How to Expand the Use of Aluminum Injection Molds

This piece explores the challenges and potential solutions for expanding aluminum mold applications in plastic injection molding beyond prototyping into high-volume production. 

While aluminum molds offer significant cost advantages over steel, the author identifies critical obstacles: mold wear from abrasive materials, proper machine setup procedures, surface coating durability under high pressures and temperatures, compatibility with corrosive bioresins, performance with glass-filled plastics requiring extreme temperatures and thermal expansion mismatches between steel components and aluminum blocks. The author acknowledges these technical hurdles may require extensive experimentation to resolve, but expresses optimism about finding viable solutions to broaden aluminum mold capabilities for demanding production applications.

What Really Happens Inside a Micro Mold Cavity

This piece examines an innovative direct-gating process for micro-injection molding that addresses critical challenges in producing ultra-small plastic parts for medical devices, electronics and precision applications. Unlike conventional cold-runner methods that create material waste and quality issues, this approach uses continuously compressed melt and ultra-high injection velocities (10-20 milliseconds) to achieve near-instant cavity filling.

By leveraging plastic compressibility, controlling melt viscosity and maintaining constant pressure, the process produces parts with superior dimensional accuracy, minimal frozen layers, reduced shrinkage and improved material properties — all while eliminating runner waste. This advancement enables cost-effective mass production of high-quality micro parts measured in microns.

Physics of Side Actions: An Introduction to Elasticity and Thermal Expansion

This piece explains how elasticity and thermal expansion affect injection mold performance and demonstrates how to calculate and compensate for these effects.

During injection molding, substantial forces compress mold components like cores and slides, causing unexpected movement (often 0.002-0.005 inches), while heat causes three-dimensional expansion at different rates throughout the mold. The article provides calculation formulas using Young's Modulus for elasticity and coefficient of linear thermal expansion, showing how a 10-inch core can deflect 0.002 inches under pressure and expand 0.018 inches from temperature changes. Understanding these properties enables moldmakers to design better molds and use preloading techniques to eliminate unwanted movement.

Machining Center Spindles: What You Need to Know

This piece provides a comprehensive guide to evaluating CNC machining center spindles beyond basic specifications like speed, horsepower and torque. It explains critical internal components — particularly hybrid ceramic bearings that offer advantages over steel bearings — and compares spindle drive types (belt-driven versus direct-drive), noting that direct-drive spindles match belted spindle torque above 1,500 rpm. The article discusses bearing lubrication systems, protection against heat and contaminant damage, tooling considerations, including coolant delivery systems and replacement costs. It emphasizes that understanding spindle design and quality components is essential for making informed purchasing decisions that ensure long-term performance and minimize maintenance costs.

Why Shoulder Bolts Are Too Important to Ignore, Part 2

This piece (Part 2 of a series) provides detailed guidance on properly selecting, installing, and maintaining shoulder bolts in injection molds, specifically when used as range bolts or stripper/puller bolts.

It covers critical design considerations, including thermoplastic impact washers to absorb shock and reduce noise, proper washer specifications, counterboring techniques to minimize side-load failures, appropriate clearances based on bolt length and strategic placement near ejector pins. The article emphasizes preventing bolt loosening through custom-sleeved designs using cap screws and ejector sleeves rather than thread-locking compounds and explains how these seemingly simple fasteners are crucial for mold safety and longevity.

Navigating New Product Development for Moldmakers

This piece examines the challenges and best practices for moldmakers managing new product development (NPD) projects, which involve building molds for parts never manufactured before. Key success factors include maintaining clear customer communication, defining project scope, preventing scope creep, leveraging simulation tools and conducting thorough mold validation. The article emphasizes keeping focus on production intent rather than getting sidetracked by early prototyping methods, managing customer cost expectations transparently, and viewing NPD projects as opportunities to build long-term relationships. Expert insights from Dynamic Tool Corporation highlight how disciplined project management and strategic thinking transform NPD challenges into growth opportunities.

Overcoming Pain Points in Moldmaking with AI

This piece explores how artificial intelligence (AI) addresses critical pain points in moldmaking, based on insights from Mike Murakami at StackTeck Systems. 

Key challenges include time-consuming manual tasks like logging machine data, loss of tribal knowledge from experienced workers and cultural resistance to new technology. AI solutions demonstrated include automated dashboards that save 10-15 minutes daily per employee, knowledge capture systems to preserve expertise and creative problem-solving like connecting legacy EDM machines using repurposed equipment. The article emphasizes starting with simple AI projects to build acceptance, showcasing how AI transforms efficiency, preserves knowledge and attracts talent when shops embrace it as a tool rather than a threat.
 

Advanced Mold Monitoring for Efficiency

ITW Body and Fuel partnered with Progressive Components to implement ProFile, an advanced mold tracking system, replacing inefficient manual Excel-based processes. The cloud-based system uses QR codes and GPS technology to monitor mold locations, performance and maintenance needs across their 48 injection molding machines and 150+ tools. Real-time alerts enable proactive maintenance scheduling and prevent costly downtime. The implementation delivered substantial results: 10-12% improvement in Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), 15-20% reduction in scrap rates and $175,000 in annual savings. The system integrates seamlessly with existing ERP/MES platforms, provides mobile access across five North American plants and centralizes documentation, demonstrating how advanced asset management technology optimizes manufacturing operations.

5 Trends in 3D Printed Injection Mold Tooling

This piece highlights five emerging trends in 3D printed injection mold tooling observed at PTXPO 2025, demonstrating how additive manufacturing is evolving beyond conformal cooling.

Key developments include ceramic resin molds produced in under an hour for hundreds of shots, laser powder bed fusion for creating porous venting regions, corrosion-resistant tool steels replacing maraging steel for better performance with cooling channels, faster lead times enabling rapid iteration and tariff response and hybrid approaches combining machining with 3D printing. The article emphasizes that moldmakers now adopt AM for cost savings, speed advantages and feature complexity rather than solely for cooling optimization.
 

Shop Talk: A Hot Mess and the Value of a Good Spare Tire

This piece recounts a high-pressure emergency repair situation when a high-volume production mold failed midweek due to plastic leaking throughout the hot runner system. With no backup mold and production demands requiring six-day operation, the author and a colleague made an urgent overnight trip to a supplier capable of cleaning and repairing the hot runner components. The return journey was complicated by a tire blowout on a dark road, requiring them to unload the repaired hot runner system and locate a hidden spare tire. Despite these challenges, they successfully returned in time for first shift to reassemble the mold and resume production, highlighting manufacturing's unpredictable human moments.

Material Choice Considerations for Mold Venting

This piece compares 3D-printed mold steels versus pressed porous mold steels for venting applications in injection molding and die casting.

While 3D printing offers advantages for rapid prototyping and complex geometries, pressed porous steels demonstrate superior performance in five key areas: uniform microporosity (7-micron pores versus larger 3D printed pores), better surface finish requiring less post-machining, higher quality without residual stress or warping issues, isotropic mechanical properties providing greater strength and reliability and easier repairability using standard welding techniques. The article concludes that pressed porous steels deliver more consistent venting performance and durability, though 3D printing remains valuable for specific applications requiring quick turnaround or complex designs.

Strategic Mold Venting – Placement and Method

This piece provides practical guidance on identifying and addressing air traps in injection molding, particularly for complex geometries. It explains how "race tracking" occurs when molten plastic flows through thick walls around thin sections, trapping gases inside. The article recommends using mold filling simulation to locate potential air traps and compares venting methods, noting that ring vents on ejector pins provide 93% more efficiency than flat vents. A detailed case study of a medical housing mold demonstrates iterative vent placement based on simulation and testing. The piece emphasizes proper vent maintenance and testing at maximum injection speeds to ensure adequate gas evacuation.