Molds, Dies & Tooling

A diversified revenue stream is proving invaluable in the move toward medical at Singapore’s Univac Precision Engineering.

Univac started off as a high-precision toolmaker in 1980 with fewer than 100 employees before entering a sustained growth phase in the 1990s. This period saw the processor add injection molding capability for the first time in Singapore, and then a processing operation in Malaysia in 1998 through an acquisition of a local molder. Currently, the company has more than 1500 employees under its wing.

Cavaform International LLC recently opened a new 22,000-ft² facility next to its current mold manufacturing plant in St. Petersburg, FL. The new company, Modern Technical Molding & Development LLC, will provide molding sampling capabilities using the company's five injection molding presses that range from 75-375 tonnes capacity.

Based on a combination of the range of services offered, support of the customer's business model, perceptible advantages as a supplier, and a solid on-time delivery rate, Rockwell Automation selected TecStar Mfg. Co., a business unit of MGS Mfg. Group to receive its Supplier of the Year award.

"TecStar's technical capabilties and global footprint provide Rockwell Automation with a strategic partner who offers a competitive supply chain advantage", says Matthew Sprader, Strategic Sourcing Commodity Manager for Rockwell. 

The global sales and distribution network of DME Co. has been joined with the hot runner, processing, and analytical technology of Plastic Engineering & Technical Services Inc. in a strategic alliance aimed at improved sourcing for molders and moldmakers worldwide. First targets: new solutions for medical and high-volume consumer applications.

When Tim Peterson of Industrial Molds invited the district's Congressional Representative to visit the Rockford, IL company, he didn't expect Rep. Don Manzullo (R-IL16) to actually come. But in early February he did, and Peterson is even more convinced than before that this is the right thing to do. Washington, says Peterson, appears to be getting the idea that these jobs are important.

PlasticsToday's Clare Goldsberry has written books for molders and moldmakers that include business and marketing strategies. Based on her long experience, she's come up with five key points to running a successful mold manufacturing operation.

Even considering all the many conditions that impact the life of your mold, the main enemy may be wear caused by differences in mold temperature and/or general mold alignment, and temperature differentials could be a conspirator in this plot.—Karl Szanto and Jerry Seidelman, Tech Mold Inc.

Quoting continues to be a huge issue among moldmakers. I periodically get calls from companies wanting to know if there are any good mold-quoting software packages out there. (Yes, there are several, but I've never talked to a moldmaker yet who really liked them.) Some create their own software, thinking they can integrate everything that's needed to come up with a good number really quickly.

Though many have found good tooling suppliers, there continue to be problems with sourcing molds in China, and even those who are experienced aren't immune. Here are things you should know if you have to get a mold made in China.

According to a blogger in a LinkedIn group, the biggest issues in sourcing molds in China are tool design and quality. "If you spec'd H-13, did you get H-13?" he queries fellow bloggers. "How many hands in the press, actual cycles, did it take to produce first-offs?"

You’re getting shut out because your bids are too high. Arm yourself with data on the total cost of a mold in your next bid and save your potential customer from making a bad decision.