When companies invest in a costly piece of equipment or tool, they expect long-term use and timely, high-quality parts. Replacing tools can be expensive. Continual and careful mold maintenance, however, can mitigate the risk of production error and drastically reduce the total cost of ownership.
Universal Plastics has been offering in-house tooling solutions for about 70 years with specialization in comprehensive maintenance, repairs, and revisions of existing tools to ensure the life of our customers’ tools.
Preventive maintenance is scheduled on molds to prevent failure and to maintain optimal performance. The goal is to eliminate unnecessary downtime and repairs. This in return increases the life expectancy of the mold. We pride ourselves on providing quality parts promptly to our customers. Preventive maintenance involves a systematic program managed in a disciplined environment.
Our Lead Machinists understand the importance of cleaning and inspecting molds. We have an internal mold maintenance checklist we use every time a mold runs. The list includes cleaning, checking parting lines, hydraulic lines, waterlines, and ejector, leader, and horn pins, and spraying the core, cavity, lifters, and slides with mold shield. Keeping the mold clean via proper maintenance helps lowers the chance of rejected parts. Cleaning out the water lines maximizes the temperature transfer to keep cycle times as short as possible.
In addition to cost-savings and improving time-to-end user, adequate maintenance and repair can result in a multitude of benefits. By investing in a supplier that accurately maintains tooling investments, companies are saving money down the line. By reducing the risk of unexpected breakdowns, or expensive repairs, cleaning and maintaining the tooling will reduce the total cost of ownership.
In the end, preventative maintenance provides customers return on investment for their assets by extending the life of the tools. A neglected mold maintenance program will not produce financial returns. This is why Universal Plastics finds it essential to maintain our in-house tool room and staff it with professionals.
