Salary rebound
Cutting Tool Engineering magazine's biennial salary survey for 2014 shows the earnings of metalworking professionals heading upward.
Operation / Process
Tool & Die / Moldmaking
Automating the impossible
Cutting Tool Engineering Senior Editor Evan Jones Thorne interviews Len Graham of Rexam Mold Manufacturing.
Mold fusion: Lasers making mark on moldmaking industry
Laser technology has taken hold in the moldmaking industry, offering new possibilities for fabrication, detailing, maintenance and repair.
Metal Injection Molding Becomes a Go-To Manufacturing Process
Metal-injection molding has arrived as a way to manufacture small, complex parts.
Self-starter
Connecticut Spring & Stamping developed an apprenticeship program to meet is own training needs.
True mold manufacturing
Len Graham, Business Unit Leader, Rexam Mold Manufacturing, discusses the motivation behind the Buffalo Grove, Ill., company's decision to build a Mega Cell automated mold manufacturing system. Graham offers a detailed walk-through of the company's Mega Cell, which began operation in March 2013.
Fine choice
How moldmakers select the right cutting tools, toolholders and machine tools.
2012 Salary Survey
Cutting Tool Engineering's 2012 Salary Survey reveals how much various metalworking professionals are making, and the results are mixed.
Minimum molding
Manufacturing molds used to produce plastic parts with features that can be too small to be seen with the naked eye or measured with standard devices is challenging. That's why moldmakers that perform this work are specialists in the nuances of designing and building micromolds.
Will tinkering ever get another chance?
Cutting Tool Engineering Editorial Director Alan Rooks recalls an era when repairing things was still in fashion.
Competitive technology
Machining molds typically involves creating complex contours and fine surface finishes. Molds are high-value items usually produced in single-digit volumes, making gradual process development and scrapping parts a costly exercise. Moldmakers' customers generally want to get their products to market as fast as possible, so lead times can be short and inflexible. Finally, overseas competition puts added pressure on U.S. shops. Moldmakers are facing the challenges with a combination of technology and teamwork, and CAD/CAM software is a key competitive tool.
Enterprising solution
END USER: Sunrise Machine & Tool Inc., (800) 725-7761, www.sunrise-smt.com. CHALLENGE: Improve production control. SOLUTION: Enterprise resource planning software. SOLUTION PROVIDER: MIE Solutions Inc., (714) 786-6230, www.mie-solutions.com