Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • CFO of the Year
    • Notable Leaders in Sustainability
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics Caps + Closures: A Global Online Event
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Bioplastics Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • PFAS Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Resin Prices Overview
    • Commodity Thermoplastics
    • High Temperature Thermoplastics
    • Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Thermosets
    • Europe - Virgin
    • Europe - Recycled
    • Europe - Feedstock
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home

An introduction to tooling

Whether parts are made by injection molding, blow molding, rotational molding, compression molding or thermoforming, some type of mold is used to make the part or product.

 

Injection molding is the biggest segment of the plastics industry. It uses a mold, which can be made of steel or aluminum and features cavities that will form the parts. Once heated resin is injected, the molten plastic fills the cavities and the rest of the mold. Once cooled, the parts are ejected by pins. Read More


TOOLING SUBCATEGORIES

Changing molds · How they work · Innovation · Inventory · People


Featured Tooling Video
Video: Mold Change

Tooling

Mold changeover: Saving time and money

For any plastics process, there are short and long runs. This has an impact on the wear placed on molds.

Tooling

How molds work

Injection molding is the biggest segment of the plastics industry, and is commonly used for both thermoplastic and thermosetting plastic materials. Material is fed into a barrel where a reciprocating screw or ram injector mixes and forces the material into a mold cavity. For thermoplastic injection molding, which is the most common process, the part cools and hardens in the mold.

Tooling

Molds: Innovation

Mold makers today strive to develop innovative solutions to make injection molded parts that are environmentally safe and cost less.

Tooling

Mold inventory: How many molds does a shop have?

The number of molds on the floor of a shop can vary, depending on the size of the processor. For example, a small shop with a few injection molding machines could have a few select molds for customers.

Tooling

Mold making: The people who change and work with molds

Today, the successful mold manufacturers will tend to be the larger shops with significant resources to support the cost of sales, customer-dictated payment schedules and increased demand from customers for more services. Most companies have changeover teams whose responsibility is changing and maintaining molds.

ShopFloor_ATEBanner_Tooling-11
Get our newsletters

Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

Subscribe today

Subscribe to Plastics News

Subscribe now
Connect with Us
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

Contact Us

1155 Gratiot Avenue
Detroit MI 48207-2997

Customer Service:
877-320-1723

Resources
  • About
  • Staff
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Media Kit
  • Data Store
  • Digital Edition
  • Custom Content
  • People
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Sitemap
Related Crain Publications
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
  • Tire Business
  • Urethanes Technology
Legal
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Request
Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
  • News
    • Processor News
      • Injection Molding
      • Blow Molding
      • Film & Sheet
      • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
      • Rotomolding
      • Thermoforming
      • Recycling
    • Suppliers
      • Machinery
      • Materials
      • Molds/Tooling
      • Product news
      • Design
    • More News
      • K Show
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Sustainability
      • Public Policy
      • Material Insights Videos
      • Numbers that Matter
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
      • Automotive
      • Packaging
      • Medical
      • Consumer Products
      • Construction
    • Special Reports
      • CFO of the Year
      • Notable Leaders in Sustainability
      • Processor of the Year
      • Best Places to Work
      • Women Breaking the Mold
      • Rising Stars
      • Diversity
      • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
    • Newsletters
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • Plastics News Events
      • Plastics News Executive Forum
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Plastics Caps + Closures: A Global Online Event
      • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
      • Bioplastics Live
      • Numbers that Matter Live
      • PFAS Live
      • Plastics in Politics Live
      • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Polymer Points Live
      • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
      • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
      • Plastics in Healthcare Library
      • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Resin Prices Overview
    • Commodity Thermoplastics
    • High Temperature Thermoplastics
    • Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Thermosets
    • Europe - Virgin
    • Europe - Recycled
    • Europe - Feedstock
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
      • Place an Ad
      • Sign up for Early Classified