Plastic mold making is a common manufacturing method in the modern manufacturing world. This is because it is a cost-effective and environmentally responsible technique to make high-precision complicated parts for a wide variety of sectors. Some of the top ones are aerospace, electronics, automotive, medical devices, food and beverage, etc. Injection plastic mold maker create quality molds and the engineers operate the machinery that allows these components to be made.Quality control methods, executing routine equipment maintenance and repairs, resolving difficulties and setbacks, and creating a safe working environment for yourself and your coworkers are all standard responsibilities in this interesting profession. You follow company standards and protocols while keeping your workspace clean and efficient.You’ll have the opportunities to discover new technologies and equipment as your career progresses. This will allow you to provide your clients with ever-better products. Diverse client requests necessitate problem-solving abilities in order to come up with creative solutions that fulfill their requirements. So, here’s the deal:
What’s the Job of a Mold Designer?
Mold designers utilize computer-aided design (CAD) tools to construct plastic molds for injection molding and other production processes. The job requires using computer design software like Unigraphics, Pro-Engineer (Pro-E), AutoCAD, and Solidworks to create molds.
Following the creation of the molds, the designer should visit the production facility to participate in mold trials to check that the components and products produced are as designed. Mold designers have the same skillset and expertise as mold makers. They should be knowledgeable about the technicalities of producing plastic molds and how the injection molding process works.
Skills You Need to Become a Mold Maker
An expert-level designer should have at least a few years of design experience, some years of injection molding experience, and a few years of experience in production and molding sets. They should have some of the following skills in addition to those years of experience:
1. Plastic Part Design
Molding plastic is analogous to molding other materials, but it has several distinct features that make some designs difficult to mold. For smaller and higher tolerance parts or goods based on industry requirements, a plastic mold design expert will know what changes to suggest. Without having to re-study standards and criteria to acquire certification, an expert individual will be able to program for automotive products, overlay products, electronic products (such as components of high-quality mv breaker), or the medical business.
2. Problem Solving
You can presume each design to have a flaw, whether it’s a little one or one that necessitates a complete rethink. The expert-level designer will have the knowledge and experience to reduce the risks associated with each design. He will be able to find a solution to any problems that occur.
3. New Product Development
Mold design is only one aspect of a product’s lifespan. Every component begins as an idea, then evolves into a 3D design, and finally becomes a physical mold. To ensure that their design has been conveyed to the mold and that their concept works in trials and production, the designer should be involved in the mold fabrication process.
The development process entails more than simply watching pieces emerge from a mold. It’s about putting money into what works and what doesn’t, then fixing and upgrading for the future.
4. Knowledge of CMM
A Coordinate Measurement Machine (CMM) is able to measure parts. The measurement is based on a set of datum coordinates or points for verification of size. CMM machines are commonly used in the development of the molds to verify parts meet the design and tolerances, and then on a certain frequency during the production of the product.
An expert designer will have a basic understanding of the CMM machines and how it is utilized for verification. Not only this but he or she will be able to help coordinate and design checking fixtures for the product or part of the mold produced.
How to Become an Expert Plastic Mold Maker
To get started in the field of mold design, you don’t absolutely need a bachelor’s degree. Employers will want at least a high school education. Also, a postsecondary certificate or associate degree in plastics engineering technology. The manufacturing technology, or mold design will also help you get started in a new job.
Some of that expertise could have come from a work-study program or an apprenticeship program that required a significant amount of on-the-job training. As a mold designer, you may be required to use CNC machines. Therefore having additional training and understanding on how to set up and execute a production run with this type of automated machinery is advantageous. As a mold designer, you’ll spend a lot of time on the computer, using design tools.
It’s possible that the company you work for uses a design application like AutoCAD, or SolidWorks, and Unigraphics. As a designer, knowing how to use that software will be essential. Some top sterile injection molding businesses may provide on-the-job training or send entry-level designers to an external program to master the essentials.