Of the means of production found in plastics processing operation,the molds represent the greatest value by far.
The ideal storeroom is a separate building or a solidly constructed,windowless room within the main plant.
The only combustible material in the storeroom should be the grease applied to the molds to prevent rust.Shelves and pallets should not be made of wood or plastic but the steell.I the storeroom in within the plant itself,the door should be equipped with an automatic closing mechanism that is activated in the event of a fire alarm.
It is also recommended that the local fire department be invited for a visit so that in case of a fire the fire fighting can be concentrated on the mold.
In addition to appropriate storage,the risk of loss or damage demands adequate insurance.
This should preferable be determined in conjunction with the owner of molds.
Aspects such as loss production,inability of the mold to be used for production and posible reduction in value with time,depending on the market value of the molded part,must not be oveloocked when determining the amount of insurance.
Above All,it is important that the owner and holder or the molds reach a clear agreement about the insurance who will carry the insurance,how much insurance,who is entitled to the insurance,etc.
Clomplate documentation on each mold is recommended not only for insurance purposes but also to simplify inventory and handling of the molds,e.g.spare parts procurement and so that origin owner ship,purchase price or manufacturing cost,technical details etc are accurately recorded.
On the other hand ,the desire to maintain quality and hard won know how requeres that all data for operations of an individual mold i.e instructions relating to material,material preparation and set up and part removal for production along with maintenance instructions.be clearly specified.
Such a system should be establised on the basic of the organizational means available within a company.
The maner in which this is accomplished and the effort devoted to it are quite irrelevant as long as purpose is fulfilled;documentation of all economic and technical information and guidelines for maintenance and recording of maintenace cost so that the plant management may continually monitor the productivity and cost of each individual mold during its service life.
The system presented here is one of many possible system that achieve the desire objective.The following principles apply;
A. The course of the mold is always from the storeroom to the machine,from the machine to the workshop for maintenance or any repair,from the workshop to the storeroom.
B. Along this path the mold is continually subject to observatium and recording of all events and any resulting action and costs.
C. Every individual along the parh of the mold sign for his observations and actions taken,so that on the one hand the completion of all prescribed actions is responsibly documented and on the other responsibility is always transferred to the next individual involved.
A few comments and reccomendations on the aforementioned system;The entire front of the mold setup sheet shown on the following pages holds data used for indetification on the mold and for production setup)selection of machine,material and aids ).
A separate mold setup sheet should be filled out for each injection molding machine on which the mold may be economically run.
A job number should be assigned already when issuing the order convering the first step taken in the manufacture of a new mold.
This number should then appear on every drawing and document,especially when is is a matter or receips for time or money spent,until the mold has been completed.
The collected documents provide information on the actual procurement value in relation to the preliminary estimate and serve as a reliable reference for establising the amortization rate.For instance,the job number can be composed of the year and the current mold number for the year.
The job number should be permanently stamped into the mold,following a consistent principle as to the location of indentification so that each mold may be readily indetified.
After the mold has been tested and optimized for production and those responsible for production have reached agreement with those responsibly for quality control or acceptance by the customer,the production manager should record all essential data for the setup of the mold on mold setup sheet,authorizing these data as the applicable and compulsory manufacturing instructions by affixing his signature.
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