Mold making refers to the processing of tools used for forming and shaping, which also includes shearing and die-cutting molds.
Typically, a mold consists of two parts: an upper one and a lower one. A steel plate is placed between the upper and lower molds, and under the pressure of the press, the material is formed. When the press opens, the workpiece or the corresponding waste material determined by the shape of the mold is obtained. Workpieces as small as electronic connectors and as large as automobile dashboards can be formed using molds. A progressive die is a set of molds that automatically moves the workpiece from one station to another, producing a formed part at the last station.
Mold processing techniques include: cutting molds, blanking molds, composite molds, extrusion molds, four-slide molds, progressive molds, stamping molds, and die-cutting molds.
1. Types of Molds:
a. Metal Stamping Molds: continuous molds, single punching molds, composite molds, drawing molds
b. Plastic Molding Molds: injection molds, extrusion molds, blister molds
c. Die-Casting Molds
d. Forging Molds
e. Powder Metallurgy Molds
f. Rubber Molds
2. Mold Processing Steps:
a. Material Preparation: front mold material, rear mold material, insert material, slider material, inclined top material.
b. Frame Opening: front mold frame, rear mold frame.
c. Rough Machining: rough machining of the front mold cavity, rough machining of the rear mold cavity, rough machining of the parting line.
d. Copper Electrode: front mold copper electrode, rear mold copper electrode, corner cleaning copper electrode for the parting line.
e. Wire Cutting: parting line of inserts, copper electrodes, inclined top pillow positions.
f. CNC Milling: precision milling of the parting line, precision milling of the rear mold core.
g. Electric Discharge Machining (EDM): rough machining of the front mold, copper electrode, cleaning corners on the mold line, bone position of the rear mold, pillow position.
h. Drilling and Ejector Pins: processing ejector pin holes and waterway holes in the mold.
i. Other Operations: slider, compound ejector pins, fitting ejector pins.
3. Processing Workflow Arrangement:
a. Base Surface Processing: ensuring the processing amount.
b. Aligning Casting Blank References: checking 2D and 3D surface margins.
c. Rough Machining of 2D and 3D Surfaces: non-installation and non-working surface processing (including safety platform surfaces, buffer installation surfaces, pressure plate surfaces, side reference surfaces).
d. Correcting Side Reference Surface: ensuring precision before semi-finish machining.
e. Semi-Finish Machining of 2D and 3D Surfaces: precision machining of various installation and working surfaces (including limit block installation and contact surfaces, insert installation and backing surfaces, punch installation surfaces, waste cutter installation and backing surfaces, spring installation and contact surfaces, various stroke limit working surfaces, inclined wedge installation and backing surfaces), semi-finish machining of various guiding surfaces and holes, leaving margins for finish machining reference holes and height reference surfaces, and recording data.
f. Inspecting and Reviewing Processing Precision.
g. Fitting and Hand Finishing.
h. Aligning Reference Holes and Surfaces Before Finish Machining: checking insert margins.
i. Finish Machining 2D and 3D Surfaces: side punch surfaces and hole positions, finish machining reference holes and height references, finish machining guiding surfaces and holes.
j. Inspecting and Reviewing Processing Precision.