented industry event offers one-on-one instruction and expert perspective as leaders learn together for future of industry.

Mold-Tech, Inc.: Technology-Driven, Detail-Oriented Precision Injection Mold Provider.

amerimold Booth #712; F5-5XR VMC

With a new generation of automotive mold applications ahead, the VG is ashowpiece that reflects Hi-Tech Mold's dedication to future innovation.

F5-5XR VMC

Makino (Auburn Hills, MI) offers its Ram EDM machinery—the EDAF Series, featuring a mechanical design for increased rigidity and reduced thermal distortion.

Keeping an edge over the competition.

How mold manufacturers are benefitting from today’s automation options.

Being both a moldmaker and a molder allows Elite Mold to be a one-stop team for its customers and the MoldMaking Technology 2009 Leadtime Leader Honorable Mention Award: Small Shop.

Makino (Auburn Hills, MI) offers a 5-axis version of its V33i hard milling vertical machining center, the V33i-5XB, whose platform provides extreme dynamic accuracy for long hours of continuous hard milling, and the new 5-axis capability provides for reduced part setups and extreme accuracy in contoured shapes.

Moldmakers who want to diversify into medical—or maintain their competitive edge—need up-to-date, high-tech engineering and fabrication capabilities in order to meet the toolmaking industry’s most stringent quality standards.

Makino’s (Mason, OH) V33i is perfectly suited for high-speed hard milling in materials at 50+ HRc, providing tighter accuracy, superior surface finishes, and long hours of continuous, unattended operation.

The use of automation continues to rise as mold manufacturers respond to industry demand of constantly shrinking leadtimes. Manufacturers and suppliers have taken action with better, faster equipment and processes.

The past decade has seen significant shifts at R&D Tool, but with a key supplier by its side, they are equipped for new challenges.

Makino’s (Auburn Hills, MI) next-generation wire EDMs feature two models: the DUO 43 and DUO 64.

Carl Zeiss Vision improves crucial surface quality of its polycarbonate eyeglass lens molds and designed repeatability and added capacity into their metal mold operation.

Makino (Mason, OH) offers the Track Pallet Magazine (TPM), the latest addition to their automation technology, enabling companies to reduce setup times, increase machine and spindle utilization, and raise the production capacity of a machine.

There has been a tremendous amount of change in the U.S. moldmaking industry over the past 10 years, and mold shops that adopt new machine tools, services and technology will enhance their capabilities for long-term success.

Makino’s (Auburn Hills, MI) S56 VMC blends high-performance machining capabilities with an attractive feature and pricing package to meet the needs of tool, die and mold shops.

This shop—never content to rest on its laurels—combines lean initiatives and the latest in technology to be a one-stop shop for its customers and win the MoldMaking Technology 2008 Leadtime Leader Award: Small Shop.

Unique, employee-developed programs tighten this moldmaker’s leadtimes—resulting in high quality tools delivered on time and the MoldMaking Technology 2008 Leadtime Leader Award: Large Shop.

Equipment and component suppliers are developing a range of products for advanced moldmaking needs.

Toolmakers are developing increasingly complex molds for high production of thinwall parts.

This moldmaker’s new machining center and EDM offer versatility with the ability to machine a number of materials and EDM small holes with ease.

The dynamic 1-Series horizontal machining centers from Makino (Mason, OH) are now available with a five-axis rotary table (5XR) designated option.

Makino’s (Mason, OH) a81M HMC—achieving higher MRR and longer tool life in tough materials—will be seen at Westec.

This moldmaker garners the 2007 Leadtime Leader Award: Small Shop by being flexible with its customers, going lean, competing globally and uniting with other moldmakers.

Makino’s (Mason, OH) V99 and V99L vertical machining centers (VMC) are engineered to provide superb accuracy and high-speed performance previously unobtainable with large die/mold milling machines.

Advanced engineering and mold building techniques give North American toolmakers entrée to emerging electronics applications.

Makino’s (Mason, OH) EDGE2 Sinker EDM machine with fine-hole option using a 0.00024 inch diameter silver tungsten electrode cut a communications/fiber optic part to a 0.00044 inch finished hole diameter.

The ability to design and build innovative molds for advanced processing needs is key to being competitive and profitable in a low-margin market.

Makino (Auburn Hills, MI) has introduced HEAT (High Energy Applied Technology)—a new technology to provide the fastest cutting rates and operating speeds available in wire EDM production.

Makino’s Variable Geometry (VG) equipment revolutionizes the machining of large dies and molds and will be shown at IMTS.

The Makino V56 vertical machining center is ideal for machining plastic molds and die cast dies for automotive parts, as well as components of home appliances, office automation equipment and IT-related products.

Vertical machining centers help to achieve the rapid tool production time a medical thermoformer’s customers demand.

This moldmaker’s decision to venture into the rapid tooling market added up to rapid growth—and the winning of the 2006 Leadtime Leader Honorable Mention: Small Shop for the second year in a row.

It’s time to adapt or die as business evolution dictates development of new business and manufacturing approaches.

To achieve the ultimate capability and level of productivity from your wire EDM on a consistent, repeatable and reliable basis, regular maintenance is a required task.

Makino’s (Mason, OH) V-Series vertical machining centers were developed for die/mold operations seeking high accuracy, shorter cycle times and superior surface finishes—particularly true in the high-speed milling of deep ribs.

Makino (Mason, OH) has developed a hybrid automatic tool-length measuring system that is available on its precision Hyper 2J, V22 and V33 high-performance vertical machining centers.

Competitive shops need to consider the true capabilities of their VMCs to achieve a high level of accuracy and surface finish.

An increased interest in five-axis machining—coupled with advances in controls and cutting tools—add up to finer surface finishes at higher speeds.

EDM experts reveal that trends in increased automation combined with unattended machining result in better accuracy and surface finishes in wire and diesinking EDM applications.

Industry Experts sound off on the value of training, plus a showcase of apprenticeships and grants.

Investing in new technology, modern training and new business practices can help usher in a new era of moldmaking.

Manufacturing blow molds has kept this moldmaker in the black for more than fifty years-and has earned them an Honorable Mention in MoldMaking Technology magazine's Leadtime Leader competition.

While EDM speeds today are impressive, there also are a number of machining variables that influence high-performance wire EDM.

Investing in new technology will allow moldmakers to survive and prosper.

Boasting clients like Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Nokia, ATi's customer-driven attitude takes them around the world - and earns them MoldMaking Technology magazine's Leadtime Leader Award.

Although VMCs are widely used, HMCs offer more flexibility, versatility and a number of operations in one machine tool.