Injection molding operations can’t take place without a high-quality mold. Partnering with the right mold manufacturer can have a lot of positive impacts on project success, including a boost in production efficiency. Triad Plastic Technologies highlights five ways the right plastic injection mold manufacturer can boost production efficiency.

Smarter DFM Upfront

The right plastic injection mold manufacturer uses design for manufacturing (DFM) practices right from the beginning. When mold manufacturers use DFM practices, specifically on the molds, this trickles down into the actual injection molding process. Design for the molded project becomes much smoother with extensive engineering expertise.

Key DFM practices include:

Optimizing wall thickness and transitions throughout the wall to avoid defects such as sinks, warpage, and extended cooling times.
Specified drafts so ejection can occur smoothly.
Gate locations are strategically placed so that when the cavity is shot with the melted polymers, the fill is uniform.
Focusing on cooling channel layouts is one of the best ways to account for reliable cycle times throughout the mold’s service life.
DFM practices can also help reduce scrap waste which saves not only on material costs, but also better ensures your mold avoids the need for rework.

Mold Design That Runs Faster

Having an efficient mold design also reduces cycle times and setup times. Key design considerations that impact cooling and ejection:

Incorporating cooling circuits into the mold can drastically reduce cooling times during injection molding cycles.
Ensure designs allow for balanced shot filling across the cavity, or cavities in a multi-cavity mold. This helps maintain dimensional stability at higher speeds.
Decide on the best ejection system once the injection molding cycle has completed. This could include systems such as ejector layout, sleeves, or lifters to avoid sticking and potential manual intervention.

The Right Plastic Injection Mold Manufacturer Can Help Improve Mold Maintenance

Plastic injection mold manufacturers have extensive knowledge and experience in mold maintenance best practices that can extend the longevity of your mold and allow for the creation of as many injection molded parts as possible. Here are some best practices Triad Plastic Technologies has seen over the years.

Designed molds that feature accessible wear components, such as inserts, gates, and lifters, that alert engineers for fast and predictable maintenance.
Manufacturers can recommend and support preventative maintenance measures like inspections, cleaning, and lubrication in order to prevent failures and extend tool life.

Scalability

The best manufacturers realize that creating your mold isn’t the ultimate goal. Rather, they focus on the creation of the mold and the life expectancy of the program. They will consider certain efficiency improvements:

Using upgradeable tooling, so if more cavities are needed, it’s easier and faster to upgrade and update the existing mold.
Balancing initial tool cost with long-term considerations such as appropriate steel, cavity amounts, and cooling technologies.

Program Management

Lastly, your plastic injection mold manufacturer should offer some form of program management service throughout the life expectancy of your mold. This could include tooling services, scheduled maintenance to ensure the mold is operating properly and the injected components are produced as designed. Additionally, this could also contain mold repair services that feature 3D scanning and fiber laser welding to restore molds to a like-new condition.

Connect With Triad Plastic Technologies Today, a Reliable Plastic Injection Mold Manufacturer

Triad Plastic Technologies is your reliable, experienced, and professional injection molding company, where we do more than just mold. With the most advanced technology and fully integrated operations under one roof, we’re able to handle the most complex designs and create the initial part of a large production run.