Get into molding business

[qmas99]

Hi all,
We are a small machine shop, we want to do mold, so can anyone give us some advises?.
Thank you

[kwallace]

Well, you havnt really given much information to work with.

What types of moulds are you familiar with (plastic, aluminium, rubber, etc...)

The most basic moulds are probably gravity moulds for cast aluminium, so that would be a good place to start.

But as most toolmakers would tell you if you have no experience with tools your best to decide what type of mould you want to make, then go to a factory that uses them and study them.

Or, just hire a toolmaker that knows what he's doing.

[MrMold]

What would you like to know?

[qmas99]

Hi MrMold,
Some basic stuffs that I can start up with, from customer's drawing, design mold, machine the mold, make part, test and technical informations about machine out the mold.
Thanks

[Wiseco]

You should check for some books at SPE, they have some about mold making. It will probably cost you a couple of hundred dollars but you will have all the information you need to know.

[spider]

Hire a qualified mold maker.....like with averything else in this trade, it's all about experience.

[dang]

First you'll want to check out different casting options. These include Green Sandcasting, Petrobond Casting, Gravity Casting, and Die Casting.
Since you're starting small, I'll assume that you'll be Gravity Casting. And since you have a small shop already, I'll also assume that you'll be using permanent steel molds for production.
Okay, so Aluminum is fun to cast with, but these days, I think that Zinc is the material to be looking at. New Zinc Alloys require less energy to melt them and have better strength properties than aluminum does after they're cast. Zinc alloys also have the huge advantage of being totally homogeneous and predictable.
So, start with aluminum, and when you can actually turn a profit, and find a supplier who's close enough, get into Zinc casting.
Also, you might wanna get some books, and some Sodium Silicate and C02 gas for sand core making.
Check these sites out too.
http://www.budgetcastingsupply.com
http://www.eazall.com/

[dang]

Oh,

If you look hard enough, you can find a Used Die Casting Machine that's powerful enough for Zinc pretty cheaply as well. Say, under $10K. Of course, for lower production runs, Gravity Casting is really the best way to go.