In order to understand the problems faced by the current mold operation and to explore in depth the good working modes adopted by different companies and industries, the Hong Kong Productivity Council visited 143 companies earlier and made a good working model for 7 model companies. In-depth research and discussion, collected their opinions on the management of mold good operations. The results of the survey were announced at the seminar held in Dongguan in the “18th Session of the Tightening Industry. International Mould Exhibition” in February. This article made an in-depth analysis and comprehensive introduction on this topic.

Problems with mold management

Mold is an important enterprise property of hardware, plastics and mold manufacturing. It directly affects product quality and delivery time, and indirectly affects the production cost of the enterprise and the market competitiveness brought by it. Ms. Fan Sile, Senior Consultant of the Information Technology Industry Development Department of the Hong Kong Productivity Council, pointed out that most of the management of the company is currently weak in knowledge of automated mold management concepts.

However, since the operation process of the mold system in the manufacturing industry is mostly controlled by manual, and the perfect management system is not matched, it is difficult for the enterprise to estimate the time and cost required for the mold manufacturing, and it is difficult to detect the quality problem caused by the mold design. It is impossible to accurately calculate the actual cost and production efficiency of the mold manufacturing process, fail to follow up the mold maintenance and recognize its use status in time, and cannot predict the service life of the mold. In addition, due to the poor management of mold operations, enterprises waste a lot of time and resources in finding and maintaining molds, which leads to the increase of enterprise costs and production delays.

Mold management content

According to Fan Sile, the development and use of general molds can be roughly divided into cost control, progress tracking, and usage history management. Among them, cost control mainly includes cost control in management, design, and mold before the mold is produced. It needs to quickly and conveniently count the actual needs of each set of molds. The cost of various processes, as well as the cost of outward processing, are summarized and displayed in a clear manner.

Progress tracking management refers to the tracking management of management, design and tooling in the production process. This requires the start-up time and completion time of the planned process, monitors and manages each set of molds, the latest completion schedule of each process, and work efficiency. When encountering a “crisis”, timely make appropriate countermeasures and adjust the delivery period as soon as possible. Wait until the extreme circumstances to put forward the message of "salvation."

Mold use history management refers to the work that the mold is produced in terms of management, warehouse and maintenance. In this process, it is necessary to pay attention to the central processing and storage to facilitate the use of various departments, and to share information through data collection. If the project can be systematically recorded, employees can use past records. To improve the design skills of the mold.

Suggestions for improving mold management

The management of the mold can be roughly divided into three different parts, namely mold development, mold use and mold maintenance. Therefore, for the effective management of the mold, Fan Sile pointed out that it is possible to improve the management problems of each part from the process.

First of all, in the development of molds, it is necessary to set up a mold development team, and assign project managers and liaisons to monitor the development process. Hold mold development meeting to discuss product characteristics, steel type, mold life, precision requirements, mechanical specifications, impact of finished product shape on molds, evaluation of development time, etc. Through these management methods, companies can not only obtain more accurate assessments, but also It is possible to train new employees in mutual communication; at the same time, companies must monitor the actual progress of the project. If using the project monitoring tool, anticipate and calculate the actual progress schedule, and compare the actual progress of the project to the planned progress, correct any errors that deviate from the plan, and make appropriate responses to the divisional component production in a timely manner, such as using different masters for line cutting, Deep hole processing, latheing, polishing, heat treatment, etc., not only makes it easier to train technical staff, but also does not have to rely on one or two technically comprehensive personnel to reduce the loss of human resources. However, in this process, the instructions of the process must be standard and clear. In addition, in the face of short-order delivery time restrictions, some tasks can also be outsourced so that the company can concentrate resources on its core work.

Secondly, in the use of molds, attention should be paid to the difficulties often encountered in the extraction, mold-testing, manufacturing, and recycling. If the mold is not found or the mold is damaged, it cannot be used. After the mold is tested, the mold needs to be repaired; At the time, there was no notice that the life of the mold had passed, which affected the quality of the product; the used mold did not record its status, which caused the production period to be delayed in the future. For these problems, Fan Sile reminded that the mold usage and data should be recorded every time, because recording the number of stamping times of the mold can greatly help to evaluate the life of the mold. At the same time, practice regular or fixed maintenance, see if the situation requires maintenance, provide information on the mold has been used, let the customer evaluate the impact of the mold on the quality of the product, and decide whether it is necessary to build a new mold. In addition, it is necessary to unify the molds in and out of the warehouse to listen to the management. To borrow the molds, it is necessary to have a person in charge, and all the entries and exits are recorded and signed.

Finally, in the maintenance of the mold, each mold is recorded independently, the mold also has a separate folder (real or electronic folder), record all changes and status, such as the life of the mold, The state of the mold, including the case of abnormal loss; the mold should be clearly classified, such as hardware, die-casting, plastic, etc. In addition, an overhaul plan is required to regularly maintain and manage the molds, thereby reducing the risk of damage and reducing the cost of repairs.

Success factors in mold management

In addition to introducing the experience of mold management at the top level, Fan Sile also pointed out that using the appropriate mold number, using appropriate and authorized mold extraction and return methods, the frequently used molds should be placed in the easier extraction place, the mold should be as far as possible. Putting it in one place is a good method of mold management. The use of a good consulting technology system is also a good attempt for companies to manage molds. According to Fan Sile, the consulting technology system can fully record the mold data and quickly find the data; it has a borrowing/return function to help the company implement the management of the mold collection; it records the status of each use of the mold, and facilitates follow-up and exemption. Delays caused by the state of the mold; mold history resources help management analyze the cause of mold loss, thereby improving the design level of the mold, reducing the cost of the mold due to loss; and even if the employee is lost, the company can still master The storage location of the mold.

In summary, Fan Sile believes that the secret of successful mold management lies in: management strongly supports the management of molds, and appropriate personnel deployment, mold information must be computerized, strict implementation of mold delivery, mold use and maintenance must be a historical record, The location of the mold warehouse must be recorded historically, and the location of the mold warehouse must be systematically arranged and coded. In addition, it is necessary to check whether the condition and position of the mold are truthfully recorded.

(The above information is compiled by Junsheng Mould)