Precision Injection Molds Meet Customer Specifications

Injection mold designs today must meet tough customer specifications, calling for critical fill areas with precision mold designs.   Careful planning must be taken when designing complex molds for critical applications, ensuring consistent packing and filling to tight geometric tolerances.  A qualified mold design engineer has several important considerations when beginning a complex injection mold construction, beginning with a carefully planned mold design.

CAD/CAM for Mold Design

Computer aided design and manufacturing is a valuable tool for injection mold designers, providing accurate 2D drawings and designs to meet customer specifications.  The use of CAD/CAM is beneficial when constructing molds for any industry, especially when designing and constructing injection molds for the automotive industry.  

Unigraphics and SolidWorks are two of the most technologically advanced software design programs used to satisfy the complex demands of the automotive industry.   Mold Flow Analysis is another valuable tool to identify potentially challenging fill areas, especially when using a specialty resin that may be unfamiliar to the molder.

These computer simulations are part of a thorough Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) set of procedures which ensure a successful mold launch.  APQP procedures are critical to the planning phase as following a detailed set of procedures identifies any issues with resin, geometric challenges such as a thin wall or critical dimensions that must remain within +/-.001” for proper functionality.  

Michiana Global Mold utilizes CAD/CAM software as part of our thorough APQP procedures, to ensure a quality constructed mold for even the most complex of mold designs.  As an ISO registered injection mold making shop, we are experienced with providing a quality mold made to customer specifications, on time and within budget.  We work closely with our customers to develop a successful mold launch to meet even the strictest of specifications.

Contact us today to speak with a knowledgeable design engineer, and Download our FREE Book on Design Considerations for Different Molds.  

Michiana Global Mold is an injection mold design and mold making company, constructing precision molds to various industries since 1964.  We are an ISO registered injection mold making facility satisfying the strict requirements of the Automotive industry with high quality precision molds.  Contact us today for a FREE design consultation.  

How to Source a Professional Mold Builder

What qualities are you evaluating when searching for a mold making company?  How do you qualify a mold builder as a preferred vendor?  You probably have a thorough, detailed and organized method of granting vendor approval, including a Quality audit.  As part of your formal process, some critical standards stand out as critically important over others, those would be:

• Engineering Capabilities including modern and updated design software such as UniGraphics or Solidworks with 2D print and file sharing options
• Quality of overall work performed including product quality of steel and components used in addition to high machining quality with modern and automated equipment, checked for accuracy
• Delivery Performance – on time delivery ratio including capacity limits and premium delivery options

Engineering Capabilities

Not all mold making companies have kept up with the times and invested in the modern technology available to mold makers today.  With computer driven milling centers and workhorse EDM machines humming all day, the modern mold making shop must be well versed in the computer driven equipment.    Equipment today can hold several programs, constantly checking for accuracy while doing the work it is programmed to do.  Creating these programs takes skill and knowledge of the mold making process from an experienced mold design engineer.  

Quality of Overall Work Performed

Sourcing a mold making company that is registered to ISO9001 standards gives you added assurances that the quality of product and service will be to your specification.   ISO9001:2015 standards require measuring performance and implementing continual improvement projects, with quick response time to meet the overall goal – total customer satisfaction.  

Delivery Performance

As part of internal audits with an ISO registered company, delivery performance should have a positive ratio with an explanation for any late deliveries.  Mold making shops that use modern technology and perform advanced quality planning procedures delivery quality tools on time, with critical areas planned ahead.    

Top notch mold making shops like Michiana Global Mold provide all of these services, in addition to sampling and checking parts for accuracy prior to delivery.

Michiana Global Mold can assist you with your demanding supply chain requirements with modern engineering capabilities, registration to ISO9001:2015 providing on-time delivery of quality product.   Contact us today for a FREE design consultation and to learn more about our multi-tool discount program.

Overseas Injection Molds with Domestic Support

It can be challenging finding an injection mold supplier that can provide overseas injection molds with competitive pricing, and full-service domestic support.  Michiana Global Mold is located in the Mid-West USA, with a partner company in China, offering the best of global sourcing with superior service.  

Modular Mold in China offers full service injection mold designs and manufacturing, for a variety of mold types including semi-finished or fully finished molds constructed with the same technical expertise and attention to detail that you will find from our location in the United States.  We employ only highly skilled journeyman mold makers and design engineers experienced in constructing custom, precision injection molds.  

Michiana Global Mold has been supplying various industries, including the demanding Automotive industry since 1952, providing high quality precision tools to customer specifications for decades.   We are an ISO Registered injection mold making facility, in both our US and China locations.  Our Quality Policy is practiced throughout the organization, providing you with the same level of high precision accuracy from either our US or overseas location.  All molds are inspected for conformance from our US location, and all service is from our Indiana location with one main point of contact providing tool status updates throughout the entire scope of the project.  

Modular Mold’s capabilities include equipment to produce molds accommodating presses up to 3,000 tons, in our more than 40,000 square foot facility.  We focus on precision, lead times and high quality by following our processes according to our quality policy adhering to ISO9001:2008 standards.  

When you need a high quality constructed tool with precision geometric tolerances, you need to call on Michiana Global Mold!  We are your one stop shop for precision injection molds whether you need overseas or domestic suppliers, or overseas pricing with domestic support.  There is never a problem due to a language barrier, as we manage all communication from our US location, and make regular visits to Modular Mold in China.

Let Michiana Global Mold show you how you can have overseas injection molds with domestic service.  Download our FREE book on sourcing injection molds from China.  

Michiana Global Mold is a supplier of superior quality plastic injection molds for various industries including automotive, medical, consumer electronics, and defense for over 50 years.   We maintain high customer satisfaction through continual product and process improvement at both our United States and China locations.   

The Importance of Mold Maintenance

A preventive mold maintenance program is a big part of the mold manufacturing process.  Right in line with the motto from Mold Making Technology which is engineer, build and then maintain.  Some TLC can go a long way to prevent molding dilemmas.  

When using cleaning solvents on a mold, care must be taken to know how the chemical will react with heat.  Some cleaning solvents will react differently at different temperatures, and heat will either help or hurt the situation.   

Some cleaners are used to primarily dissolve grease, oil sometimes rust.  A mold polishing compound can be used when polishing the tool is necessary, and some cleaners are used to remove mold release build up even while the mold is still hot in the press.  

Mold makers are well familiar with the benefits of polishing and maintaining a tool.  It takes a quality tool to mold a quality part.  The proper method for cleaning the mold can determine the quality of the part. A consistent preventive maintenance program including a thorough mold cleaning is necessary in high-volume production jobs.  

Preventive Mold Maintenance Program

A preventive mold maintenance program is utilized by molders to maintain consistent, quality molded product during injection molding production.  This is often achieved with a process monitoring system keeping track of cycle counts.  Certain job may require a preventive mold cleaning at particular intervals depending on the material used, and the molding environment.

Upon reaching a set number of cycles, the molding job can be stopped and the mold pulled for routine maintenance.  Be sure to use the right type of mold cleaner for your environment.

Michiana Global mold is an experienced precision injection mold maker, with skilled journeymen mold makers well familiar with the best practices for mold maintenance.

Michiana Global Mold has vast experience with engineering, constructing, and maintaining the highest of quality injection molds.  Contact us today for a free cost estimate of your next injection mold making project.