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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
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  • 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
      • Mergers & Acquisitions
      • Sustainability
      • Public Policy
      • Material Insights Videos
      • Numbers that Matter
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
      • Automotive
      • Packaging
      • Medical
      • Consumer Products
      • Construction
    • Special Reports
      • CEO Issue
      • Diversity
      • Best Places to Work
        • 2022 winners
      • Processor of the Year
      • Rising Stars
      • Women Breaking the Mold
        • 2022 class
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
  • 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
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
      • Plastics News Executive Forum
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Plastics News Caps & Closures
      • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
      • Plastics in Automotive
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
      • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Editorial Livestreams
      • Polymer Points Live
      • Numbers that Matter Live
      • Plastics in Politics 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
    • Processor of the Year submissions
  • Resin Prices
    • All Resins
    • Commodity TPs
      • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • High Temp TPs
      • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • ETPs
      • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Thermosets
      • Historic Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
      • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • 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
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
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      • Place an Ad
      • Sign up for Early Classified