In previous posts, we’ve talked about building class 101 molds. Built to exacting standards, class 101 molds are the longest lasting and most robust molds available. As you would expect, class 101 molds have a higher cost compared to other mold classes. In high volume injection molding applications, the higher cost is often paid back within a few years in terms of maintenance savings. At Basilius, we’ve been exploring how to reduce the cost and the lead time, while still meeting the class 101 standards.
We started by looking at other systems available to mold builders, such as MUD frames. We’ve been using these systems for years but would often run into the limitations. The bottom line is that these systems are designed around prototyping or low volume applications; and while they work well for that, we needed a system that could support high volume class 101 applications. After some discussions and design iterations, we ended up developing a proprietary mold base that can do just that.
Our mold base system keeps core components like leader pins, support plates, and guided ejection universal to different tooling inserts. When a customer needs a mold for anything from prototype to high production, they can utilize our mold base by purchasing mold inserts only or MIO. Because there are fewer components to design and build, this option gives us the ability to reduce cost and lead time. Typical savings could be as much half the price of a full mold, and lead time on production tooling could be reduced by weeks.
Since 2019, when we first deployed our proprietary mold base, we have had a new MIO system in construction nearly every week. We have deployed class 101, 16 cavity, MIO systems that are producing over a million parts per year. In the past, these molds would have taken several weeks to produce with costs in the tens of thousands. With our new mold base, we are now producing these types of molds at a lower cost, faster, and without sacrificing quality.
