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10 MoldMaking Technology —— OCTOBER 2017 Profile Pictured above is an automotive glove box door molded out of BAYER PC/ ABS using MuCell technology. SA Engineering says a 9 percent reduction in weight and a 14 percent reduction in cycle time was achieved. In the image, the effect of induction heating of the cavity with the MuCell technology can be seen on the left half of the part. Induction heated only half of the cavity surface to illustrate the difference. Image courtesy of SA Engineering. What do you believe is driving original equipment manu- facturers (OEMs) to demand advanced technology solu- tions, new processes and mold innovations that many Tier 1 suppliers cannot offer? Jim Osbourn, Site Manager: Advances in electric and high efficiency vehicle designs are increasing the need for process improvements and cost reduction, and that requires improved quality, cycle time and mass reduction. But, the industry has seen a drop in expertise. Journeymen moldmakers are retir- ing, and companies let go of qualified staff when the economy crashed in 2008. Because of that shortage in skill and experi- ence, among other reasons, many OEMs are having a difficult time convincing their Tier 1 suppliers to use new technologies without first having another party like SA Engineering validate those technologies. How does SA help molders and mold builders provide those solutions to their customers? SA Engineering: We offer the technical rationalization and direction for the mold builder and molder to put advanced technologies, such as magnetic induction, high pressure hot • Is an advanced manufacturing technology center, offering full-service engineering for the develop- ment of injection-molded products. • Aims to aid customers with their challenges in processing and in reducing weight and cost by providing complete turnkey solutions in which it fully develops and validates tooling, material, equipment and processing. • Offers services in design, finite element analysis, mold flow, prototype and rapid prototyping solu- tions, low-volume and production tooling, tool tryouts, R&D; support and proof of technologies, product validation, scanning, coordinate measur- ing machining and quality. • Capitalizes on opportunities from global innova- tors and new technologies to improve cost and to address challenges in mass and aesthetics. A Conversation with … SA Engineering water, saturated steam, nitrogen counter pressure and core back and MuCell into their tools. Each offers a strategic way to improve part cosmetics and to shorten cycle time. Additionally, each offers a way to reduce differential stress, mass and press clamp tonnage requirements. Magnetic induction is one popular technology solution that SA provides. You stated that it is an added second- ary feature to a mold. Can you briefly explain how it works and what it does? SA Engineering: Magnetic induction creates an eddy current in the surface of the tool, which in turn creates resistance and heats very quickly (at a pace of 1°F per second). As a result, the heat can be increased momentarily, and that raises the tool's surface to temperatures that exceed the capability of conven- tional thermolators, allowing improved material flow, less dif- ferential shrink and a more resin-rich surface. This improves part finish without increasing cycle time. Plus, it happens in a zone that eliminates or reduces cosmetic issues and improves finish and dimensional stability. Provide details of a project that used magnetic induc- tion. Share the problem, the solution and the results. SA Engineering: One of our customers, who is a Tier 1 manufacturer of small, chrome-plated plastic parts, had an issue with a high-profile part for a Big Three customer. Our customer had a knit line around some lettering on a part that was impossible to eliminate using conventional methods like sequential valve gating, different gate locations and so on. We used magnetic induction to make the tool surface hotter than 38103 Schoolcraft Livonia, Michigan 48150 248-705-2484 sa-engineering.com