The Importance of Injection Mold

Maintenance
Tool longevity is just as important to part cost and
quality as the design and build. Regular, careful
maintenance can prevent part failures and lower the
overall cost of your injection molding program.

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 What is mold maintenance?

Mold maintenance, or tool maintenance, refers to the

cleaning and repairs that are needed to keep an
injection mold in the best working order.
Maintenance is performed routinely over the life of
the mold (preventative maintenance or PM), and also
when any problems arise.

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Why is mold maintenance important?

Many buyers overlook mold maintenance when

choosing a supplier, but it’s actually a critical aspect of
a successful long-term molding program. The
condition of the injection mold affects the quality of
the plastic components produced. Performing
necessary preventative maintenance improves tool
longevity and part quality by stopping issues before
they happen.

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What problems does mold neglect cause?
Over time, the molding process can cause wear on a mold. For example, a
fine layer of material gradually builds up on the mold surfaces; if left
unchecked, this vent deposit can dent the tool, causing flash and other
unwanted part defects. It’s like owning a car. If you never perform regular
maintenance, like changing the oil, the mechanical parts will experience
wear, reduce running efficiency, and eventually fail.

Unfortunately, many molders will avoid doing maintenance until these

quality problems arise or the tool breaks down. Repairing the mold at this
point can be expensive and can jeopardize your part supply. However, if
done regularly and correctly, preventative maintenance can improve
production and lower the overall cost of owning the tool.

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 Factors That Cause Failure
A variety of factors both inside and outside of the molding process can impact the quality of a plastic part. Assuming
that there are no issues with design, the root cause of plastic part failure usually lies in one or more of the following
areas:
1. Premolding: Material handling and storage
2. Molding: Conditions within the cycle
3. Post Molding: Parts handling, finishing, and assembly operations, plus packaging and shipping
4. Application: Environmental factors or end use

Depending on the stage and conditions at which a problem occurred, the following types of part failures are possible:
•Mechanical failures are caused by an applied external force such as tension, compression, or impact. If these forces
exceed the yield strength of a material, the part can deform, crack or break into pieces.
•Thermo failures occur when parts are exposed to extreme temperatures. Too high a temperature can warp, twist,
melt, or burn the materials. At low temperatures, plastic becomes brittle.
•Chemical failures occur when chemicals causes the plastic to break down. Elevated temperatures, existing stress, or
mechanical load on the part will amplify the effect of chemical exposure.
•Environmental failures are caused by factors such as humidity, ozone, ultraviolet light radiation, and pollution. The
effects can vary from a change in color or a slight crazing or cracking to a more severe breakdown of the polymer
structure.

Defect Diagnosis
To determine the cause of the part failure, we ask a series of questions called a Failure Analysis Inquiry. These
questions include:
1. What type and grade of material was used?
2. Does the part match to print?
3. Have there been any changes to the current molding machine?
4. Is there wear in the tool or mold?
5. Has chemical exposure been a factor? http://www.empireprecision.com
What are the benefits of a properly maintained mold?

A well maintained (and designed) mold is key to producing consistent, high

quality injection molded parts. Uniform cooling throughout the cavity
impression (and from cavity to cavity in multi-cavity tools) will yield the
highest quality part and the fastest cycle time.

Ensuring a quality mold requires well-designed tooling and higher precision

build, both of which can increase the tool construction cost and regular
maintenance cost. However, these measures will ultimately save you
significant costs on repairs.

As a best practice, choose a molder that performs maintenance, such as

cleaning parting lines during the production run, and has a dedicated service
team that documents and tracks mold maintenance, to ensure that your
tooling gets the long-term care it needs.

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 How can your supplier help?
Working with the supplier as a strategic partner can help reduce many of
the risks and costs associated with injection molding. They can help you:

•Optimize part design and mold design

•Make the most of your tooling investment

•Choose the right development tools

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 Mold Maintenance Program
All Molders should have some form of mold maintenance program. Regular mold maintenance can
help your mold to last longer, to run with less interruptions, and will save you time, money, and
frustration in the long run. The amount and frequency of maintenance is determined by several
factors:
•Mold Material
Aluminum or soft tools will suffer wear and tear in a shorter period of time than tools made of
conventional tool steel
•Part material
Plastic materials that have fillers are especially abrasive and will tend to wash away the mold steel after
thousands of cycles. Also plastic with a high melt temperature causes more wear than those with low
melt temperatures. Higher melt temperatures expose the mold to more heat and enhance material
wear. Some materials give off excessive of residue or even corrosive gasses requiring more regular
mold cleaning.
•Mold Complexity
Molds with intricate mechanisms or parts requiring unusually high tolerances will require more
maintenance than a simple open & shut mold, making a low tolerance part. Slides, lifters, moving
cores, hydraulic and mechanical systems, hot runners, complex ejector systems or mechanisms with
delicate components all add to the maintenance required
•Abuse
molds can be abused by excessive clamp pressures, high injection pressures, over-packing/flashing the
part, jerking the mold open and closed, not lubricating the appropriate components, multiple ejection,
crashing the mold closed or closing up on partially ejected parts are all sure to cause excess wear and
tear on your mold.
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The 1st kind of mold maintenance you can perform is to reduce in-house tool abuse.
•Have a clean operation using well maintained machines and have the right tools.
•Do NOT use hard tools (screw drivers, hammers, punches, knives on ANY molding surface, parting, or shutoff
surface. (We recommend having "soft" tooling like rubber mallets, punches and pliers made from plastic, copper, or
brass on hand to avoid damaging the mold)
•Use soft or treated water in cooling systems. Blow out or drain the tool when it is pulled from the machine.
•Avoid excessive clamp pressures, high injection pressures, and over-packing/flashing the mold.
•Don't operate the press in such a way that the mold is rapidly jerked open and closed.
•Lubricate the appropriate components.
•Take great care not to crash the mold closed or close up on partially ejected parts.
•Seal the work area and mold storage area from outside environment.

Recommend several different levels of care/maintenance:

•Preventative: Every day, and every time the mold is pulled from production or put back into production
•Inspection: Every 20,000 cycles (or every 10 days of production)
•Maintenance: Every 100,000 cycles (or every 10 production runs)
•Major Maintenance: Every 250,000 cycles (or half the anticipated life time volume)

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 Preventive Measures
Simple Preventive Maintenance greatly improves the life of your mold. At the end of every shift while
the mold is still in the press:

Each time the mold is removed from the press you should perform the same type of cleaning plus
some additional procedures.

•Before the mold is removed from the press the mold should be returned to room
•All water lines should be drained and blown free of all residual water to avoid build up of rust due to
standing water. It is critical that no water be trapped inside mold.
•The parting surfaces, core, and cavity should be gently cleaned with a mild, clean solvent and
soft, clean towels to remove any residual dirt and grime.
•The ejector system should be moved fully forward, then spray both mold halves with light rust
preventive lubricant (like WD-40). Retract ejector system and close the mold.
•Check and assure all bolts, plates, etc. are in place and tight.
•Bag the last shot as an example of the typical quality of this run and store these parts with the mold.

CAUTION: Highly polished mold surfaces should NOT be wiped with a towel. Instead spray these
surfaces with solvent and blow off with clean, filtered, compressed air to remove the majority of dirt
and residue, then clean with mild, clean solvent and cleanfacial tissue or cotton balls. Be very
careful with polished surfaces, dust or dirt on your fingers, on your tissues (or cotton balls), or in
your air lines could potentially damage the surfaces.

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 Inspections
Preventative maintenance should be done every time the mold goes into the press to run AND every
time it comes out of the press. Inspection is to note small problems and have them scheduled for
repairs. This kind of maintenance should be performed by a lead operator or an experienced person in
your tool room after about 20,000 cycles, after 10 production days, or at the end of a production run,
whichever comes first.

•Inspect the tool and look for minor damage or if any "touchup" work is required. Any missing
components or blocked off cavities should be noted and attended to. A few samples from the blocked
cavity should be retained for the mold maker to make repairs.
•The mold should be washed all over with mild, clean solvent to remove the varnish and build up from
the molding process.
•The vents should be checked for depth around the cavity face.
•Bent, worn or broken ejector pins should be noted and the mold should be removed from production
and the pins replaced.
•Note ANY concerns that you may want have looked into further at the next scheduled Level 3
maintenance.

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 Maintenance
This level of maintenance should only be performed by skilled Moldmakers.
•All plates are separated and their faces cleaned.
•ALL components are checked for wear. Any excessive wear is noted and a determination is made to
repair, replace or continue to use.
•Any cavity detail area with dings, dents or other signs of wear or abuse should be considered critical
and should be carefully analyzed before any other replacements or repairs proceed.
•All moving parts are to be lubricated. Use lubricant sparingly on all moving parts which make contact
with plastic parts.
•Vents should be checked for depth, width and land and a determination made if repair is needed.
Maintaining good venting prevents fill problems, excessive fill pressures, material "burning", etc.
•"O" rings, seals and gaskets should be checked for integrity. A list of the required seals as well as one
complete replacement set should be kept on hand.
•All water lines are to be pressure tested for leaks and for flow capacity. Water lines that have built up
scale and are restricted should be pressure cleaned with a descaling agent and if necessary redrilled.
•The ejector system should be examined for proper alignment. If the ejector pin holes seem "sloppy"
or have become egg shaped it must be determined if they could simply be replaced with oversize pins
or if they should be drilled and reamed to the next larger size and the existing pins replaced with the
next larger size pins.
•Guided Ejection bushing should be checked for wear and any broken return springs should be
replaced
•Determine if Re-plating or Resurfacing (as a result of the material eroding the mold surface) is
necessary
•Determine if Replacement/Re-sizing of gates or gate inserts, new runner blocks etc. are necessary.
•Replace all springs after 50,000 cycles.
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 Major Maintenance
Major maintenance should only be performed by skilled Moldmakers and it should be done when
triggered either by the mold fulfilling the required number of cycles for maintenance, or by excessive
wear or damage to the tool.
•All components determined and authorized to be replaced should be removed and new components constructed and
installed in accordance to the original designs if previously certified spare components are not available.
•Worn leader pins, bushings and all bearing moving surfaces (gibs, wear plates, wedge blocks, etc.) should be checked for
wear and replaced/repaired as required.
•All return springs in the ejector plate should be replaced with new springs to avoid fatigue.
•All water lines should be flushed with descaling agent to remove scale build up.
•All "O" rings, internal plugs, seals and gaskets should be replaced.
•Plates and mold cavity surfaces should be checked for parallel and ground flat if required.
•Mold cavity surfaces should be cleaned and polished as required to the original surface requirements.
•Any dings, dents, or scratches should be worked out until the surface is fully in compliance to the original print specifications.
•The cavity surface is to be inspected for wear or erosion of plating or texturing. When determined necessary, the cavity
surfaces are to be stripped and re-plated, or the texture is to be polished off and then new texture applied.
•All components not meeting the part print's original specifications (to be noted by the molders QC department) should be
repaired/replaced as required
•All components that have been plated should be stripped and re-plated where required. All components that have had
special surface treatments for corrosion resistance, lubricity, hardness and the like should be retreated to insure the original
intent of the tool.
•All moving components should be checked for ease of movement (ejector box, slides, lifters, etc.). Adjustments should be
made as required.
•For tools requiring high production, the cavities should be removed and stress relieved to remove work hardening and
material embrittlement. The entire mold/cavity set must be re-inspected and made as "like-new" as possible.
•The mold base is to be inspected for cracks, work hardening, corrosion, etc. If the mold base was plated or painted for
corrosion resistance, the coating is to be stripped, the base cleaned and the coating reapplied. The tool should be re-stamped
indicating when the tool was rebuilt.

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 Suggested tools available for proper tool maintenance:
Assembly table, should be able to handle a minimum of 5,000 lbs.

•(2) Heat-treated parallels/rails 36" x 1" x 1" for molds to slide on.
•(2) Pry bars (Aluminum, or Brass)
•Rubber or hard plastic mallet and a light weight machinists hammer (Ball Peen).
•(2) Hex wrenches sets (an extension pipe is also handy)
•Cleaning tank, with clean cleaning solvent.
•Clean towels
•Compressed Air, filtered, with standard shop air pressure.
•Flashlight.
•A set of polishing stones (fine), to remove burrs or scratches on mold inserts. Be careful to protect the cavity
surface.
•Medium bench stone, to remove burrs or scratches on mold plates.
•File, to remover burrs or hobbed corners and edges on mold base.
•Set of soft aluminum or brass pins, to use as punches, to remove ejector pins, to remove plastic material left in sprue
bushing, etc.
•Ratchet wrench with 7/16 and 9/16 deep sockets for removing water line fittings and Teflon tape.
•Containers for storing all loose parts.
•All-purpose Grease (minimum temperature 500 degree F)
•Duct tape: Used to protect all critical corners and edges on cavities and cores. Tape should also be used on other
components like ejector pins, ejector sleeves, slides, and lift cores to protect edges. Use tape wherever there is a
sensitive area on tool which can be easily damaged. Be diligent to protect ALL sharp edges!

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Fehrman Tool & Die Inc.