Case Studies: Injection Mold Tooling Programs

Challenge: Two or More Materials, One Tool, Very Large Parts

Automotive air intake components combine a rigid structural body with sealing and functional features. That means two or more materials in one mold, a tool that has to index and shut off cleanly shot after shot, and part sizes that push the limits of press platens and mold handling.

Multi shot automotive tools cannot be proven on paper. Shot to shot alignment, shutoff quality and fill balance between stations only show up when the mold runs on a real 2K press.

Tooling Engineering Solutions Implemented

• Dedicated Multi Shot Tool Room: Since 2016, TK has run a specialized tool room for 2K, pre distortion and high gloss molds, so multi shot automotive tools are built by the same team every time.
• Design and Moldflow Up Front: Mold design in UG NX with Moldflow Insight fill, cooling and warpage analysis by certified Moldflow analysts before steel is cut.
• Proven on a Real 2K Press: Each tool is trialed in house on a 1,500 ton Engel cell configured for 2K, MuCell and coining, using scientific mold testing for short shot balance, pressure loss, cooling circuits and mold temperature, so the customer receives a mold that has already run.

Figure 1: Two shot (2K) automotive air intake mold built by TK, shown open with both halves. Trialed in house on a 1,500 ton Engel 2K cell.

TK’s automotive tool room has earned supplier excellence awards from MANN+HUMMEL (2014, 2016, 2017, 2024) and Yanfeng (2016, 2017, 2018).

Challenge: Concentricity Across 128 Cavities and 12 Molds at Once

A lab consumables customer in North America needed a full production line of high cavitation tube and cap molds, delivered together. Long, thin test tube cores have to stay concentric across all 128 cavities, or wall thickness drifts and tubes fail downstream.

Tooling Engineering Solutions Implemented

• Fully Hot Half Valve Gate System: Every one of the 128 cavities is fed by a hot runner valve gate, with no cold runner to regrind and consistent fill from cavity to cavity.
• Built for a 580 Ton Press: The 1400 x 1000 x 940 mm, 10,265 kg mold runs a 4.3 g PP tube (19 mm diameter x 102 mm long) on a 10 second cycle.
• Matching 128 Cavity Cap Mold: A companion 128 cavity HDPE cap mold (2.3 g cap, 360 ton press, 10 to 13 second cycle) was built alongside the tube mold.
• Big Project Management: TK delivered 12 molds for this program at the same time, so the customer launched a full production line instead of one tool at a time.

Figure 2: 128 cavity lab test tube mold with a fully hot half valve gate system, shown open with the core half on the left and the cavity half on the right. One of 12 molds TK delivered together for a North American lab consumables program.

Part: 19 x 102 mm, 4.3 g, PP. Mold: 1400 x 1000 x 940 mm, 10,265 kg. Press: 580 T. Companion cap mold: 128 cavities, HDPE, 2.3 g, 360 T, 10 to 13 s.

Challenge: A Hot Critical Insert Setting the Cycle for the Whole Mold

This two shot flip top cap molds a TPE pull ring over a PP body. The critical core insert is small, and heat builds up in areas that straight drilled water lines cannot reach. That one insert was setting the cycle time for the whole mold.

Tooling Engineering Solutions Implemented

• 3D Printed Conformal Cooling Insert: TK printed the critical insert in house on a 3D Systems DMP 350 in 1.2709 maraging steel, with cooling channels that follow the part shape instead of straight drilled lines.
• Hardened and Polished for Production: The printed insert is aged from 33 to 37 HRC as built up to 50 to 56 HRC, and can be polished to SPI A2.
• Built and Shipped Fast: The 700 x 930 x 650 mm, 2,095 kg two shot mold runs on a 420 ton press and shipped 10 weeks from purchase order.

Figure 3: 12+12 cavity two shot pull ring flip top cap mold. A conformal cooled critical insert printed in house cut the cycle time by 22%.

Part: 34 mm diameter x 27 mm, 6.75 g, PP + TPE. Mold: 700 x 930 x 650 mm, 2,095 kg. Press: 420 T. Insert: DMLS 1.2709 maraging steel, 33 to 37 HRC as built, 50 to 56 HRC aged, polish to SPI A2. Max print size 275 x 275 x 420 mm.

Challenge: 64 Parts, 20+ Molds and a 45 mm Deep Stack

A conventional electronics module is a deep stack of housings, brackets, light guides and a large PCBA: 64 parts, more than 20 injection molds, costly assembly and a 45 mm build depth.

Tooling Engineering Solutions Implemented

• IMSE Technology With TactoTek: Working with TactoTek, TK molds printed circuitry and electronic components directly into a single 3D molded structure.
• One Part Instead of an Assembly: Electronics, mechanics and cosmetics become one molded part with a small PCBA, removing most of the assembly steps and the tooling behind them.
• Built on TK’s IML and Insert Molding Experience: Over 10 years of precision IML/IMD work, functional film printing and low pressure insert molding for PCBs feed directly into IMSE programs.

Figure 4: Before and after. A conventional 64 part electronics assembly (left) and the single IMSE® smart molded part that replaces it (right). IMSE® is a registered trademark of TactoTek.