Leveling Molding Machines…

A blog reader asked a follow-up question to a previous blog posting… MJ If I don’t level the machine, what will happen? My Response Failure to properly level a molding machine can result in premature wear, equipment damage, and even clamp failure. Any twist or non-levelness of the clamp system results in non-linear movement of the platen and uneven […]

Measuring Tie Bar Strain…

This concludes the three-part post regarding a reader’s question about machine maintenance… Tim What is the best method of measuring tie bar strain? My Response The most common method of measuring this is to follow the procedures of measuring parallelism as discussed in the previous post on measuring platen parallelism. The difference between the parallelism before and after clamping will give you important information […]

Procedure for Checking Platen Parallelism…

To continue on a previous post regarding machine maintenance, I will answer the second question… Tim What is the best method of measuring platen squareness? My Response The most common method is to use a set of inside micrometers to measure the distance between the platens. Before you do this, you should first remove the mold, clean […]

Machine Leveling Procedures…

This morning, I received a three part question regarding machine maintenance. The first question will be addressed here… Tim I am now working at a plant where all the machines are all over ten years old and have not been well maintained. What is the best procedure for machine leveling? My Response The most common method is to place a […]

Blueprint Reading Skills…

I received a comment regarding a commonly overlooked skill the other day… HT Our company has it’s own system of part drawings so I do not believe general blueprint training applies to what we do. My Comments Good technical training teaches not only the specifics, but the fundamental information necessary for true understanding.  In the situation above, having a good understanding of concepts […]