How can BPE save you time and money?
We are currently running over 500 molds, some dating back to the mid-1970s, and those same molds have made hundreds of thousands of parts of the years with no wear. Our secret is 7075 Aircraft or forged aluminum plate for the materials.
At BPE Manufacturing, our policy is to only make molds that will work with our equipment. Although this may seem odd, it allows us to maintain complete control over the care of these molds. Our tooling is made to be injected on parting line for quick change and more versatility, which in turn keeps costs down for you.
The Advantages of Aluminum for Molds
Aluminum has many advantages over other tooling materials:
- Easier and faster to cut (saves money and keeps cost down — a win for us and for you!
- Not as hard on cutters as some materials
- Dissipates heat faster than other metals or composites
- Easy to polish for a better end product
- Not as heavy or difficult to handle
Our Experience Makes a Difference
In our experience, aluminum molds will still be in use by the time a product update is needed, either for a redesign or a refresh, to stay competitive.
Other materials may not have time to “pay for itself” when a product update comes around, but aluminum molds will have in most cases.
We run many very abrasive resins, including 30% glass filled, glass and clay filled, powdered-iron filled, glass beads, and similar resins.
In these cases, we may opt to insert hardened-tool-steel plates in the aluminum bases (depending on the quantity of parts to be made). Creating steel plate inserts is less costly and easier to handle than a mold made completely from steel.