A mold is a specialized tool used in industrial production to shape products. Through its specific cavity or contour shape, it deforms or fills materials such as metal and plastic under external force to obtain products of the desired shape and size. Because molds can achieve high precision, high consistency, and mass production, they are often called the "mother of industry."
Core characteristics of molds:
High precision: Capable of producing dimensionally accurate parts with strict error control.
High consistency: Products produced from the same mold have highly uniform shape and specifications.
High efficiency: Suitable for mass production, significantly improving production efficiency.
High material utilization: Optimized design reduces waste and lowers unit costs.
Classification by Processing Object:
Metal Molds: Used for processing metal materials. Common types include:
Stamping dies (e.g., bending, drawing, and flanging dies)
Forging dies (e.g., die forging dies, upsetting dies)
Die casting dies, extrusion dies, etc.
Non-metal Molds: Mainly used for molding materials such as plastics, rubber, and ceramics. Examples include:
Injection molds (most common)
Extrusion molds, blow molding molds
Compression molds, gas-assisted molding molds, etc.
Basic Structural Components of Molds:
A typical injection mold usually includes the following key components:
Moving mold and stationary mold: Form the cavity when the mold is closed; remove the product after the mold is opened.
Gate: Controls the speed and direction of molten material flowing into the cavity.
Ejector pins: Eject the finished product for easy demolding.
Slides and angled ejectors: Handle concave structures on the product's sides.
Insertions: Partially replace vulnerable parts to improve maintainability.
