The mold and die industry should respond to the market demands with great flexibility and on time. Die casting companies can use the High-Speed Milling (HSM) and Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) in combination for the three main features of die cast mold making. They are namely forging the dies, injection, die casting molds, and deep-drawing the dies with combined technology which may reduce lead time.
EDM has gained popularity in the manufacturing of forging dies, since many raw materials have high tensile strength. To manufacture ribs and webs with deep slots and small radii, the designers use high-end machines with chattering tools. In addition, economical feeds and speeds will be used for mold and die making. Besides material selection, surface quality, and/or subsurface damage of a tool may also influence the selection of the right technology in mold and die making.
Deciding the Technology for Mold and Die Making
The features of the technology may help in planning the right technology for manufacturing molds and dies. Features can be tested in the design phase, during function analysis, and assembly phase to be precise. If technology features are to be used in die cast mold making, Computer Aided Design will help designers determine the suitability of the technology.
Some CAD systems will help designers identify grooves and slopes required in mold and die making. Surface and volume analysis over the die will help the designers choose a technology between HSM and EDM. The data gathered on lead time, cost, as well as viability can be fed into a database alongside numerous other data.
By selecting the groove depth in the CAD system, the database may suggest a machining sequence including the relative cost and additional constraints in mold and die making. For manufacturing molds, at times as many as 300 electrodes may be needed.
Machining by milling may be tough if the product requires deeper grooves. Likewise, machining by EDM may prove to be time-consuming as well. A combination of High-Speed Milling (HSM) and Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) can help die casting companies deliver the product on time to the Original Equipment Manufacturers. For instance, coupling HSM down to a 30 mm groove depth with EDM may prove to be an alternative machining method to make molds and dies.