STREAMLINE YOUR MOLD

AND DIE WORKFLOW

 INTRODUCTION
Stay a step ahead
Moldmakers operate in an intensely competitive
environment. The amount of work available on any
given day is finite, and if it’s not going to your shop it’s
going to a competitor’s.
One way to gain a competitive advantage is to maintain
high efficiency. When you have the fundamentals in
place, your shop generates high-quality NC programs
with speed and confidence, setting the stage for CNC
machines that run well and produce outstanding
finished tools.
For many tool and die shops, efficiency is already
very strong. So how do you improve your competitive
position if you’re already doing everything right?
2 | INTRODUCTION
There is no simple answer. But if your shop is
consistently performing at a high level, there is still
ground to be gained at the margins. In other words, if
you’re doing all the big things perfectly, you can then
focus on doing all the little things well.
These techniques run the gamut from design to
programming to setup to machining. In this eBook,
you’ll get a quick overview of some options your shop
can put into practice relatively easily.
Together, they can make a measurable difference in
your ability to outpace your closest competitors and
win more business.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

01: CAPITALIZE ON CHANGE

Pages 4 - 7
04: FINE-TUNE QUALITY
Pages 15 - 17

02: DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING 05: CONCLUSION

Pages 8 - 10 Pages 18 - 20

03: ACCEPT AUTOMATION

Pages 11 - 14
 CAPITALIZE ON CHANGE
Use industry trends to your advantage and take every opportunity to increase productivity.

4 | CAPITALIZE ON CHANGE
 CAPITALIZE ON CHANGE
Change is a constant for the tool and die industry. New industries, new products, new
materials, and new designs are always pushing shops to do more. One of the best ways to
take efficiency to the next level is to use the forces driving change to your advantage.

1. More powerful machines
CNC machines now have capabilities that significantly
upgrade the amount of work they can do. Adding a
rotating table to a three-axis machine, for example,
allows you to cut more sides of a tool without the need
to stop the machine, remove the fixture, reset it, and
square it up.
Incorporating on-machine verification (OMV) onto your
CNC machines can streamline setup and processing.
During setup, OMV can be used to ensure the NC
programs are correctly aligned with the stock being
machined. OMV can pick up holes, edges and other
features far quicker than an edge finder. Then, at
predetermined times during machining, you can probe
the part to ensure key areas are within tolerance.
If they aren’t, you can make informed decisions as to
what to do next.
OMV can allow machinists to identify parts that can still
be salvaged – even if something didn’t quite work out
as planned during the machining process. Equally, if a
part is beyond salvation, OMV can prevent any further
time being wasted on a part that should be cast into the
scrap bucket. OMV allows these decisions, and more,
to be made in real-time – all without removing the part
from your machine.
CNC machines can also be configured to send an
alert to a designated operator or employee if they
experience an issue while running unattended. Knowing
immediately that a machine is stalled can save hours
from the schedule that would otherwise be lost.

5 | CAPITALIZE ON CHANGE
 2. More complex parts
As product designers – and the CAD software they use
– become more capable, part designs have become
more complex than ever. Techniques such as Generative
design and lightweighting are allowing parts to become
increasingly organic in shape. These developments, in
combination with tighter delivery timescales, rising
material costs and the ever-present threat of overseas
competition combine to put immense pressure on tool and
die shops.
Less experienced shops will be incentivized to start
producing more complex parts, leaving only the most
complicated parts for higher-end companies. In addition,
organic designs naturally complicate the design of the
mold tools that will be required to mass produce the
resulting moldings. These will typically require more
complex cooling circuits and packaging to fit around the
shape being molded
If you’re already prepared for this uptick in complexity,
that’s great news. If not, it may be time to reassess how
your current workflows would change if every part is your
most difficult one.
6 | CAPITALIZE ON CHANGE
3. More disruptive technologies
Directly related to more complex parts comes a rise in
disruptive technologies such as additive manufacturing
(AM), also known as 3D printing. These techniques
typically apply layers of material guided by a computer,
allowing you to create parts and tools that would be
impossible to produce with conventional means.
While AM is not going to replace tool and die
manufacturing any time soon (or at all), it does create
opportunities for job shops to boost efficiency. If you
make molds for plastic parts, AM can be used to print
conformal cooling structures that radically reduce cycle
time. It may not be practical to print an entire mold
with AM, but it may be appropriate to use for printing
replaceable inserts. AM may be more cost-effective
when creating tools that are deep with many pockets,
such as automotive fascia, or bumpers. In other words,
if you start with a 1,000-pound block of metal and plan
to remove 780 pounds of it, 3D printing 220 pounds may
actually cost less than milling.
Right now, AM may not have many applications in die
stamping. It is, however, transforming the way metal
parts are produced, which could affect tool and die
shops indirectly. Specifically, metal 3D printing can be
used to make the forms for organic-looking, generatively
designed structures, which are then manufactured with
investment or sand casting.
 Instead of solid structural beams, the generatively designed seat
frame has a bridge with hundreds of smaller lattice cells and
several thousand small struts that vary in thickness to bear local
loading conditions. The frame was designed according to European
aerospace specifications for impact.

7 | CAPITALIZE ON CHANGE
 DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING
Remove the barrier between design and manufacturing to make better parts faster.

8 | DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING

 DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING
Too often, the wall between part design and
manufacturing is too high. When designers and
manufacturers collaborate too late — or not at all —
the result is often a part that is overdesigned for its
application. Many tool and die professionals know all
too well the simple part, such as a screwdriver, that
is designed in such a way that necessitates an overly
complex tool with risers and sliders and takes twice as
long as it should to make.
Design for manufacturing (DFM) is a straightforward idea
that can help avoid these scenarios, which can hamper
the productivity of even the most efficient shops. DFM
9 | DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING
emphasizes open communication between part designers
and tool and die teams to ensure tight alignment between
the functionality of the part and the requirements for
making it.
Building additional collaboration into a well-established
workflow is not easy, especially for shops that make parts
for a wide range of customers across many different
industries. But it may be worth pursuing DFM if it can
eliminate jobs that derail an entire day’s productivity
or more.
 Here are some examples of how DFM
can make a difference:

• Avoiding sharp corners. Simply asking the question

“Does this really need to be a 1/32 radius?” can
go a long way to achieving DFM. If part designers
understand that a slightly larger radius is significantly
easier to mill, reduces the risk of scrap, and helps
streamline production time so everyone stays on
schedule, they may be willing to make the change.

• Automating model preparation. Preparing a digital

model from a design is an imperfect process. File
translation issues can cause small gaps in surfaces
or corners that are not trimmed correctly. Some
models may also require additional CAD data, such as
addendum surfaces for stamping dies or additional
gates and blocks for parting lines in molds. Specialized
software can help automate these activities and make
parts easier to manufacture, earlier in the process.

• Automated EDM. Most molds include features, such

as ribs and deep slots, that require the use of electrical
discharge machining (EDM) to produce. Modern CAE Automating the
software makes it possible to automate the creation of creation of 3D
the electrode models, the CAM programming, and CNC electrode geometry
machining - saving hours of manual work. In addition, for use in Electrical
integration with shop-floor machinery can automate Discharge Machining
the actual EDM process reducing the risk of human (EDM) can save hours
error to occur. of manual CAD modeling

10 | DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING

 ACCEPT AUTOMATION
Let CAM software and CNC machines automate more tasks and reduce the burden on your shop.

11 | ACCEPT AUTOMATION
 ACCEPT AUTOMATION
One huge upside of CNC machines becoming more powerful is that they are better
able to take advantage of automation, whether it is the automation of time-consuming
programming tasks, setup processes, or running unattended. Some of these capabilities
depend on the CNC machine itself, while others depend on your choice of CAM software.

Digital programming punching. A similar approach can be used with plastic

Many of the steps of CNC programming can be
automated, even when parts are very complex.
However, there are steps shops can take in advance of
programming to speed the process even more. One of
the most important is organizing data logically, often
by layers or colors, and consistently from job to job.
With stamping dies, this involves creating separate
layers (or colors) within the digital model for the part,
fixture, trim steel, drilled holes, tapped holes, and
so on. This allows CAM software to apply the same
process to similar parts, such as machining the part
shape very tight but the surrounding shut-out faces
less accurately, or adding EDM components to the
edge of the trim steel. These time savings really add
up with stamping die projects that involve 30, 40, or
50 individual die components for shape, trimming, or
molds too, with different layers (or colors) used for ribs
and electrodes, or each slider on its own layer so it can
be pulled out and cut.
Alternatively, for similar shapes, feature based
recognition may speed up programming times by
finding similar features and applying programming
logic to them. Templates for common jobs can
dramatically reduce the amount of user input required
to program jobs allowing families of parts to be
programmed with minimal human input.
Additional time savings can be made by converting
your shop’s best practices (your “special sauce”) into a
set of machining templates that can be shared across
your CNC programmers. Not only does this save time, it
allows lesser skilled workers to become productive in
less time.

12 | ACCEPT AUTOMATION
 Digital stock models
Because roughing starts from a billet of steel or other
material, CAM software needs to account for the
presence of the remaining stock at all times. This is
typically done with a virtual or digital model of the
stock that enables you to develop roughing strategies
that only cut away stock where there is stock left to be
cut. In this way, a digital stock model allows you to use
the largest possible tools up front and conserve the use
of smaller tools. Finding these opportunities manually
can take hours. Using a digital stock model to automate
the process not only saves a great deal of programming
time, it saves mill time later by eliminating any
potential duplication of effort, or re-cutting areas that
have already been cut.
13 | ACCEPT AUTOMATION
Job setup
Automation during job setup can be done in several
ways, all of which reduce downtime to keep CNC
machines running as much as possible. Removable
pallets with hydraulic clamps allow operators to run
one job while prepping another, then swap out pallets
and continue immediately instead of taking the time
to clean up and re-fixture the second job only after the
first is finished. These pallets can also be configured
with up to a dozen individual die components that can
be machined simultaneously, as opposed to running one
or two at a time in vices. OMV also plays a role during
job setup, drastically reducing the time necessary to
square up the block compared to a dial indicator.
 Machine utilization
Running “lights out” is the ideal way to maximize the
efficiency of your shop. Outfitted with tool changers, tool
checkers, sensors, and cameras, CNC machines can run
automatically and unattended to extract as much productivity
from the work day as possible. What is most important in
these situations is that you have confidence your machines
will run properly without the risk of damage or delay.

Ultimately, confidence comes from a few different factors.

With respect to the NC program, software-driven verification
should confirm that the program will run without collisions
between the part, tool, holder, table, or the three- or five-
axis head. On the machine, tool checkers should be able to
detect when various cutters are too worn to continue, and
tool changers can swap them out as needed. Cameras allow
operators to check the progress of the job remotely. And as
mentioned, alarms can trigger email or text alerts to make
sure problems are addressed right away.

Collision detection and avoidance gives CNC

machine operators the confidence to run NC
programs unattended

14 | ACCEPT AUTOMATION
 FINE-TUNE QUALITY
Focus on the finished quality of the part to find new methods of saving time and effort.

15 | FINE-TUNE QUALITY
 FINE-TUNE QUALITY
The shorter the tool, the faster the machine can run and
the better the surface finish quality. Keeping the length-
to-diameter ratio as low as possible allows you to avoid
running more slowly to avoid the vibration and tool
“chatter” that can compromise part quality when tools
are too long.

Moldmakers typically use five-axis milling to achieve

the desired ratios with a “3+2” technique in which the
head rotates into position, the tool comes into the cut,
performs a 3-axis cut, the tool retracts, then the head
rotates again and repeats for other angles. In other
words, the machine is not rotating and cutting at the
same time. In many cases, especially with deep cuts,
tilting the head slightly (up to 15 degrees) creates an
opportunity to cut more of the pocket with a shorter tool
than would be possible with a “straight on” approach.

3+2 machining
allows the use of
shorter tools for
faster machining and
improved part quality

16 | FINE-TUNE QUALITY
 Identifying these positions manually involves a great deal
of time-consuming work, especially with complex parts.
Many CAM software applications, however, can find the
proper angles much more efficiently, as well as ensure that
there is no risk of collision between the spindle and holder.
This has a dual benefit of allowing shops to produce higher
quality parts and make them more efficiently.

While approximately 20% of cutterpaths in mold & die

work involve simultaneous cutting and rotation, these
instances do offer a final opportunity to maximize
efficiency. With help from CAM software, toolpath tilting
allows you to choose the shortest available tool and then
automatically calculate the correct angle so that the
cut can occur simultaneously without colliding on the
cutterpath. This is another example of a small change that
can add up to measurably higher efficiency over time.

It’s not just software and CNC machines that are evolving.
The same is true of the cutting tools used to machine
parts. Take, for example, the growing use of solid carbide
barrel-shaped cutters. These tools have geometry that
allows cutting stepovers to be greatly increased, resulting
in shorter cycle times, whilst also improving the surface
finish being achieved. Whilst not appropriate for every CAM software can achieve such a high quality
single part you manufacture, if programmed correctly, surface finish that parts require no manual
these cutters can offer significant gains. polishing after machining

17 | FINE-TUNE QUALITY
 CONCLUSION
Important points to keep in mind as you prepare to take efficiency higher.

18 | CONCLUSION
 CONCLUSION
Achieving maximum efficiency is not about any one Get Started
CNC machine, CAM software package, processing
technique, workflow, or checklist. It is ultimately To learn how Autodesk software can help improve
a mindset that affects every aspect of the shop as efficiency in your tool and die shop, visit our
jobs make the steady transition from digital files to Solution Hub.
finished objects.

The efficiency mindset is one that embraces change See our Solutions
and sees innovations not as threats to tradition but
rather opportunities to move ahead of competitors.
Whether it is a new way of working, a new type of
material, a new software feature, a new cutting
tool, or a new machine capability, these changes are
carefully assessed and, if they deliver the results
they promise, adopted immediately.

Developing this mindset — and becoming more

efficient — is not something most shops can do
alone. It always helps to have expert partners who
understand your daily experience, can answer your
questions responsively, and make recommendations
objectively. With more than 40 years of experience
working directly with tool and die shops, Autodesk is
one of those partners.

19 | CONCLUSION
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