Tooling components 18698

Finding ways to help moldmakers improve mold quality through better components, systems, and materials was the focus of many of the mold component companies. Although most didn?t have anything they could say was absolutely new, NPE provided them with a forum for exposing moldmakers to various products and materials that can reduce lead times and improve mold quality.

Progressive Components Inc. has expanded its injection mold component program, unveiling its ProV-2 mold monitoring device. This next generation of the CounterView mold cycle monitor has been advanced to include data storage; its ProFile mold management software can be synchronized with PDAs for portable access to mold data.

Progressive also rolled out its new optimized Special and Custom Components line. ?Now more than ever, companies are scrutinizing the true costs of all operations and looking for ways in which those in their supply chain can do more for less,? said Patrick Fleming, program manager for the Specials & Customs program. The company is also offering new options on its precision-ground Rapid Tooling Insert product line, and introduced its new V-Series mold bases to reduce costs to mold shops.

In keeping with efforts in the moldmaking industry to help customers achieve faster lead times at reduced overall cost to manufacture, PCS Co. introduced Fast Interchangeable Tooling Systems inserts, available in solid, laminated, and T-style, for industry-standard U-frames. Features include pry slots and lead-ins for fast, easy installation; straight leader pins, not stepped, are used to provide precise alignment and mold stability; and all A and B plates are made of P-20 steel, machined to very tight tolerances.

The thick ejector plate of 4130 steel provides greater support and holes already drilled for four screws, allowing fast assembly. Guided ejection is provided at no extra charge with shoulder screws. Oil Lite bushings are on all Fast Interchangeable Tooling Systems.

D-M-E Co. introduced its Euro-Standard Metric Mold Components product line to North America. The expansion is in response to the continuing growth of metric molds and components in North America, something the company expects will increase in the future.

A new indexable mold-dating insert takes the time and difficulty out of making changes to the day, month, and year or the work shift to permit molded component tracking through batch identification.

D-M-E also showed its Multi-Parting-Line System, which doubles the cavitation of standard single-face molds with no additional investment in molding machines or the resources to operate them. A wide range of molding solutions?stack molds, dual mold carriers, and tandem molds, for example?can be configured as turnkey systems complete with mold bases, hot runners, temperature controls, and centering devices.

Gate-Mate Lite, a successor to Gate-Mate 4 nozzles, offers an economical solution for thin-walled parts, direct-part gating, and high-cavitation molding.

Performance Alloys showcased MoldStar 90, a new alloy. MoldStar resists cracking, fatigue failure, and overaging?conditions that may occur during machining, in hard coat applications, as the result of environmental exposure, or while in long-term molding applications. The company also introduced its Performance Core Pins that use the hard grade of the new MoldStar alloys, and are guaranteed beryllium free.

Alphase, a supplier of aluminum plate, introduced its K100-S with a wide range of manufacturing applications, including low-pressure molds for shoes, skis, and many other products. K100-S provides dimensional stability and superior corrosion resistance, as well as superior anodizability?including hard-coat anodizing?and can be nickel plated. Alphase claims the surface finish is the smoothest and finest of any aluminum plate produced thanks to its new Micro Sheen finish.