MoldMaking Technology

MAR 2018

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00 00 00 CONTENTS March 2018 Volume 21 / Number 3 4 MoldMaking Technology —— MARCH 2018 Great Tips from This Issue 5 TRICKS OF THE TRADE Features 14 Mold Material: Performance and Price Drive Developments in Mold Materials Mold material suppliers are working to develop new, improved mold-material grades that will deliver on customers' need for machinability, toughness, thermal conductivity and price. 20 Mold Design: Unintended Consequences of Maximized Cooling Here are five reasons not to maximize coolant flow rates with cores that are cooled by bubbler tubes. 22 Additive Manufacturing Democratizing 3D Printing of Injection Molds Full-service design and mold delivery, moldmaking materials and a low-cost, high-precision printer minimize the technical risk of 3D-printed mold tryout. 28 Business Management Preparing for Mergers and Acquisitions: Interest Areas Understanding the most intense merger and acquisition interest areas will better prepare moldmakers for the process. 30 International Perspective Looking Beyond Your Borders to Improve Process Efficiency Visiting a mold shop in Germany inspired a Canada-based mold shop president and CEO to look at job scheduling a whole new way. ON THE COVER Image courtesy of Schmolz + Bickenbach USA. This month's cover shows a mold made from Corroplast FM, a pre-hardened, free- machining, stainless steel mold base material, ideal for resisting corrosion that is associated with high-humidity environments and for occasions when corrosive resins are used in production. This material also is an optimal mold base material for medical and food packaging applications. Corroplast FM exhibits homogenous microstructure for improved machinability, re-sulphurized chemistry for optimal machinability, minimal levels of coarse carbides to improve cutter life and reduced carbon and higher chrome content for improved corrosion resistance. See the related story on page 14. Images (left to right) courtesy of Master Tool and Mold Inc., Avante Technology LLC and Makino. 1. Intense Prices Electrodes are causing mold material price increases because electrodes are in short supply. Graphite elec- trodes are the key heating element used to create the intense heat needed to run an electric arc furnace in a steel factory. PG. 14. 2. Customers First Understanding customers' business and providing mold designs that give them a strategic advantage are key to remaining competitive. PG. 30. 3. Automation ROI Summit Tooling got a full return on the investment of its automated manufac- turing cell about six months after installation. Sales doubled even as the group continued to run one shift and maintained the size of the staff. PG. 34. 4. Tax Tips Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, a mold shop that leases a piece of equipment and then purchases the equipment will not qualify for bonus depreciation because the equipment is not new to the mold shop. PG. 38. 5. Powerful Duo CAD-for-CAM tools enable quick, temporary model changes that do not impact the final part design but can streamline toolpath generation and promote better part finishes. PG. 48. 34 22 10 VIDEO ACCESS Departments 6 From the Editor: Then and Now 8 2018 Editorial Advisory Board: Technology Considerations 10 Profile: Master Tool and Mold Inc. 34 Case Study: Automation 38 The Bottom Line: The Impact of Tax Reform on Moldmaking 40 Gardner Business Index: Moldmaking 42 Industry Report: Electronics 44 Product Focus: Machining 47 MoldMaking Marketplace 47 Ad Index 48 TIP: Software

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