Product category:
Mould, Die and Tool Making Subcontracting Services
News Release from: DMS Diemould Service | Subject: Bolster
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 11 April 2007
Bolsters cut turn-around times
DMS-Diemould's industry-standard bolster plates and bolster sets have produced cost savings and increased productivity for specialist tooling manufacturer D Harvey.
The use of industry-standard bolster plates and bolster sets supplied by DMS-Diemould has produced cost savings and reduced mould manufacturing times for specialist plastic injection mould and pressure die casting tooling manufacturer D Harvey and Co of Cannock, West Midlands The company has a long standing working relationship with DMS-Diemould which has supplied it with mould building accessories including sprung cores and slide returns along with many other mechanisms and hot runner systems for many years
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 22 Jun 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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Toolmaker completed design and manufacture of a 27 multi-cavity tools in under four months, with the first tool within 8 weeks, by buying in high accuracy, fully machined bolsters.
Standard tool parts used in complex moulding
An injection mould tooling company uses bolster plates and many other standard ancillaries to produce tooling for an increasing number of intricate and complex plastics components.
However, with pressure to shorten lead times and the greatly increased price competition from overseas mould makers, Managing Director, Trevor Rogers, has for some time been investigating ways of solving both issues, while maintaining the very highest manufacturing standards.
"Bolster plates are used to locate and support the die assembly on the bed of the moulding machine and, on an individual basis, can be time consuming and expensive to machine," he explains.
"In consultation with DMS-Diemould we have now begun to take standard, off-the-shelf plain bolster plates and sets with features such as pockets, pillars and bush and pin holes already machined into them to our specification ".This leaves us to concentrate on the high value-added impression work and, while it is difficult to generalise on cost savings as most of our tools are one-offs, this method of acquiring bolsters has contributed significantly to our success in remaining competitive when tendering for new work.
Further reading
Bolster plates used in injection mould tooling
Xplora Mould Tools specialises in the design and manufacture of Injection Mould Tooling, for which it uses DMS-Diemould bolster plates and many other standard ancillaries.
Pre-toughened stainless steel bolster supplied
A Sussex toolmaker has ordered specially machined bolsters from DMS-Diemould for high profile injection mould tools, including a pre-toughened stainless steel bolster.
Mould cycle counter checks lifetime condition
DMS has announced the UK availability of a new mould cycle counter that provides moulders with a mould monitoring and maintenance planning aid.
"If the lead time is very tight, we have also been asking DMS-Diemould to machine the complete bolster set at their Devon factory ready for receiving our inserts, again leaving us to concentrate on the complexities of the tool machining and assembly".
D Harvey and Co, which was founded in 1973 by well known West Midlands engineer Dave Harvey, currently has a workforce of six.
The company concentrates on tools up to 2 tonnes and works predominantly for four quality moulders - Fern Plastics, Siemens, MG Plastics and Falcon Plastics - making tools for the manufacture of moulded components for automotive components and those used in white goods manufacture and assembly.
The company's designers can draw upon the various DMS-Diemould bolster characteristics, which are held in their CAD system.
After drawing the tool and entering the dimensions, the software will select the various bolster components needed, which are then forward to DMS-Diemould.
This process streamlines the design process and enables DMS-Diemould to supply the pre-machined bolster components in good time for the more detailed tool manufacture and assembly work to take place.
"Our excellent working relationship with the technical staff at DMS-Diemould is crucial," adds Trevor Rogers.
"We consult them regularly to access their expertise and keep us fully updated on their latest products.
And because DMS-Diemould holds such large stocks and has the capacity in its machine shops to machine the individual bolster features at very short notice, we regard our relationship with the company more in terms of a partnership".
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