Author: MidwestMold

While in the market for a flexible clamping system that would allow for unrestricted access to five sides of a work piece, Midwest Mold unearthed FCS. A system that met all of our criteria and helped in decreasing our internal setup time while at the same time improving repeatability.
With the FCS system Midwest Mold was able to tackle this issue head on.
The work piece can be moved to another machine without additional pickups. That same part can be turned on its side quickly for multiple setups thanks to permanent reference points. The mounting platform is flexible from 500×600 (mm) to our 1000×800 (mm) or larger. This allows for any smaller parts, plates, rails or components to be set up on various combinations on the FCS grid layout.
This has eliminated the need of clamps, rods and nuts, also eliminating interference with cutters, drills and reamers. The ability to drill straight through the part with no need to shim or block the setup has also been gained.
In the end we reduced setup time, gained machining time and were able to add more operations to enhance our capabilities.

The latest Additions to our NC capabilities are two new OKK vertical machining centers. The largest in the series, the VM76R machines offer a 61 x 30 Inch table. This machine is designed for extreme rigidity and accuracy, featuring a Big Plus 50 direct drive spindle for heavy-duty cutting.
Features include a 30 place automatic tool changer. Spindle speed up to 12,000 rpm. Double-anchored core chilled ball screws and a Mitsubishi Neomatic 730 controller. For fast accurate machining on larger tools. These OKK machines are hands down the highest selling machines in its class and Midwest Mold has purchased two of them.

Midwest Mold has added a new key component to our EDM department capabilities. The Gantry Eagle 800! Outfitted with an Eagle PowerTec power supply. “Adaptive current-shape generator” is leading to a reduction of the spark gap, this gives you a better achievement of electrode wear and removal of material. Each discharge pulse calculates and creates the ideal current shape to meet the exact discharge requirements at that moment. Eagle PowerTec, combined with Eagle Power Jump, reduces burn time by up to 50 percent, while drastically reducing electrode wear—especially in graphite. The OPS-Ingersoll Gantry Eagle 800 features a dual 32-bit, PC-based CNC Control that enables faster data processing and servo control. The machine’s unique construction provides thermal stability and rigidity and features a 4-sided drop tank design that allows work-area access from all sides.

MICHIGAN RADIO DID AN INTERVIEW WITH JOHN HILL WHO OWNS MIDWEST MOLD SERVICES

Imagine going home at night while your computer keeps doing your job. That’s the basic idea behind a trend in manufacturing called “lights-out machining.” You punch out. The machines keep working. It’s a way to make a lot more product with a lot fewer people … and fewer jobs. Boosting productivity and staying competitive by turning out the lights and going home.

Hill owns a small business called Midwest Mold Services. The company designs and builds metal molds for plastic parts. These parts wind up in cars, medical devices, and even as the emblem on the back of a Cadillac. Hill says in the old days, shaping these metal molds was a job for one machine and one operator.

Now one operator programs multiple machines to carve steel almost continuously. Largely unattended. Lights-out. This is only part of John Hill’s business, but it’s the part that puts his productivity per actual employee on steroids. He says that productivity keeps his prices competitive and keeps 30 people in good jobs.

“IF I WAS MORE, YOU KNOW, IT’S ALL ABOUT ME, I COULD GET RID OF FIVE MORE GUYS AND BUY TWO MORE MACHINES AND SAY LIFE IS GOOD,” HE SAYS. “BUT IT’S HARD TO TELL SOMEBODY THEY DON’T HAVE A PLACE HERE ANYMORE.” JOHN HILL

We are proud to announce the Grand Opening of our new location. As of November 1, 2014 Midwest Mold Services Inc. has opened a Hudsonville Michigan office with a Senior Program Manager and Account Manager to service our “West Coast” customers. For appointments or inquiries as to capabilities and services please contact us at techinicalsales@midwestmold.com

Midwest Mold played host to 30 Roseville High School Students from the Career Technical Education Department for the 2014 Manufacturing Day Oct 3rd. The student’s curriculums comprised of automotive, marketing, business and journalism. Groups were organized to personalize the experience as they moved from station to station. There they were able to see the process required for each department, unfold in real time for the construction of plastic injection molds.
Students were given an overview at each station on what it takes to build a mold from design to the final shop product. Each group received a firm understanding of the technology & functions required in Design & Manufacturing. They realized how dependent each department is on it computers, but more so on the teams of highly skilled & specialized individuals it takes to produce the end product.
Some students have applied to college while others haven’t decided as of yet. The tour at Midwest Mold gave each student an opportunity to see the manufacturing industry in action and a possible path for a career in a field they may have not thought about before. By participating in this annual event, Midwest Mold provided each student another avenue to explore and demonstrated the opportunities available to them in the manufacturing sector; one that is too often overlooked.

The annual celebration of Manufacturing Day 2014 is October 3rd.

Midwest Mold is proud to host a plant tour for 30 Roseville High School CTE students. The purpose of the event is to demonstrate to the students, parents, educators, media, customers, suppliers, and the community just how vital manufacturing is in our North American economy. We hope that by allowing a select group of students to see how manufacturing has changed over the years and the opportunities that are available will change how they view the industry. In fact, it has become a more diversified field over the years with special talents from many fields. Manufacturing Day event attendees will learn about many real career opportunities that include.

ACCOUNT MANAGER

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

BUILDING MAINTENANCE

CNC MACHINIST

CNC PROGRAMMER

CONTROLLER

DATA MANAGEMENT (IT)

DESIGNERS

ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE MACHININST

ENGINEERING MANAGER

MANUFACTURING PROCESS MANAGER

MANUAL MACHINIST

MOLDMAKERS/TOOLMAKERS

MOLDING PROCESS TECH

OFFICE MANAGER

OPPERATIONS MANAGER

PROGRAM MANAGER

PURCHASING MANAGER

SALES (DIRECT/INSIDE)

TRANSPORTATION (TRUCK DRIVER)

WELDER

A recent 3-D opportunity presented to Midwest Mold was to create a unique and fully functional see through part. Utilizing 3-D printing capabilities Midwest Mold designed a completely clear test block. Per customer data and requirements the block was created so they could monitor fluid flow throughout the entire part. With objectives understood, work began and was completed with fast and accurate detail. Giving the customer the ability to observe the internal functionality of the entire project.

Do you have an idea that you would like to have printed? You can have one to multiple parts in your hands for a fraction of the cost. With a quick and easy turnaround the benefit for high profit margins increases.

We can help you design anything you can dream up. Are you challenged with an idea? Don’t be! Let us help you.

Aluminum more than ever has a place in production molds. Aluminum is less expensive than P-20 tool steel – a material of choice for high volume parts – and an aluminum mold can run cycle times 20-30% faster than steel. In today’s automotive economic environment many OEM’s are telling their suppliers to convert to aluminum where feasible.

Choosing the right Aluminum for Production Molds

When compared to P-20 steel,

  1. Aluminum has four to five times better thermal heat transfer. With better thermal conductivity, the position and number of water lines is less critical, allowing for the placement of additional ejector pins where needed.
  2. Aluminum has demonstrated productivity improvement of 20 to 30% in cycle time savings.
  3. Aluminum has outstanding machining and polishing characteristics. With some high strength aluminum alloys, machining ratings are as high as eight times faster than steel.
  4. Aluminum does not have to be sent out for heat treating or stress relieving. All this is done during the manufacturing process.
  5. All aluminum alloys are not created equal. For production molds we highly recommend QC-10, a high strength, heat treated wrought aluminum alloy mold material.

MOLD DESIGN:

When designing a production aluminum mold, several factors need to be addressed for a successful mold. Is the resin conducive for aluminum? What is the part geometry of the part to be molded? What is the quantity? What is the desired cycle time? How long does the mold need to last? These factors are very much the same ones designers look at when designing a P-20 mold. With our aluminum tools we will use a support frame which incorporates steel support pillars to create a mold that has all the thermal benefits of aluminum matched with the durability of a steel mold. The use of these support pillars avoids the possibility of over clamping the mold and crushing the parting line. Also aluminum tools can be textured.

Aluminum tools must be treated with a bit more care than steel tools. They can be damaged with excessive clamp pressure, excessive injection pressure or by removing stuck parts with a screw driver or sharp object. There must be a culture in the molding shop that is compatible with aluminum tools. The shops and OEM’s that are using them are reaping the benefits.

Definition: Computer generated analysis of plastic resin flow within a runner, gate and cavity of a plastic injection mold.

A pretty simple definition for a program that analyzes all critical functional areas of plastic product designs, reports potential failures and provides an analysis of other vital criteria like fill time, flow, pressures, temperatures, weld lines, sink marks, cooling and warp just to mention a few.

At Midwest, Mold Flow has become a vital component in the building of plastic injection molds. Due in part to the positive impacts it has had by heading off part failures before first tryout, improving cycle times and increasing productivity at plant level for our customer base.

A Mold Flow analysis for fill and pack is performed on each new tool built at Midwest Mold to help assure you of receiving “Success At The Press”.