The reason why a mold factory can develop and grow must have its own unique place. Analyzing its causes, it generally has the following characteristics: perfect system, efficient team, super executive power, and innovative spirit. Aside from the strategy and development direction of these companies' operations, this article mainly explains the system construction and on-site management of the mold factory.
01
Organizational structure and working rules
For the mold manufacturing department, different companies have different affiliations. Some are fitters who are responsible for follow-up of all matters of the mold, and some have TE and production management to follow up all matters of the mold. The author uses the first mode for management subdivision. The advantages of this mode are quick response and high efficiency.
1. Design department--ESI review, mold design
Mainly responsible for the preliminary ESI review, mold design, information communication with customers, product review, and technical support for quotations, etc. If the product is single and the mold with a short cycle can be used as standard parts, such as pressing blocks, wear-resistant sheets, limit columns, braces, inclined guide columns, etc., even the front and rear molds and row positions can also be designed as standard parts, which greatly speeds up the new mold. manufacturing cycle.
2. Machining department-programming, CNC, EDM, EDW, gong grinding
Mainly responsible for processing and production allocation, the processes can be coordinated and intersected, so that the processing section can be kept fully unobstructed, and the blocked process can be transferred to the next process in time, which can greatly reduce the back and forth coordination among various groups, shorten the time for mutual communication, and enable The mold can be put into production in time to ensure the quality and delivery time of the mold.
3. Assembly department--mold assembly, TE mold modification, polishing
The fitter is responsible for the execution of mold assembly, modification of mold scheme, and mold maintenance. Adopt the master responsibility system, follow up the details of the responsible mold, including the progress of materials, processing, and standard parts, and be responsible for the final delivery time of the mold and whether the quality of the mold is qualified. TE is mainly responsible for following molds, leading the formulation of mold modification plans, structural review in the mold design stage and other related mold technology issues.
4. Planning and Process Group (PMC)
Make a production plan and follow up the production progress. Formulate the working hours of parts, calculate the cost of molds, handle exceptions, process layout of parts processing, etc.
02
Detailed system construction and on-site management starting from processing
1. CAM programming group
CAM programming plays a vital role in mold production. Unreasonable programming or insufficient technical ability of programmers may cause a workpiece to be processed by CNC machine tools by more than 2 times or more. For secondary development of UG, programmers uniformly use UG processing templates, establish UG tool libraries, and uniformly set parameters without adjusting too many parameters, which can reduce the tediousness and errors of manual input processing parameters, improve programming work efficiency and improve The machining efficiency of CNC machine tools and the improvement of machining accuracy can save at least a quarter of manpower, and can improve the use efficiency of machine tools.
The technical level of programming is directly related to the quality, precision and work efficiency of CNC, EDM, wire cutting, gong grinding and assembly.
1) Formulate standard UG mold processing templates and plug-ins for all programmers to apply. In order to improve programming efficiency and reduce errors, including tool speed, feed speed. Determine the reasonable processing parameters such as mold core, insert, mold base, electrode, etc., strictly implement the programming program to control the NC speed, prevent the CNC program from being changed in the workshop, and improve efficiency.
2) Write the program according to the single line and single tool number, which is convenient for easy operation in the CNC workshop, and does not need to be programmed separately.
3) Formulate a complete programming manual guide, including steel, graphite, copper, and specific processing guidelines.
4) Secondary development of LINK graphic files to reduce manual operations and improve efficiency.
5) Secondary development of the program list, paperless operation after maturity, the CNC workshop can open the PDF file and install the tool.
6) Electrode automatic discharge, cooperating with EDM, secondary development of automatic discharge, the basic concept is that the operator installs the electrode, divides the workpiece, opens the CNC file automatically generated by programming, and automatically discharges, including automatic completion of XYZ data, discharge parameters Automatic setting, current pulse width, etc.
7) Automatic detection of workpieces, secondary development in cooperation with QC, automatic detection, the basic concept is that the operator installs electrodes on the three-dimensional, after the centering, opens the CNC file automatically generated by programming, and automatically measures the relevant detection points.
8) Collect and summarize common programming mistakes, and formulate "Common Abnormal Problems in CNC Mold Programming" for programmers to learn and eliminate programming abnormalities.
9) Programmers work in accordance with the "CNC Programmer Work Specifications", "CNC Mold Programming Parameter Standards", "CNC Mold Programming Common Abnormal Problems", the responsibility of programmers needs to follow up the NC progress of their own programming molds.
10) Programming After completing a set of molds, list the programs and electrodes and distribute them to NC, EDM, wire cutting, and mold rooms. All relevant personnel can clearly and timely understand the progress of their required programs or electrodes. NC, EDM, wire cutting, and mold room can be arranged in time according to the overall schedule of molds.
11) Programming Participate in the design review and check the design in the early stage of design. After the design is completed, a processing review meeting will be held. The programmer will disassemble the electrode at the first time and issue the order sheet, then write the electrode program to produce the discharge drawing, and then write the steel material program. And fill in the relevant progress information on the progress sheet.
2. CNC machining group
The CNC group is an important department of mold manufacturing, and its processing quality and efficiency are directly related to the success or failure of the mold. This team needs to effectively combine hardware and software with hardware resources, operators, production technology processes, and departmental specifications, so that the production quality and efficiency can fully meet the production requirements.
The automatic tool magazine is used to clamp the tool for workpiece processing. When purchasing a machine tool, it is best to choose a machine tool with a closed tool magazine. The machine tool uses an open tool magazine. It is also easy to get stuck, and it will also lead to a great reduction in machining accuracy. For example, if there are too many deviations in the tool clamping of the machine tool, it may also cause the workpiece to be scrapped.
The transmission method is LAN connection, one computer controls multiple CNC machine tools, which is easy to manage and saves computer hardware costs.
The CNC machining electrodes need to use the EROW or 3R system with quick clamping, which is used synchronously with the spark machine. All electrodes do not need to be read every minute, and can be processed by directly calling the programming program. All the parts need to be processed by the operator. Clamping The workpiece and the programming program are called. The processing feed speed of all programs is controlled by the programming program. In order to standardize and unify the processing speed and prevent the operator from arbitrarily controlling the processing speed of the machine tool, the operator is required to turn on the feed knob switch of the machine tool. It is enough to reach 100%, and then the machine tool will automatically change the tool and process automatically. After processing, you only need to check whether the workpiece is qualified, then clean it up, and get off the machine.
The mid-term plan uses an external pre-adjustment table to correct and center the workpiece before machining, and directly machine it to save clamping time. Long-term planning uses an automatic production line system.
1) Hardware machine tools, software programs, implement programming and automation.
2) The operator can perform fool-proof operations in a fool-proof way, just install the knife according to the program, and there is no need to modify the program's speed, feed, etc. Prevent manual errors.
3) Cooperate with programming to realize paperless operation. Save costs and improve efficiency.
4) Strictly implement the three inspections (initial inspection, mutual inspection, self-inspection), and the three nos (don't let go if you don't find out the reasons, don't let go if you don't implement preventive measures, and don't flow out of unqualified products).
5) Check the accuracy and wear of the tool after machining to ensure that the quality and accuracy of the workpiece after machining can reach the FIT mold once. No file usage phenomenon.
6) The knives in the tool magazine are checked regularly every day, and unqualified knives are replaced in time.
3. EDM electric discharge machining group
EDM plays a pivotal role in the mold industry. It has a wide range of processing, small cutting force, and easy molding. It can process almost all shapes such as small holes, hard alloy processing, and mirror processing by directly using electric energy. Special surface processing, wide range of processing.
The discharge of the spark machine should be processed with graphite electrodes. The cost of graphite is about 1.5-2 times that of copper, but the discharge speed of graphite is 30% faster than that of copper, and the forming processing speed is more than 50% faster than that of copper. The delivery date is of great significance. For the grain surface requirement less than VDI18, copper electrodes can be used to meet the requirements.
The spark machine adopts EROWA or 3R fast clamping and positioning, and develops an automatic discharge system. All electrodes, including the discharge processing of electrodes with oblique rubber ports, do not need to be calibrated in minutes, and do not need to touch the number. The electrode discharge data is stored in the computer using UG software. Batch generation, no need to input any discharge parameters, as long as the electrode number is entered in the machine tool, automatic discharge machining can be performed. In this way, each machine can save about 2 hours of clamping time per day, and the original operation of two machines per capita can be reduced to three machine tools per capita for processing, and it can also avoid workpiece errors caused by errors in manual input of discharge parameters . If the company has sufficient funds, it can use an external pre-adjustment table to correct and center the workpiece before processing, and directly machine it to save clamping time.
1) Cooperate with programming to realize paperless operation, save cost and improve efficiency.
2) Secondary development to realize EDM discharge automation, programming, and standardization. The basic concept is that the operator installs the electrodes, divides the workpiece, and then opens the CNC file automatically generated by programming, and automatically discharges, including automatic completion of XYZ data and discharge parameters. Automatic setting, current pulse width, etc.
3) The fool-proof operation of the operator can be processed according to the program, and there is no need to modify the program to prevent manual errors.
4) Strictly implement the three checks and the three nos.
4. EDW wire cutting group
In the mold industry, EDW is an indispensable part. It has developed from the original fast wire to the current precision slow wire.
Wire cutting needs to be equipped with a variety of fixtures for fast clamping of parts, which can effectively increase the clamping time, reduce the time of parts and table comparison, and save labor costs. The processing of non-precision parts can be roughed by using a medium-feeding machine tool (such as inserts, Row position, inclined top, etc.), the time for medium wire-feeding to thicken is twice that of fast-feeding wire, and precision parts can be processed with galvanized wires. The processing speed of galvanized wires is 13% of that of copper wires, but galvanized wires The cost will be slightly higher than copper wire.
1) Cooperate with programming to realize paperless operation, save cost and improve efficiency.
2) Secondary development to realize EDW processing programming and standardization.
3) The wire cutting program is programmed by a special person, and the operator performs fool-proof operations, and processes according to the program, without modifying the program to prevent manual errors.
4) Strictly implement the three checks and the three nos.
5. Gong grinding group
Turning, milling, grinding and drilling are related components of the mold production department.
Lathes are mainly used for processing shapes, inner holes and threads, and circular materials. The milling machine is mainly used for machining thimble holes, screw holes, water delivery holes, spring holes, tapping and rough machining of mold components. Grinding machines are mainly used for finishing the shape of mold components, and can process various high-hard and super-hard materials. Drilling machines are mainly used for drilling water holes.
The gong grinding group is a pure manual process, one person is one machine, night shift is not suitable for night shift production due to low production efficiency, low cost of machine tools, and low depreciation rate. Usually, it mainly produces molds. When it is not busy, it can process mold standards. Parts inventory, to be used in mold assembly in the future, if the standard parts of the stock mold can be used in large quantities, the processing time of the parts can be greatly reduced, thereby shortening the production and processing cycle of the mold.
1) Train employees on gong grinding technology, and master professional knowledge such as the causes and prevention methods of common grinding and milling defects.
2) Train the construction, use, adjustment and maintenance methods of commonly used tools, clamps and measuring tools.
3) Training on the types, grades, specifications, performance, uses and maintenance methods of commonly used tools and grinding wheels.
4) Training on the types, grades, milling and grinding performance and thermal expansion and contraction performance of metal materials.
5) Train employees to understand the drawing method of mold drawings, the conversion and application of trigonometric functions.
6) Training machine tool specifications, performance, structure, transmission system and adjustment methods.
6. Mold assembly group
Assembly is the last process after all processing is completed, and it is in a key and important position in the entire mold manufacturing. From the perspective of precision mold production, the requirements for the management and operators of the assembly workshop are also very strict, which is reflected in the requirements for product quality, finishing data of mold parts, and appearance maintenance. Quality awareness and operational practices.
The assembly operation is a manual operation, which requires clear thinking and meticulous workmanship. Before receiving the workpiece for assembly, check whether there is any omission or error in each glue position, corner clearing position, and assembly position. Pay attention to the operation method during assembly, disable the grinder during FIT, and use sandpaper and whetstone to remove the knife lines in a small number of places.
1) Formulate the standard "Guidelines for Mold Assembly Operations" to guide the operation methods of FIT molds such as row positions, inserts, inclined roofs, and mold cores.
2) Formulate and improve the "Mold Assembly Technical Manual", collect past and known assembly cases, and provide regular training materials.
3) Abnormalities or experience summaries are regularly carried out every month, and each master makes PPT training materials.
7. Mold TE group
TE's mold modification plan is very critical. Some mold factories do not have strong TE professional ability, resulting in frequent mold repairs. Except for customers who modify molds, it is very common for them to repair molds more than ten times. The cost of one mold repair ranges from a few thousand yuan to tens of thousands of yuan more, and one of the main reasons why a mold factory is not profitable is that too many molds are repaired.
1) For common mold problems such as cloaking, shrinkage, deformation, weld line, top white, etc., list detailed solutions by category.
2) For the modification of the size, it is necessary to start from the 3D object of the steel material, then to the product, and then to the injection molding parameters, and gradually investigate the cause.
3) TE should sum up experience, review the reasons for every failure of mold repair, and prevent the mold repair plan from becoming an experimental plan.
8. Process planning group
The plan is related to the progress control and delivery of the entire mold, and the process directly affects the precision and efficiency of the mold, as well as the quality of the final mold product. Each part has a different processing method, which needs to be fully considered in combination with processing cost, operation difficulty, and working-hour efficiency, and the process flow should be arranged reasonably.
1) The plan lists a detailed schedule, including design, ordering, arrival, mold base, drawing, standard parts, loose parts, mold cores, inserts, inclined tops, row positions, briquetting blocks, wear-resistant sheets, And so on for the detailed processing.
2) The process follow-up is in place in time, and the status of parts is checked from time to time according to the schedule every day.
3) Make color pictures of the processing technology (do secondary development), formulate the processing plan in detail, list the processing details in detail for the front mold, rear mold, row position, inserts, etc., distinguish between programming, CNC, gong bed, grinding machine, wire The processing sequence and steps of cutting, spark machine, lathe, and drilling machine can reduce waiting time.
03
Specific management methods
1. Machine tool equipment
1) Have an in-depth understanding of the performance and operation methods of each machine tool, and formulate the "Machine Tool Operation and Use Instructions" for each machine tool, so that technicians can use the machine tool reasonably and effectively.
2) Sort out common abnormal alarms and handling methods in daily production, compile and formulate "Common abnormal alarms and handling methods", and train all operating technicians. Equip the technology with the ability to handle common anomalies.
3) According to the relevant suggestions of the machine tool manufacturer and combined with the actual situation, formulate the "Machine Tool Maintenance Program" for the use of machine tool consumables and daily maintenance, so as to ensure the stable machining accuracy of the machine tool.
2. Tooling tools
1) Measuring tool management: Calibration table, centering rod, caliper, tool setting device,
Electronic detection head, sine table and other measuring tools are provided with "Tool Use and Maintenance Instructions" to ensure that all technicians can use them correctly and maintain them meticulously, and those who are abnormally damaged will be punished according to the system.
2) Fixture management: regular grinder treatment of round iron, code plate, code bar, and other fixtures to ensure their accuracy. (and make a record of size changes), vise, suction cup, EROWA, wire cutting and other jigs are prepared in the "Guidelines for the Use and Maintenance of Jigs", so that every technician can be proficient in clamping.
3) Tool management: In order to ensure the processing accuracy and control the processing cost. The cutter heads, collets, handles, knives, and cutter grains are managed in a centralized manner, and the rough, medium, fine, workshop, and inventory are stored separately. Make tool inventory, liquidation and purchase requisition regularly. Evaluate and record the use of new cutting tools to understand the characteristics of different types of cutting tools for processing different materials, use cutting tools reasonably, and reduce cutting tool costs while ensuring quality and efficiency.
3. Computer system
1) Build a local area network in the company's local area network, and set different access rights for supervisors, clerks, programmers, and transmission computers.
2) Install computers for different positions according to the nature of the work, only install work-related software, and prevent using company resources for things that are not related to work.
3) Do unified naming management for documents, and formulate "Document Management Specifications".
4. 5S management of workshop environment
Only a good working environment can produce good things. Only by formulating a health duty schedule and area division, and doing a good job in the 5S of the on-site environment, can we maintain a pleasing working environment and produce good things. 1S sorting, 2S straightening, 3S cleaning, 4S cleaning, 5S quality.
5. Production site
1) Divide the area and mark it out, mark the area of machine tool equipment, clamping area, area to be processed, completed area, tool cabinet, passage, etc., assign the responsibility of tidying up to the person, and formulate the "5S management specification for the workshop ".
2) Promote transparent management, and publish daily production plans, production arrangements, production summaries, quality and efficiency, etc. on the workshop bulletin board to form a good working atmosphere.
6. People management
No matter how good the hardware resources are, they need people to operate and complete them. The quality of people is directly related to the efficiency of equipment use and the quality of products. Quality and efficiency are mainly determined by hardware equipment, process, quality of technicians, production management, etc. The quality of technicians is the most important thing, and its quality directly affects the quality of the workpiece and the efficiency. The quality of the operator can be improved from the following five aspects:
1) Work mentality: A good mentality is the foundation of doing a good job. Usually communicate effectively with them. They are superiors and subordinates at get off work and friends after work, so that they can feel the warmth of the team. Cultivate their working habits of active, careful and responsible work.
2) Basic common sense: As an experienced mechanic, it is very important to understand the basic conditions. Every mechanic must be proficient in common-sense operations such as the placement direction of workpieces, meter calibration, centering, and resolutely prevent mistakes. . Post warning signs, formulate standard methods for routine operations, and repeatedly emphasize these common-sense operations at ordinary times, and never allow such low-level mistakes.
3) Skills training: Formulate operation instructions for various machines, conduct on-site training for new employees and old employees are responsible for the method of "passing, helping, and leading", so that they can become familiar with the operation of the machines as soon as possible, so as to facilitate continuous shift production.
4) Awareness of quality and efficiency: Cultivate employees' awareness of quality and efficiency, and formulate quality processing templates for mold cores, inserts, mold bases, and electrodes. Let every employee know what kind of workpiece we have to produce to be qualified, and prevent NG products from flowing to the next process. In addition to investigating the relevant responsibilities for abnormal workpieces, it is also necessary to analyze the reasons, specify preventive and improvement measures, and post and announce them to prevent the same mistakes from happening again. Formulate quick clamping specifications to reduce idle time and improve production efficiency.
5) Promotion management The flow of personnel in general programming is smaller than that of NC, EDM, and EDW technicians. When programming is needed, we can transfer the technicians who have performed well in the company for 1-3 years to programming, and we can leave some people we want. At the same time, it can motivate employees.
6) Absolute obedience. Employees must obey the work arrangements of their superiors, without delay or contradict.
7. System specification
With a first-class hardware system and excellent personnel, we need a reasonable system and norms to guide everyone, so that we have a fair, positive and energetic working atmosphere. The system specifications we want to use can be explained in detail from the process of mold processing:
1) To communicate and standardize the drawings and files, a "Handover Sheet" must be available for the workpiece flow.
2) Employees should fill in the "Working Daily Report" every day. The first part of this form is to collect the rate of machine tool marriage, the second is to evaluate the performance of employees, and the third is to count the cost of molds.
3) Performance norms, in order to improve everyone's work enthusiasm, according to the work content of the "Working Daily Report", the performance will be assessed.
8. Technical reserve
As a technology industry, in addition to cultivating several technical backbones in terms of designers, programmers, and technicians, we also need to form a set of valuable technical materials and operating procedures, so that we can produce safely and efficiently no matter what positions are suddenly vacant. . Its information mainly includes:
1) Machine tool equipment operation data.
2) Technical work information.
3) Programming technical information.
9. Production arrangements
The company is a place where profits are generated through the production of products. The above mentioned is to lay the foundation for efficient production, lay the groundwork, do a good job in production, make high-quality products, and gain customer recognition is our ultimate goal. For this reason, the management and control of the on-site workshop in production is very important:
1) After the customer officially places an order for the plan of the whole set of molds, hold a processing review meeting in time, convene all supervisors, and formulate a schedule, including mold blanks, ordering materials, design, programming, machining, CNC, EDM, wire cutting, assembly Wait for a specific time.
2) According to the overall plan schedule of the mold, hold a party to keep abreast of the mold status of the department, adjust the work arrangement, and cooperate with the overall mold plan.
3) Implementation of computer networking management, each workpiece on the machine is included in the computer system, and the workshop is inspected from time to time to solve difficult processing problems. Strict self-inspection of unloaded workpieces, record data, and save self-inspection reports. Implement continuous shift system, arrange operators to take turns to eat to ensure timely delivery.
4) The processing status of each set of molds must be carefully tracked to ensure that the data is accurate and comprehensive, and recorded in the computer system. Let any manager with authority know the completion status of each set of molds through the computer system.
5) Make a systematic summary of the department's production output value, abnormal countermeasures, and new technology learning every week, and let each employee know the deficiencies of the department, so that the production status is open and transparent.
04
Salary
At present, some companies use basic salary + working hour bonus to calculate salary. The advantage is that it can improve the enthusiasm of employees and effectively increase production output. However, the disadvantage is that the quality of molds cannot be guaranteed. Employees only need to complete the task to meet the standard, and the sense of responsibility is not strong. , so this method is not advisable to produce higher precision molds.
There are also some companies that use basic salary + allowance + overtime pay to calculate salary, but the ratio of overtime pay needs to be reasonable, neither too high nor too low. Excessive overtime pay will lead to low production efficiency, and employees do not complete work during working hours. The work will be left to work overtime at night, which will generate a lot of overtime pay, which will lead to a large increase in labor costs for the company, but too low overtime pay will also make employees not want to work overtime at all. If employees are forced to work overtime, the responsibility of the employees will be clear Gradually declining, production efficiency and quality will gradually decrease, so the ratio of overtime pay needs to find a relative balance point.
05
Summarize
Even the best systems and processes are waste paper without supervision and implementation. Team building is very important, and talents are very rare. In order for an enterprise to make profits and grow stronger, in addition to the adequacy of orders, product quality and delivery time are particularly important. These require a group of technical backbones and serious and responsible people. Complete, the company must have a complete system, employees with strong abilities should be promoted and their salaries should be raised appropriately, employees with poor abilities must be eliminated firmly, and the company management must be clear about rewards and punishments, so that the company can develop rapidly.
