Portuguese mould makers pushing the limits

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Local service and support important to remain competitive

“We were looking for solutions for how to improve our graphite use, how to use data from our CAD/CAM system best, and how to optimise our workflow and processes,” Pinto says. In OPS Ingersoll, the company found the right partner, not only in regard to the high-end technology, but also in terms of service.

“With our local service partner, StarMill, located in Maceira, Portugal, we can provide strong service and support and improve our presence in the country,” OPS Sales Director Matthias Schmidt explains. “Star-Mill's André Elói provides tremendous local support to our customers, who appreciate his knowledge and quick response.”

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Hugo Pinto agrees and is happy with his decision to install a Gantry Eagle 1200, as well as a Speed Hawk 550 HSC 5-axis machine, which the company uses to efficiently mill its graphite electrodes. Together with the integrated handling system, Multi-Change light, improved information and management systems, JDD Moldes has reduced the amount of manual labour and hence the amount of errors, which has led to an increase in EDM productivity of as much as 50%.

Reduced electrode wear for increased productivity

Mould maker Imoplastic in Marinha Grande is taking advantage of an OPS Ingersoll integrated milling/ EDM cell, consisting of a Gantry Eagle 800 EDM, a Speed Hawk 550 HSC 5-axis machine and an Eagle Powertec generator. The latter uses the latest adaptive current-shape technology, where each discharge impulse obtains the ideal current-shape for the discharge requirements, leading to a higher stock removal rate and smaller undersize. “At the same time, electrode wear has been reduced, which means that a great number of parts can now be machined with a reduced number of electrodes; sometimes just one electrode will be enough,” Schmidt explains. The benefits of this new generator technology become most apparent to mould makers producing complex components with intricate details. In some cases, these jobs require in excess of 200 electrodes to produce a single mould. If that number can be reduced by 25 to 40% with little or no increase in machining times, the potential for savings is tremendous.

Joao Moita, general manager at Imoplastic explains that there has been a transition towards automation over the past ten years: “Ten years ago, automation was out of the question,” he says. “Today, we see a trend towards EDM again, and using the HSC 5-axis milling machine for producing the electrodes, we can run the cell 24/7 unattended, which is a major competitive advantage in an industry where delivery times are tight and quality demands very high.”

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The company was founded in 1980 by four partners and employs around 60 people today, exporting 90% of all moulds made in-house. Supplying the automotive and electrical connectors industries, 2013 has been the best year for Imoplastic, Moita says, while 2014 and 2015 are also expected to be good years, especially in markets such as Germany, South America and Mexico.

Mexico is also a growing export market for MD Moldes, founded in 1989 as an engineering company, employing 180 staff today, with 45 employees in engineering alone. Walking onto the premises, you immediately feel that you are surrounded by design and innovation; black and white dominate the office, reflecting CEO Manuel Domingues’ motto: Everything is black or white – there is no grey. “Our main focus is adding value to projects.” And judging by the company’s growth figures, the strategy seems to work out.

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