Moldmaker

A Moldmaker (mouldmaker in British English) or molder is a skilled trades worker who makes molds for use in metalworking and other manufacturing industries.[1] It is sometimes regarded as a variety of the trade of the toolmaker.[2]

Moldmakers are generally employed in foundries, where molds are used to cast products from metals such as aluminium and cast iron. Moldmakers may also be employed in the plastics or ceramics industries. The process of manufacturing moulds is now often highly automated.

While much of the machining processes involved in mold making use computer controlled equipment the actual manufacturing of molds (particularly plastic injection). Moldmaker is still a highly skilled trade requiring expertise in manual machining, CNC machining, CNC wire EDM, CNC Ram EDM, surface grinding, hand polishing and more. Because of the high skill and intense labor involved much of the mold making in the US has been outsourced to low wage countries. The majority plastic parts that are in existence today are made using plastic injection molds- requiring a mold to be manufactured by a mold maker. The actual molding process (making user end components such as your mouse and keyboard) is very highly automated.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Metals&job=Moulder / Coremaker&jobarea=Fabrication "Moulder/Coremaker". Make It!. Manufacturing Skills Australia. 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2012.
  2. ↑ Bryce, Douglas M. (1997), Plastic injection molding: material selection and product design fundamentals 2, SME, p. 145, ISBN 978-0-87263-488-6.