Gaining an edge: Plating for longer mold life

With companies watching their capital expenditures, mold plating and coating are in greater demand as a way to lengthen the life of a mold, increase cycle times, and reduce maintenance costs.

Plating and coating of molds is done for a variety of reasons, but the primary ones are longer tool life and improved lubricity for faster cycle times. This is even more important given the current economic climate, says Harry Raimondi, technical services manager for Bales Mold Service Inc. (Downers Grove, IL).

Come to the turnaround rally

The road to recovery leads through Chicago.

If you read this column even occasionally, you will easily guess the only possible topic I could write about this month: That’s right, it’s NPE2009—the big show in Chicago. You may recall that I love big trade shows because everyone I want to see is there. But this one, the edition of NPE that runs through the week of June 22-26 in the Windy City, is in a class by itself. And that’s good, because we need it to be.

Market Snapshot: Medical disposables

All it takes is a look at U.S. demographics to understand why many molders and moldmakers are pinning their hopes for new business on the medical disposables market. Baby boomers, those of the post-WWII population surge that have produced “booming” demand for cars, houses, and many other things for the past 40 years, are entering the twilight of old age. Will that result in a booming demand for medical devices, products, and disposables?

By Design: Is the customer always right?

Some things are impossible to injection mold, despite the client’s insistence.

Chances are I’m not the only one who has ever been frustrated by someone who believes that the customer is always right. This is the story of a strong-willed customer who wasn’t always right.

High-energy NPE2009 overflows with technology and events

To all who said NPE2009 would be limited by the economy: No offense, you were wrong. Here is just a sample of the technology we knew of by press time. And there is much, much more in Chicago, starting June 22. See you there.

Absolute Haitian Zhafir Venus

Gaining an edge: Plating for longer mold life

With companies watching their capital expenditures, mold plating and coating are in greater demand as a way to lengthen the life of a mold, increase cycle times, and reduce maintenance costs.

Plating and coating of molds is done for a variety of reasons, but the primary ones are longer tool life and improved lubricity for faster cycle times. This is even more important given the current economic climate, says Harry Raimondi, technical services manager for Bales Mold Service Inc. (Downers Grove, IL).

Purging packaging goes green

To further enhance the green efforts of Asaclean’s (Parsippany, NJ) customers, the company now distributes its purging compound in poly-bag packaging that is 100% recyclable. When comparing 90,000 “drums “ of the new packaging with fiber drums, packaging sent to landfills is reduced from 490 tons to 41 tons, and landfill costs decrease from around $122,500 to $10,200. A recycling pickup service for the used bags is also provided.

From race time to cycle time

More than a mere model, for nearly 60 years Breyer horses have been sculpted, molded, and painted with such intricate detail as to capture the look and spirit of the actual horse. Here’s how they do it.

The benefits of internally heated hot runner nozzles

Hot runner systems play a critical role in optimizing the thermal profile of a production mold, providing consistency in material flow and fill from part to part. Even though the technology has been around for decades, it is constantly changing and there are many options to consider in terms of hot runner selection.