16 Oct New Mold Qualification Process
In our last blog, we highlighted the importance of incorporating insights from four key areas—Part Design, Mold Design, Material Selection, and Process—right from the inception of a new product. As a follow-up, we want to emphasize that it is equally essential to establish and implement a qualification process for each mold before considering it “production ready.” Lacking a thorough plan can result in higher scrap rates, the need for additional manpower, and ultimately, delays in launch timelines.
It’s common practice for mold builders to produce a 50-piece sample to verify the basic functionality of the mold while you assess cosmetic and dimensional aspects; however, more is needed for a qualification process. The automotive sector utilizes the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP), while more regulated industries, like the medical field, implement stricter validation steps such as Installation Qualification (IQ), Operational Qualification (OQ), and Performance Qualification (PQ) to ensure parts and machinery consistently meet customer specifications.
Whether or not your customer requires one of these standards before granting approval for mass production, it’s crucial to evaluate your mold and process early on to identify potential issues before achieving true production readiness. Below is a basic outline for qualifying every new mold that enters your shop.
- Create a Mold Checklist
- This checklist guarantees that all new molds are constructed to a specific standard, preventing your team from searching for unique items such as mold clamps and water lines. Essential items on this list may include proper clamp plate thickness, appropriate sprue bushing radius, correct water line fittings, and a corresponding number sequence stamped on each water line to identify cooling flow plumbing quickly.
- Expect Excellence in Molding (Set it and Forget it Using Scientific Molding Principles)
- From the outset, push your mold to perform exceptionally and consistently produce quality parts. Set standards for cavity balance requirements, maximum fill pressure limits, and assess cosmetic factors such as gate blush, burning, and shear splay. If any of these criteria are not met, return the mold for adjustments before finalizing the gate seal and rheology.
- Challenge the Process Window
- Conduct either a 2 or 3-factor Design of Experiments (DOE) or a 4-corner process window study to challenge your process and gain insights into how these variables impact dimensions and cosmetics. The findings from this study will establish the minimum and maximum adjustments your technician can make while still meeting critical quality standards.
- Demonstrate Capability with a Capability Run
- Once you have aligned these process settings with parts meeting dimensional and cosmetic criteria, validating capability through extended production runs is crucial. During this multi-hour session, randomly select 30 or more parts for dimensional layout analysis to assess process capability. Pay extra attention to cosmetics to ensure no new issues emerge.
If you currently lack a process qualification plan and are facing challenges in launching products that meet your customers’ needs, reach out to us! We’re here to help you develop a tailored plan with your team!