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From the Editor 6 MoldMaking Technology January 2015 THIS MONTH ON moldmakingtechnology.com Fresh Perspective New year, new perspective—or maybe just a different perspective. Christina M. Fuges Editorial Director I want to introduce you not only to a new column that we are beginning this year, but to the man behind the concept. He is an industry colleague with whom I've had countless conversations over the years on everything from hot runners and ther- mography to kids and politics. Lately, our phone calls have focused on a new engineering approach that has the potential to transform your business: "Thinking in plastic first, then steel." This approach can help ensure that your mold- making adds even more value by solving or improv- ing plastic injection molding problems. In order to do that, you must under- stand the injection molding process. This series of articles is here to help you do just that, breaking down the path a plastic pellet takes as it transforms into a part. Hence, the series name: Pellet 2 Part (P2P). The man who helped develop the concept for this series is Rich Oles of Stone Plastics & Manufacturing Inc. in Zeeland, Michigan, where he has been director of molding and currently is tooling manager. Prior to joining Stone Plastics, Rich was the VP of engineering at P.E.T.S (Plastic Engineering & Technical Service), and prior to that he served as president and CEO for North America of PSG Plastic Service Group Inc., a German-headquartered OEM of hot runner manifold and hot runner control systems. Rich's plastics- related resume of employment, training and education reaches back further, but I'd rather spend this page telling you about the origin and purpose of this new series. While brainstorming with Rich on this series, he relayed this story to me: "A friend once told me, 'You need to think in plastic, not steel.' This was dur- ing my transition from moldmaker/mold designer to hot runner manifold supplier/OEM designer, and he was right. I am a moldmaker/mold designer/ modeler first. The rest of my experience supports and advances the plastic injection molding process. That is why MMT is the right vehicle for this series. The mold builder of today needs to consider every aspect of the plastic injection molding industry in the never-ending pursuit of adding value to the end customer." Within this series of articles, we will introduce you to people and compa- nies that are interested in sharing their expertise and experience, in the hopes of helping you better understand plastic injection molding and therefore add value to your mold manufacturing operations. Our 2015 topics will include: raw material and what every moldmaker should know about it; the melt delivery system (screw, valve and end cap); hot and cold runner systems; hot runner controllers (standalone and HMI); mold cooling optimized by design; plant water basics and how it impacts per- formance; and automation in handling the post-molded part. Follow MMT on: Follow @ MMTMag VIDEO: Transient Cooling of Injection Molds New technology uses parallel processing, predicts transient cooling for the injection mold and the cooling channels, and includes support for mold inserts and heating elements— all laying the foundation for the next generation of cooling simulation capabilities. Watch the video at short.moldmaking technology.com/autocool. BLOG: Euromold 2014 Hosted in late November in Frankfurt, Germany, this annual event offered plenty of innovations for the tool and die industry. Examples included laser welders with integrated laser powder cladding, an innovative quick-change mold system, an unusual lifter design and an additive manufacturing system that uses the same material as a plastic-injection press. Visit short.moldmakingtechnology.com/euromold for information on these and other displays that caught our eye. WEBINAR: Mold Steel — Does it Make a Difference? Moldmakers strive to design and build the most efficient, durable mold tools to enable their customers to produce quality parts in a cost-effective manner. Does the choice of mold steel play an important role? How can that choice pro- vide improved productivity for the molder? These and other questions were addressed in this past webinar, accessible at moldmakingtechnology.com/webinars. SLIDESHOW: Machining Products Check out a slideshow of the machines featured in this month's Product Focus on machining at short.moldmaking technology.com/machines.