Two indicators for the development of the plastic mold industry

The development of mold standard parts is of great significance for shortening the mold design and manufacturing cycle, reducing mold production costs, and improving mold quality. If the professional production and commercial supply of mold standard parts can be realized, it will greatly promote the development of our country’s mold industry.

The plastic mold industry has developed rapidly in our country in recent years, followed by increasingly fierce market competition. After joining the WTO, foreign mold manufacturers entered the domestic market. To stand out from the fierce competition, it is essential to develop standard mold parts and implement specialized production of molds.

According to Luo Baihui, secretary-general of the International Mould Association, the degree of standardization of molds in developed countries is 70% to 80%, while that of our country is only about 30%.

For example, the wide application of standard mold parts will shorten the mold design and manufacturing cycle by 25% to 40% and reduce the waste of man-hours caused by the user’s mold parts.

It is common to use mold CAD/CAM technology to design molds. The popularization of mold standard parts can realize the sharing of some resources. This will greatly reduce the workload and working time of mold design. It is useful for developing CAD/CAM technology and improving mold precision.

In the past, even if only one part was damaged, the mold would not be usable. Since it is not a standard part, it is difficult to have corresponding products on the market. It takes time and effort to go to the manufacturer to replace the parts. And if standard parts are used, they can be easily repaired and replaced, which will greatly increase the service life of the mold.

Now, domestic enterprises have realized the importance of mold standardization. At present, there are more than 100 mold standard parts manufacturers with a certain production scale. The main products are plastic mold frames, side punch devices, push rods, etc., among which plastic mold frames Larger products can already be produced, laying the foundation for the development of large-scale precision molds.

Although the domestic mold industry has made considerable progress, there is still a big gap compared with foreign countries. The implementation of specialized production of molds is an important part of accelerating industrial development. Many regions in our country have successively established regional mold cities, which have played a positive role in the development of the mold industry. For example, Yuyao Mould City in Ningbo, Zhejiang is the first mold city in China. There are now hundreds of mold companies, and it has promoted the development of the mold industry in Yuyao and surrounding areas.

In Shenzhen, which has successfully implemented specialized production of molds, there are nearly a thousand mold processing enterprises. Its mold companies have a strong awareness of establishing a quality assurance system, and their enthusiasm for applying for ISO9000 certification is high. They all recognize that specialized production is a passport to entering the international market.

Wholly foreign-owned mold companies have an absolute advantage in Shenzhen, leading the country in professional technology, wide-ranging technology applications, complete mold varieties, high quality, and short mold-making cycles. In addition to the large-scale panel molds for automobiles, these companies can produce all kinds of molds, such as high-speed milling, gas-assisted injection molding, reverse engineering, hot runner technology, rapid prototyping technology, etc.

Shenzhen’s mold companies have not only achieved technical specialization but also in the production management of mold companies. There are more and more specialized production methods that take design as the leader and arrange processing according to the process flow——comprehensive requirements and emphasizing specialization.

Nevertheless, the molds produced in Shenzhen can only be said to belong to the upper-middle level. Some key molds, such as the mainframe molds of the photocopier and high-precision molds for cameras and video cameras, still need to be imported.

The implementation of standardization and specialization has promoted the development of our country’s plastic mold processing industry. And will continue to provide the necessary technical support for our country’s plastic mold manufacturers to improve their technical level, enhance their competitiveness, and accelerate their integration into the international market.