A Reason to Get Up Early
Over the past few weeks, my colleague, Tony Deligio, and I have summarized the wealth of information and inspiration you can expect at the Molding 2021 Conference, Sept. 21-23 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill. Co-located with the Extrusion 2021 Conference and the Amerimold moldmaking trade show, this will be a two-and-a-half-day in-person event where you can interact and “network” with your peers in injection molding, as well as suppliers of machinery, auxiliaries, controls, software, materials and additives.
As is often the case with these events, there are late changes to the agenda, and I’m delighted to preview here a presentation that has been added to the Tooling & Cooling general session in the morning of the last day of the Conference, Thursday, Sept. 23. This will be the new first talk of the day, at 8:00 am, a half-hour earlier than the session was originally planned to start. But when you learn what the topic is, you’ll be sure to set your alarm so you won’t miss it.
Industrial Indicators in Gaithersburg, Md., has addressed a critical safety issue facing injection molders, especially those using heavy molds in large presses and processors with frequent mold changes. Keeping those molds securely mounted is a challenge, given the high stripping forces that can be imparted by high-tonnage clamps, as well as the time pressures to change tooling. Molders can be faced with a high rate of bolt installations with varying clamp-load requirements.
As noted by Industrial Indicators, “There is no clear industry standard on how to properly secure injection molds.” What’s more (or worse), there’s no easy way to identify bolts that were inadequately tightened during mold installation or bolts that have become loose during subsequent operation.
Get a strong cup of coffee, because what you’ll hear on Sept. 23 could make a big difference in your shop. Industrial Indicators has come up with tension-indicating “SmartBolts” with a head that changes color to indicate when a bolt is properly tightened. As simple as that. Read an article about it here.
And go to www.moldingconference.com to register for this event. See you there!
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