Advantages Of Aluminum Molds

Think twice if you are afraid of aluminum tooling. Many engineers and purchasing departments are scared to death of aluminum injection molds, but they shouldn't be. Plastic injection molds made from modern high strength aluminum alloys provide an opportunity for lower up front tooling costs and nice long term savings on production part costs.

Faster Mold Builds and Cycle Times

Compared to steel, aluminum:

• Has a four-fold increase in thermal conductivity. In molding operations, this reduces the required cooling time and also minimizes local hot spots that could lead to part distortion.
• Allows for the design of simpler cooling systems, which require less design and machining time.
• Is lightweight. Aluminum has roughly one-third the density of steel. This makes handling of the molds easier, and allows faster opening and closing speeds in the molding process due to reduced inertia. In addition, lighter weight tooling results in less press wear reducing maintenance and downtime.
• Can be machined and polished more rapidly. Depending on the specific aluminum alloy, machining rates are three to ten times faster than that for steel. This reduces the time required for mold production.
• Exhibits high electrical conductivity. This, along with a lower melting point as compared to steel, enables the use of EDM machining of aluminum at a rate four to five times faster than for steel.