Precision mold production cannot be separated from modern processing equipment. Precision mold production procedures include CNC milling, slow-walk wire cutting, EDM, grinding, turning, measuring, automation, and so on.
The advent of CNC milling processing has revolutionized the way we approach manufacturing. From humble beginnings with traditional milling machines, we have now progressed to sophisticated three-axis machining centers, culminating in today's cutting-edge five-axis high-speed iron cutting technologies. With these advancements, complex three-dimensional parts can now be processed with ease, with material hardness no longer posing a limitation. In the plastic mold manufacturing industry, CNC milling processing is utilized to finish the primary cavity and surface components. Similarly, the rubber mold production industry has also greatly benefited from CNC milling technology innovation, experiencing rapid development as a result.
Slow wire cutting is an extremely useful technique for creating complex two-dimensional and three-dimensional parts. It is commonly used in the production of punching dies, plastic dies, and powder dies, as well as for the creation of straight surface parts. Among these applications, the creation of stamping dies with convex surfaces is perhaps the most common use of slow wire cutting.
One of the most important applications of slow wire cutting is the creation of precision holes in a wide range of materials, including die fixing plates, concave dies, and unloading plates. In injection mold manufacturing, slow wire cutting is often used to create inserted holes, ejector holes, slant top holes, cavity clearance, and slider processing.
When performing slow wire cutting, it is critical to achieve high levels of accuracy and precision. High-end machine tools can achieve processing accuracy of less than 3um and surface roughness of Ra0.05um. Additionally, it is possible to achieve an electrode wire as small as 0.02~0.03mm through the process, with cutting efficiency reaching up to mm2/min.
Overall, slow wire cutting is an essential key technology in modern precision manufacturing, providing designers and manufacturers with the tools they need to create complex and precise parts with ease.
The process of EDM is ideal for precision machining of small cavities, narrow slits, grooves, corners, and other complex parts. It is particularly useful in situations where milling cannot access complicated surfaces, deep cuts are required, or the length-to-diameter ratio is very high. Therefore, EDM is superior to milling in such cases. So, for high-tech components, the use of EDM is more appropriate as it can increase the success rate of milling electrode re-discharge while eliminating the high cost of tooling. Moreover, when a flamed surface is specified for EDM finishing, the EDM process is used to achieve it.
A grinding machine is a specialized equipment that is primarily used for finishing the surface of various parts, particularly hardened workpieces. Mold processing mainly uses surface grinders, universal internal and external cylindrical grinders, and coordinate grinders that make use of optical curve technology. Small flat grinders are used to process small-sized mold parts, such as precision inserts, die kernels, and slides, while large flat grinders are utilized for larger-sized mold plate processing.
In modern times, surface grinding machines are now being designed with high-speed grinding wheel line speed and table motion. The use of advanced functional components technology such as linear guides, linear motors, and hydrostatic screws have made great progress in movement speed. The continuous improvement of grinding wheel dressing technology has also contributed to the growth of these machines.
CNC lathe is a commonly used processing equipment in mold shops that can process all rotary parts. Thanks to the high development of CNC technology, programming can easily achieve complex shapes of the rotary body, and the machine tool can automatically change the tool, significantly improving production efficiency. The machining precision and manufacturing technology of CNC lathes are constantly improving, and may even replace grinding. Typically, CNC lathe is used to process various parts of the mold, such as round inserts, brace heads, and positioning rings.