Improve the life of aluminum molds
ã€ALUMINIUM NETWORK】Aluminum molds are a hot topic that people in the mold industry are very concerned about. Using aluminum as a cost-effective method to produce molds has many advantages that can further increase the competitiveness of companies. Because the advantage is very obvious, the cycle time of the mold manufacturing is shortened, thus reducing the production cost. In addition, the mold has better thermal conductivity, which means that the production cycle can be greatly shortened. In short, to discuss the issue of electroplating aluminum molds is a good time for people considering using such molds.
History and application The application of aluminum molds to the injection molding process is not entirely new. At the beginning, prototype molds were generally made of aluminum, and the automotive industry has been using these molds for many years, and it has gradually become popular among companies outside the automotive industry.
More and more customers have asked such a question: How to extend the service life of these molds so that they can be applied to limited production? With the development of this trend, customers began to explore aluminum molds as a true production tool, and even raised more questions, such as:
(1) What level of surface finish of the mold may require electroplating to better mold the part?
(2) Is it required to achieve a paper-like surface finish or a diamond-like surface finish? Does it need to be shot blasted?
(3) What requirements need to be met to prevent corrosion and wear?
All these problems should be well solved before processing molds.
Due to the development of new technologies and aluminum formwork, especially for the design of injection molds, aluminum molds are also increasingly used in the fields of blow molds, RIM molds, rubber molds, structural foam molds, and RTM molds. Although it may not be suitable for all applications, its use is becoming more and more common.
Extend the service life Everyone wants to extend the production life of molds, such as the use of traditional tool steel molds, the surface of which is plated with hard chrome or nickel metal, or the use of more specialized engineering coatings, which prevents them Surface wear or corrosion promotes better mold release. Since then, in order to seek the same goal, began using aluminum molds and found a practical solution.
Gloss Level In order to be able to produce injection molding with better decorative parts, in addition to extending the life of the mold, the manufacturer also hopes that the surface of the aluminum mold can maintain a certain degree of gloss, so it is recommended to use electroless nickel coating Process, because this method helps to extend the life of the mold surface finish, making it relatively easy to produce decorative parts.
Due to the soft texture of aluminum, if you do not use a surface coating, it is easy to be worn by the plastic and accelerate its damage, thus changing the gloss of injection molded parts. The electroless nickel coating can increase the surface of the mold by 50RC, making it sufficient to protect and extend the gloss and structure of the mold surface.
The surface finish is more favorable, the electroless nickel coating can obtain better surface finish quality than the aluminum material itself, but it must be pointed out that before the mold can be electroplated, some surface treatments need to be performed first. For example, in order to enable it to achieve lens-level quality levels, it is recommended that the surface of the aluminum mold be first machined to SPIA-3 level finish, and then apply 0.0003-0.0005 high-phosphorus electroless nickel plating before further polishing. , to achieve diamond-quality finish levels.
On the other hand, this process saves a lot of time and costs. Under normal circumstances, aluminum also brings a variety of defects, but it is often invisible to the naked eye and can only be seen clearly on injection-molded parts. This will inevitably lead to material waste and return. The time for the test rig to retest to analyze and correct the problems. The electroless nickel coating will help eliminate these defects before the mold is put into operation, or reduce these defects to a lower level.
Since the electroless nickel coating is uniformly deposited on all surfaces of the mold, it will cover the entire part completely, including all threaded holes and pin holes, which in fact improves the structural integrity of the aluminum mold. Another advantage is that the application of the electroless nickel coating will not affect the properties of the aluminum material because it is applied at a low temperature of 180°C.
Mr. David Bank, president of Aluminum Injection Mold, is one of the proponents of aluminum molds. He likes to use nickel boron nitride nickel coating on aluminum molds. "I use boron nitride nickel coating for two reasons: First, when the mold is made to process a lower percentage of glass filler material, it can achieve the purpose of wear resistance; Second, when the mold is manufactured for processing Materials like PVC can play a role in corrosion protection,†said Mr. Bank. “In both cases, the use of several coated dies can be a huge success. Boron Nitride Coating Applications The effect is very good, it has good affinity with aluminum, but it can be peeled off when necessary. Regardless of the reason you choose the coating for any reason, the selection of nickel boron nitride coating is a very reliable strategy."
Corrosion Protection and Waterline If corrosion is a concern, then nickel-PTFE coatings, boron nitride nickel coatings, and electroless nickel coatings will provide better corrosion protection. After using any of the above types of engineering coatings, the molds no longer need to be sprayed with other protective layers and anti-corrosion coatings during periods when production is stopped.
The waterline can also benefit from the electroless nickel coating of aluminum molds. If it is used, there is no need to worry about the shrinkage of the waterline or the white scale-like coating, it can reduce the processing cycle, because the plating material can actually eliminate these problems. Therefore, as long as the Plug is not pulled out of the mold before application, the water line will be covered by the sprayed layer after the entire mold is sprayed.
At 50RC, direct-sprayed electroless nickel coatings provide general protection against wear, but can be protected with PVC gas; nickel-PTFE coatings have protective wear at 50RC. Moderate protection, and can improve lubricity, and play a good anti-corrosion effect; and boron nitride nickel coating at 54RC, has excellent wear protection, but also has a good mold release properties and anti-corrosion protection .
It should also be pointed out that there are different grades of aluminum and different treatment methods are required to ensure that it has proper adhesion to any plating material. Therefore, it is always very helpful to know your substrate, or find a galvanized distributor with a certain equipment to provide analysis for you. This will ensure that you get better adhesion on skateboards, mold closures, parting lines, and other mold components.
There is no doubt that the long-term use of aluminum molds for injection molding production will continue, and no doubt will also develop a series of more innovative aluminum alloy materials to meet and meet the needs of different mold production and application. Regardless of what happens when this principle is followed, there is always an engineering coating that can be used to improve the quality of the product and extend the life of the mold. This is a very simple matter. Dealers who provide plating services have a lot of experience. And resources can help people to achieve this desire.
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