Mold Craft Expands Capabilities

Mold Craft Inc. has been designing and building successful, high volume, multi-cavity, multi-mold projects for small, intricate plastic, silicone, metal and ceramic parts since 1964.  “Our molds have been designed and fabricated to produce medical parts from engineered plastics, LSR, metal and ceramics for drug delivery devices, body implants, dental products, plus for consumer products, and microelectronic components for well known manufacturers” states Jim Liddell, sales & marketing manager.

Mold Craft has spent most of the recession years of 2008 and 2009 bringing in new high technology equipment with automation keeping them at the very leading edge of mold making.  In 2010 Mold Craft recognized the need to further enhance their machining capabilities.  They realized an increased need on their Wire EDM requirements and researched the major Wire EDM manufacturers to make sure they found the best option for their customer needs.  The research prompted the purchase of an AG400L from Sodick Inc.  “Sodick had the highest level of technology which was capable of meeting our specific demands,” says Justin McPhee, VP of engineering.  “We needed a machine that was capable of running .002” wire, a .0012” corner radius with extreme accuracy, and superior surface finish."

The Sodick AG400L was able to demonstrate these capabilities prior to the purchase.

The AG400L features a 15.7” x 11.0” x 9.8” X, Y, Z travel and can accommodate up to a 1,100 lb workpiece.  The AG400L features Sodick’s Linear Motor Drives (with 10 Year Positioning Guarantee), Super Jet AWT, Heidenhain’s Absolute Linear Scales and is eco friendly, the AG400L can reduce average energy consumption by up to 60 percent.  The AG400L also features Sodick’s 3-Sided Rise-Fall Worktank, which eliminates set-up space and helps the operator monitor machining progress even on thin workpieces since the drop tank can be stopped in intermediate positions while machining.

Mold Craft did the research and determined that the AG400L met the requirements and accuracies to the precision work they are known for.  “After learning about the linear motors and the 10 year positioning guarantee, we were convinced this was the correct machine for Mold Craft.  Sodick has to be very sure about their product in order to have this guarantee and has the track record to back it up,” says Tim Bartz, VP of operations.  “While planning for the future we will dispose of the equipment that is not making money but taking up valuable floor space, and replace it with profitable, state-of-the-art machines that will enhance our customer offerings and while maintaining aggressive delivery dates,” Bartz notes

Investing in the Sodick AG400L was a big step in the process of bringing new technology into Mold Craft.  Now Mold Craft is prepared to serve more customers with higher technical requirements and meet tighter tolerances and deadlines.