The Mould Making Process at ATT (Small Moulds Factory)

The mould making process is complex and each phase has to be considered carefully. We adopt solutions that yield high precision results and deliver moulds you can trust. Below we go over the most fundamental phases in the mould making process and what needs to be considered in each stage.

Mould Design

We start with the foundation: DESIGN. Every mould designer has a clear task which is to design a mould that meets all product special requirements. This includes fit, function and aesthetics. There are many variables to examine and thus, there are many solutions in mould design and engineering.

However, to create a robust design for a mould, a designer considers the requirements of all stake holders throughout the mould manufacturing process.

And most importantly, a robust design includes a user-friendly mould construction that prevents complicated maintenance processes during the life span of the mould.

Manufacturing Strategy

The most important step before starting production of any mould is to have a clear MANUFACTURING STRATEGY right from the rough milling stage until the final fit and polish.

During the design phase, every mould designer’s objective is to create the most effective mechanism to deliver the desired geometry without quality defects and to consider the manufacturability of every single piece in the mould.

Although this is a great step forward in supporting higher efficiency in the production process, there will still be many different strategies to choose from when it comes to actually making a piece. You need to consider speed and precision with a cost-effective approach. In addition, you need to choose the most effective and smart manufacturing processes with a low risk in failure.

Modern CNC machining centres offer immense opportunities to every mould factory to increase their productivity.

Machining

Computer numerical control units commonly known as CNC, have offered immense flexibility to the manufacturing process.

Investing in the latest generation CNC machining centres is not difficult for mould making factories these days. However, in order to deliver high precision and reliable results, you need more ingredients.

You need skilled CNC engineers, the right selection of cutting tools, and cutting strategy. But more importantly you need to have the right environment. The environment will allow these modern machines to function at their peak performance and that distinguishes a truly advanced mould factory from its rivals.

Our small moulds factory (ATT) is equipped with some of the best-in-class CNC centres in an environmentally controlled factory, which are supported by highly skilled engineers. Machining some of the most challenging and ultra-high precision moulds, enables us to offer robust solutions to our clients in medical, electro-electronic and automotive industries.

EDM (Electric Discharge Machining)

Not every geometry could be machined with CNC alone. Modern mould making factories apply different machining techniques for different geometries.

Since the early 60s, EDM erosion has been a fundamental tool in the mould making industry. As it continuously evolves, speed, high precision and creativity remain the essence of today´s Electric Discharge machining methods.

In our small moulds factory, we have deployed one of the most efficient robotic EDM centres currently available in the industry. It enables us to perform simultaneous electrode production, measurement and machining round the clock.

Our creative approach in EDM machining for our production has offered our clients high precision geometries in our reliable moulds.

Bench

Final fitting and assembly in the mould making process is perhaps the most exciting phase because this is where we see it all coming together.

After weeks of going through each step of the manufacturing process, we have hundreds of finely machined pieces in front of us and we finally get to assemble the mould and prepare it for its first try-out.

Although we are at the final stages, the design team that designs the mould in the first phase of the mould making process is still involved until the end as it all starts to come full circle.

The main objective for every mould designer is to create a robust design for complex mechanisms. The final assembly is the stage where the assembly expert makes the mould design a reality.

In our small mould factory (ATT) we measure every single piece in our state-of-the-art measurement centre before arriving to the final assembly stage in order to ensure a smooth assembly process.

Testing and Validation

The moment of truth: The most important objective in the first try-out is to validate functionality and the precision of the mould. It is also essential to distinguish between the mould related characteristics and the process related characteristics.

As much as these set of characteristics are interconnected in producing the desired final product, one must validate the mould design and functionality first.

The most important objectives in the validation process include dry cycles, thermal validation of the moulds and its mechanisms, as well as electric and electronic functionality.

Our highly skilled team in our mould testing and validation centre know how to take the mould safely to its extreme performance limits to be able to give constructive and insightful feedback to the design and production engineers.

Testing and Validation is a vital process to ensure that we are sending our customers an efficient mould that will have longevity and endurance.

Making Moulds You Can Trust

As we observe the trends in the areas of medical, electro-electronics and automotive (especially with the current global climate), we adopt new solutions and adapt ourselves to meet the increasing demands of these fast-evolving industries.

Although the mould making process is complex, we love the challenge of each mould. With the right strategies and efficient workflow, we make moulds that you can trust.