Plastics Business Tool shops will be looking to apprentices to assist in replacing an aging workforce, according to recent research by the Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA) and Harbour Results Inc., (HRI). The fourth edition of the Automotive Tooling Barometer (The Barometer), which was sponsored by Die Cad Group and Expert Tech, focused on the impending talent … [Read more...] about Tooling Barometer: Shops are Investing in the Future
Molds/Tooling
Avoiding Unscheduled Mold Stops
by Steve Johnson, Tooling Docs The ultimate goal of every molding company is to produce quality parts on time. To this end, the daily workload of most shops consists of doing whatever it takes to satisfy production demands and, when times are slow, few companies use the downtime to "get ahead" in the tool room. Instead, they wait until business picks up again to deal with any … [Read more...] about Avoiding Unscheduled Mold Stops
Creating Ready-To-Go Molds
by Gary Chastain, RJG, Inc. You are a good molder. You can make any reasonable mold produce good parts. It may take a little time to tweak them in, but you do well most of the time. However, your customers constantly are beating you up when you send any bad parts. They expect absolute quality and price concessions – at the same time! In addition to these challenges, your … [Read more...] about Creating Ready-To-Go Molds
Q&A: Making Mold Maintenance a Priority
by Steve Johnson ToolingDocs Question: What happens when mold maintenance isn't a priority? Answer: Bad shots, downtime and so much more. The cost of unscheduled repairs has been estimated to be five times higher than scheduled maintenance. So, not only do companies lose enormous amounts of money when they fail to maintain molds in a timely fashion, but orders are late, … [Read more...] about Q&A: Making Mold Maintenance a Priority
3D Printing Changes the Production and Tool Build Models
Plastics Business Every news cycle brings more stories detailing the successful implementation of a new 3D-printed product, and there's no doubt the technology has caught the fancy of the national media, despite the fact that the process itself has been around for decades. Whether it's referred to as 3D printing, additive manufacturing or rapid prototyping, there's no … [Read more...] about 3D Printing Changes the Production and Tool Build Models