Portuguese mould makers pushing the limits

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Intelligent combination of high-speed milling and EDM

“We need to respond to market demands quicker than ever before,” he explains. “To stay competitive, a mould making shop must decrease production times and costs while at the same time ensuring that quality meets the customer's expectations. An intelligent combination of high-speed milling and EDM can often become a decisive factor in the race for on-time delivery.”

And the company’s success speaks for itself. Founded in 1984, JDD Moldes exports 100% of its injection moulds weighing up to 20 tonnes to the automotive industries in Germany, France, the Czech Republic and Poland. Over the next four years, JDD Moldes plans to grow the current turnover of €8.5m to €12m, Pinto says not without pride, but of course this eager goal cannot be achieved without major investments in advanced milling machines, EDM technology, CAD/CAM, metrology and automation equipment.

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“Our level of investment related to turnover is very high, and investments include the latest 5-axis technology, automation and EDM machines.” While 5-axis milling technology has advanced tremendously over the past couple of years, the milling of injection moulds remains a challenge; deep slots or small radii can only be realised using slim tools, exposed to a high risk of chatter, consequently losing process control and stability. Die sinking EDM is therefore still a very important process in all mould making shops, and has become more profitable in recent times.

“Today, EDM processes are much easier to automate than milling, and there are less electrodes needed to complete a mould these days, which means time and cost savings,” Pinto explains. However, without the latest technology and the support to implement and optimise the latest EDM technology, mould shops could not run their production in the most profitable way.

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