precision measuring tools

Using Precision Measurement Tools in Injection Mold Making

By Randy Hough

Apollo Precision Tools DT0773N1 135-Piece Household Pink Tool Kit

Construction of an injection mold without precision instruments is almost impossible. It could happen with a lot of interpolation of sizes and fits, but it would certainly be ineffective.

Well, not so long ago, much of the installation of some form of components rather boring methods. A good example is the finishing touch to the angle of the blade and the corresponding block lock that moves the cursor to the final location.

This adjustment process can happen many ways, but one way is to right starting with the size of the ladder and try it. Hopefully there is enough material to be ground to allow the final assembly. If you think evil in the beginning, you can simply delete the whole camp!

Once you see that you can always remove material, or if you are sure of metal, you can repeat this process until you are able, the form must be completely closed. If you have some blue peak, you can apply on the contact surfaces of the obstacles to be verified.

There are indeed times when it is a very convenient method for mounting, but generally with precision measuring tools is the way to go. Microns deep precision dial indicators, optical comparators, granite surface plates, and all make life much easier in this case.

With the tool of practice, you are supported by the squareness and the size of the base mold core and cavity blocks. They can all figure on the plate surface with a right angle, or are easily controlled with a dial indicator. You can use your final dimensions to verify the size of the bag, and then you can match the finishing touch.

There are many ways to see the lock slide and block check, you can use a sine plate and indicator, or use the optical comparator. You can also view an MMT or coordinate measuring machine, the dimensions and angles.

Sinus with the plate, you know, size and Gage use rolling pin to check the dimensions. This is the most accurate method that is used frequently. You can easily drag blocks within 0.0002, 0.005 mm. It's more than enough for almost all applications of injection molding.

Other branches of the metallurgical industry also use these tools and methods, but for different applications. Work of a great tool maker, but the product is very different. It's like the different types of doctors, they have similar training and use of similar devices, but for totally different applications.

It is always advisable to invest in precision tools of high quality. Since the objective is to produce quality work in as short a time as possible, it makes no sense to skimp on the inspection equipment. Some of the most well measurement tools:

    Starrett precision tools
    Brown and Sharpe Precision
    Height measurement Tesa, micrometers, comparators
    Standard precision micrometer, dial
    Mitutoyo toolmaker microscopes, precision micrometers, dial indicators
    Scherr-Tumico optical comparators
    Micro-Vu Optical Comparators
    Zeiss measuring machines
    Meyer Gage Pins
    Cales CEJohannson

Time to learn the proper technique in the tool is time well spent. Of course, you can make your way through a mess of the project, but common sense is almost always easier, faster and more accurate.

precision tools

Precision Grinders, Jig Grinding, and Grinding AccessoriesBy Randy Hough

the precision grinders used in a tool and die shop or injection mold making shop are some of the most important machine tools of all. These silent workhorses include the manual surface grinder, CNC surface grinder, and jig grinder.

With the extensive use of wire EDM the need for precision grinding has diminished in volume, but not in importance. There just is not as much work in the grinding department, but the grinding operation is absolutely essential to the overall process of toolmaking.

Some of the typical work done on precision grinders include the basic squaring up of core and cavity blocks, die blocks, finishing core pins and punches, finishing parting lines and shut offs and fitting slide lock angles.

Just imagine not having the capacity to do these few tasks and the entire process comes to a halt. You may be able to hard mill a lot of the details, and the sinker EDM can do a great deal, but surface grinding is still an essential part of toolmaking.

One of the old school precision grinders is the jig grinder. It is a very precise grinder, capable of many different operations, yet it is often overlooked as a viable machine tool. Besides the round holes, such as ejector pin holes or die openings, there are many unusual things this tool can do.

One good use is the adding of radii on components. This is often done by hand, with sometimes questionable results that tend to take a long time to achieve. Think of ejector blades, for example. The top area needs to have a radius in order to fit in the opening it will work in. If you only have a few to do, it is not hard to do them by hand. However, if you have 50 blades and all of them require 4 corners to be fitted, the jig grinder can do this accurately and quickly.

Both the jig grinder and surface grinder need good accessories in order to perform as they should. The sine plates, precision vises, angle plates and wheel dressers need to be of the highest quality. These need to be so trustworthy that they repeat 100% of the time and do not wear out.

A typical grinding area should include a granite surface plate, surface gage and test indicator, drop indicator and stand, height gage for scribing lines, squaring block and indicator, angle plates, magnetic squaring blocks, magnetic and non-magnetic sine plates, and spin fixtures.

You also need gage pins, gage blocks, and much, much more. It is wise to get the best you can afford, so that the toolmaker can work quickly and confidently.