Automation, Welding, Software and Venting

Corey Fox, MMT EAB member and operations manager for Accede Mold & Tool, shares his top article picks. Source | Accede Mold & Tool  

Corey Fox is the operations manager for Accede Mold & Tool, an independent and privately-owned injection mold builder in Rochester, New York, specializing in complex and precision state-of-the-art moldmaking for the plastic injection molding industry, including high cavitation, stack, two-shot and cube molds.

In 2009, Corey earned Machinist and Moldmaker Certifications, demonstrating his dedication to mastering the trade. By 2020, he became moldmaking manager and was a finalist for the Rising Star Award. In June 2023, Accede promoted him to operations manager, overseeing manufacturing specialties, quality and safety.

Featured Content

Overcoming Pain Points in Moldmaking with AI READ MORE

How is an Aluminum Mold Energy-Efficient? READ MORE

MMT Chats READ MORE

Here, he continues this year’s EAB series by sharing his five favorite MoldMaking Technology articles over the past year, and key takeaways that have been valuable to his work.

1. Intralox Laser Welder Yields Fast, Precise Mold Repair

Intralox's integration of the Alpha Laser ALFlak has significantly improved its tool room efficiency when it comes to difficult welds and urgent repairs.

Intralox is a valued customer and a pleasure to work with. We understand the challenge it faces in managing multiple high-priority requests. Its method for handling emergencies through a dedicated "Do It Now" (DIN) cell is particularly noteworthy. At Accede, we employ a similar strategy by utilizing our second-shift manufacturing operations. One of our senior moldmakers is assigned to address urgent requests and is also deployed globally to assist customers with scheduled mold maintenance.

2. Overcoming Barriers to Automation Integration in Precision Moldmaking

It’s easy to imagine the advantages automation offers the moldmaking process, but it's challenging to change one’s mindset, develop a plan and invest.

This article accurately states, “Injection moldmaking is different from general machining or high-volume production work.” At Accede, we have been implementing automation cautiously over the past five years to ensure that quality remains our top priority. Similar to Decatur, our initial step into automation involved using an Erowa robot which can service two sinker EDM machines. The article also points out, “It’s easy to imagine the advantages … it’s challenging to change one’s mindset, develop a plan and invest.” Embracing this challenge has been rewarding and we continue to move forward with our efforts.

3. Integrated CAD/CAM Streamlines Electrode Manufacture, Improves Quality

A focus on electrode design and automation helps toolroom improve efficiency, reduce tooling costs and deliver higher quality products.

At Accede, we use Siemens NX and Mastercam in-house for our CAD/CAM operations. I found it fascinating to learn how PTI Engineered Plastics employs Cimatron’s “Quick Electrode” automation to enhance its electrode design process. Electrode design can be quite time-consuming and is often a bottleneck in moldmaking — a challenge we are actively working to improve.

4. ERP Empowers Mold Builder to Increase Speed, Efficiency, Accuracy

Highly integrated but easy-to-use ERP system helps Delta Mold Inc. increase unattended hours, uptime, productive labor hours and improve mold delivery times.

Delta’s case study on using Plex ERP for data management was insightful. In the past, we implemented another ERP, but it didn’t suit our needs. Like Delta, we face significant variability in the quantity, type and size of the molds we build, as well as diverse specifications across multiple end markets. The implementation of ERP forced us to either overhaul our existing processes or pay for expensive customizations. After canceling our previous ERP, we explored several ERP and MRP platforms without success. However, Delta’s positive experience with Plex has encouraged us to reconsider ERP solutions in 2025.

5. Understanding the Elusive Nature of Mold Ventilation

A personal journey of lessons learned about the challenges of poorly designed, understood and executed mold venting.

I appreciate this article for revisiting the fundamentals of moldmaking, as the finer details have a significant impact on mold performance. It is crucial for MoldMaking Technology to continue covering these foundational topics, especially for apprentices and newer professionals in the industry. At Accede, we include venting as part of our documented design, manufacturing and sampling processes to prevent the issues described in the article. Proper ventilation ensures that molds operate optimally and perform as intended.