MoldMaking Technology

JAN 2018

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moldmakingtechnology.com 41 LEADTIME LEADER Q&A; MoldMaking Technology's Leadtime Leader Award celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2018, so the magazine is asking past winners to share their perspective on a variety of industry issues, challenges and solutions. This month the magazine is examining mold material selection and innovation. Understanding that mold material selection is appli- cation specific, what do you consider the most essen- tial criteria? Rich Martin, business development manager, JMMS: The most essential is strength (or durability), based on war- ranty (or shot life) and customer specifications. Mike Zacharias, president, Extreme: When it comes to mold life, I consider machinability the lowest priority, which probably sounds odd from someone who builds molds. I look at thermal properties, durability and corrosion resistance first. Ryan Katen, general manager, Micro Mold Co.: Strength would be the most important in regard to wear resistance and longevity. Ed Ergun, corporate sales manager, Concours Mold Inc.: The most essential is thermal conductivity, as we use different material when we find areas that are hard to cool. Toby Bral, sales manager, MSI Mold Builders: With strength as a given because the material must fit the applica- tion and annual volumes, machinability is the most impor- tant factor for most of the molds we build. What is the most important innovation in steels and alloys for moldmaking? Martin: Advances in machine tools and cutter technologies for all mold materials are key innovations, as proficiency in machining and EDM processes across all tool steels is essen- tial for every moldmaker. Zacharias: I believe that the development of additive materials and performance alloys have been the biggest developments. The old standbys have been "tweaked" occa- sionally, but not much has occurred in the way of a signifi- cant development. Katen: Improved properties through powder metallurgy technology is an important innovation. Ergun: Steel manufacturers have done an excellent job of creating a library of steels for every application, which has enabled us always to find a way to make our molds work. Bral: Steel and aluminum grades that do not require stress relief have been the most important innovations. We make very large molds with blocks that require the removal of a lot of material, and we rarely stress-relieve the blocks. This helps us remain competitive from a lead-time perspective. Do you use copper mold alloys? Why or why not? Martin: Yes, we use them for thermal conductivity. JMMS has been doing hybrid tooling for more than 15 years. Zacharias: Yes, we use them frequently and always for cycle-time benefit. Katen: We use them infrequently, and only in selected appli- cations for improved thermal conductivity. Ergun: We do use copper for certain applications, but the applications are minimal for moldmaking. Bral: We use copper mold alloys regularly when a customer agrees upfront, as they are considerably more expensive than other materials. They are very good at getting the heat out of an area and still stand up to more shots than aluminum. For the types of molds that we build, we restrict the use of copper mold alloys to areas of concern. We do not use copper mold alloys for very large areas or entire cavity or core halves, which is very cost prohibitive. Many engineered materials manufacturers are looking to develop mold materials based on the needs and wants that customers voice, so what would you like to see in a new mold material? Martin: The silver bullet could be durability of H13 tool steel with the thermal conductivity of Moldmax. Zacharias: Performance alloys (high thermal conductivity) with the strength and durability of steel and that are more easily machined like steel would be the next frontier in mold material development. Katen: I would like to see improved hard-milling capabilities with tool steels in the 58–62 Rockwell hardness range. Ergun: We love the benefits of one material but often can- not live with the negatives. For example, if we get thermal, we lose strength. If we get strength, we lose flexibility. If it is flexible, we lose surface finish, etc. So, a one-stop-shop mold material for all applications that machines at speed and is durable, thermal and cost-effective would be ideal. Bral: If you ask our customers, they would want something as strong as steel, as thermally conductive as aluminum but far less expensive than a copper alloy. That is probably not a reasonable expectation, so the decision will still come down to what meets the needs of the mold. Given materials that meet the performance requirement, we would want it to be very machinable, dimensionally stable and reasonably priced. Mold Material Matters Visit the Leadtime Leader Zone for information on past winners: short.moldmakingtechnology.com/leader

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