Successful Tool Program: The Key is in the Process

Eifel Mold and Engineering is founded on three key principles:  People, Process, and Technology.

“People” is a core principle because our people develop, improve, and commit to the Process and while using Technology to stay competitive in the marketplace with world-class quality.

So, which of these is the key principle for manufacturing a robust quality mold that molds a world class quality plastic part?  The Process! Of course, the Process isn’t possible without our People using their brilliant minds, skills, and talents to ensure that the Process works smoothly and effectively.

Process for Successful Plastic Injection Mold Build

If you’ve ever had a tooling project go wrong due to cost overruns and major timing delays, I am sure that is an experience that you do not want to repeat.  It is the attention to detail that places a project on the right path.  In this article, we will discuss some concepts used to obtain an accurate cost and timing for your project.  The first stage of a project is quote preparation.  This step is necessary to establish our customer’s needs and it also provides pertinent information that Eifel uses to prepare the foundation for tool design and manufacturing. Customers typically send us 3D math data and mold specifications stating all the essential criteria required to meet their specifications.  We then review all the specs and the data to determine an accurate plan of action and a quote.

There are many features and specifications that must be considered when quoting and building a production mold.  The mold shop and its customer must consider all the requirements needed to process and mold a plastic part.

• Part tolerance and critical features
• Mold flow analysis
• Gating and drop locations
• Cooling requirements
• Draft analysis
• Mold press specifications
• Cycle time
• Annual volume and life cycle of part
• Part ejection and end of arm tooling
• Lifters and slides to form part features
• Shrink factor for the plastic part

It is a team effort between Eifel and our customer to decide if the part is designed for optimal molding and tooling or if part modifications must be made to improve mold conditions, reduce complexity, and create a viable molding process.  Eifel uses its know-how in conjunction with the customer’s expertise to produce robust, reliable, repeatable tooling.

Eifel’s process may require more effort and time at the quoting stage, but our repeat customers come to expect this level of detail to help them reduce cost, improve quality, and have a successful project.

Once the quote is submitted to the customer and the project is awarded to Eifel, we start the design process.

Eifel’s general manager reviews the work order with the design team.  The work order contains all the customer requirements and mold standards.   The approved math data is then reviewed extensively with our design and manufacturing departments.  Both the preliminary design and the final design is reviewed with the customer.  Once approval is obtained from the customer, the Job Workbook is created, and tasks are released to the manufacturing department.

Eifel’s proactive efforts and attention to detail is fundamental to a successful mold build and an overall satisfied customer. For a quote or more information, send us a message through our website or give us a call!

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