Tool & Die / Moldmaking

Cutting Tool Engineering magazine's biennial salary survey for 2014 shows the earnings of metalworking professionals heading upward.

Cutting Tool Engineering Senior Editor Evan Jones Thorne interviews Len Graham of Rexam Mold Manufacturing.

Laser technology has taken hold in the moldmaking industry, offering new possibilities for fabrication, detailing, maintenance and repair.

Metal-injection molding has arrived as a way to manufacture small, complex parts.

Connecticut Spring & Stamping developed an apprenticeship program to meet is own training needs.

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.

How moldmakers select the right cutting tools, toolholders and machine tools.

Cutting Tool Engineering's 2012 Salary Survey reveals how much various metalworking professionals are making, and the results are mixed.

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.

Cutting Tool Engineering Editorial Director Alan Rooks recalls an era when repairing things was still in fashion.

END USER: Sunrise Machine & Tool Inc., (800) 725-7761, www.sunrise-smt.com. CHALLENGE: Improve production control. SOLUTION: Enterprise resource planning software.

Every segment of manufacturing faces unique challenges. Tool and die makers, however, seem to endure an outsized number of challenges.