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From technological breakthroughs to intelligent transformation

• 2025-07-07

From technological breakthroughs to intelligent transformation

     Injection molds, as core equipment in modern manufacturing, play an irreplaceable role in fields such as automobiles, electronics, medical care, and aerospace. With the continuous emergence of new materials and technologies, as well as the increasing market demands for product precision, efficiency and environmental friendliness, the injection mold industry is undergoing a profound transformation from traditional manufacturing to intelligent, green and high-precision manufacturing. This article will systematically explore the breakthrough development of injection molds in recent years from aspects such as material innovation, structural optimization, process upgrading, intelligent application and future trends, presenting a technical path and industry picture that are different from traditional understanding.

Auto Mould_Taizhou Jiefeng Mould Co.,Ltd. (jfmoulds.com)

I. Material Revolution: Breaking Through the performance Boundaries of traditional Die Steel

    Traditional injection molds mostly rely on classic mold steels such as Cr12 and S136. However, when confronted with extreme working conditions like high temperatures, high corrosiveness, and high wear resistance, their performance gradually shows limitations. In recent years, advancements in materials science have brought about three revolutionary materials for injection molds, completely transforming the application scenarios and service life of molds.

(1) Powder high-speed Steel: The "Wear-resistant King" in High-temperature environments

     Powder high-speed steel is made through powder metallurgy process. Its carbides are evenly distributed and the grains are refined to the micrometer level, solving the problem of local wear caused by composition segregation in traditional die steel. Take the ASP-60 of SSAB Company in Sweden as an example. Its hardness can reach HRC65-67, and its wear resistance is more than three times that of S136. Moreover, it can still maintain stable mechanical properties at a high temperature of 300℃. This type of material is particularly suitable for injection molding of engineering plastics with added glass fiber and carbon fiber, such as automotive engine hood molds. The service life has been increased from 500,000 times of traditional molds to over 3 million times.

(2) Metal Matrix Composites (MMC) : A balance between lightweight and high strength

    Metal matrix composites use aluminum alloys or magnesium alloys as the matrix and incorporate ceramic particles (such as SiC, Al₂O₃) or carbon fibers to form a composite structure of "metal skeleton + reinforcing phase". Compared with traditional die steel, its density is reduced by 40% to 60%, and its thermal conductivity is increased by 2 to 3 times, which can shorten the mold cooling time by more than 30%. The AlSiC composite material mold developed by BASF of Germany has reduced the single-piece molding cycle from 15 seconds to 9 seconds in the injection molding of mobile phone shells. At the same time, due to its thermal expansion coefficient being close to that of plastic, it has significantly reduced the warpage defect of the product.

(3) Ceramic Matrix Composites: The "Corrosion Pioneer" in Extreme Environments

    Ceramic matrix composites demonstrate unique advantages in the injection molding requirements of corrosive plastics containing fluorine, chlorine, etc. (such as polytetrafluoroethylene and polyvinyl chloride). The mold made by combining zirconia (ZrO₂) and silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) has a corrosion resistance more than ten times that of stainless steel, and its surface roughness can be controlled below Ra0.02μm, achieving a mirror-like effect without subsequent polishing. In medical infusion tube molds, ceramic composite materials not only solve the problem of product contamination caused by the corrosion of traditional steel by liquid medicine, but also extend the mold maintenance cycle from one month to one year.

Motorcycle Mould_Taizhou Jiefeng Mould Co.,Ltd. (jfmoulds.com)

Ii. Structural Innovation: From Single Cavity to Multi-functional integrated Design

    Traditional injection molds mainly feature a simple structure of "cavity + core", and their functions are limited to molding. Modern molds, through structural innovation, have achieved the integration of multiple processes such as forming, inspection, and modification, significantly enhancing production efficiency and product added value. Their innovation directions are mainly reflected in three dimensions.

(1) Conformal cooling structure: 3D printing to reconstruct the thermal management system

    The cooling waterways of traditional molds are mostly straight or zigzag, which are difficult to fit the complex cavity surfaces, resulting in uneven cooling of the products. The conformal cooling structure based on SLM (Selective Laser Melting) technology can design spiral and grid waterways according to the contour of the cavity surface, keeping the distance between the cooling medium and the cavity surface within the range of 5 to 8mm. In the automotive bumper mold, conformal cooling reduces the product temperature difference from ±8℃ to ±2℃, decreases warpage by 60%, and shortens the molding cycle by 25%. More importantly, 3D printing enables the integration of flow sensors and temperature probes in waterways to monitor the cooling effect in real time and achieve closed-loop control.

(2) In-mold assembly structure: Breaking through the bottleneck of "assembly after molding"

    For multi-component combined products (such as laptop cases and clips), traditional processes require separate injection molding first and then manual assembly, which is inefficient and has poor precision. The in-mold assembly mold, through a mechanical linkage mechanism, completes the molding and mating of multiple components within a single injection molding cycle. The two-color in-mold assembly system developed by Toyota Keiki of Japan uses a rotating core and a mechanical hand to work in coordination. In the forming of the middle frame and keys of mobile phones, it realizes the automatic engagement of the two, with the position accuracy controlled within ±0.01mm. The production efficiency is increased by 40%, and at the same time, it reduces the damage caused by bumps during the assembly process.

(3) Adaptive cavity structure: Intelligent regulation for material shrinkage

    Plastic cooling shrinkage is the main cause of product dimensional deviation. Traditional molds compensate by reserving shrinkage amounts, but they are difficult to adapt to the performance fluctuations of different batches of materials. The adaptive cavity mold is equipped with an internal piezoelectric ceramic driver, which can automatically adjust the cavity size based on the real-time detected product size data (with an adjustment accuracy of up to 0.001mm). In precision gear molds, this structure reduces the pitch error of the product from ±0.02mm to ±0.005mm, and increases the pass rate from 85% to 99%. It is particularly suitable for the molding of materials sensitive to shrinkage rates such as polyoxymethylene (POM) and polyamide (PA).

Iii. Process Upgrading: Cross-disciplinary technology Integration gives rise to New Paradigms

    The performance of injection molds not only depends on their own design, but is also closely related to the innovation of molding processes. In recent years, the integration of cross-disciplinary technologies (such as polymer materials science and fluid mechanics, mechanical engineering and artificial intelligence) has given rise to numerous breakthrough processes, breaking through the technical barriers of traditional injection molding.

(1) Microfoaming injection molds: The synergistic realization of lightweight and high strength

    Microfoaming injection molding reduces the product density by 10% to 30% by injecting supercritical CO₂ or N₂ into the melt, forming bubbles with diameters of 5 to 50μm. At the same time, due to the stress absorption of the bubbles, the impact strength is increased by 20%. The key to this type of mold lies in the control of bubble nucleation and growth. By setting a throttle valve and a pressure sensor at the cavity inlet, the melt pressure and gas solubility can be precisely regulated. In the mold of the battery shell for new energy vehicles, the microfoaming structure reduces the product weight by 25%. Meanwhile, through the "buffering effect" of the bubbles, the anti-vibration performance of the shell is enhanced, meeting the safety requirements of power batteries.

(2) Laser-assisted injection molds: Overcoming the molding challenges of highly crystalline materials

    For crystalline plastics such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), traditional injection molding is prone to surface shrinkage marks and spots due to uneven crystallization speed. Laser-assisted injection molds embed fiber lasers on the cavity surface to locally heat the cavity surface during the melt filling stage (with the temperature controlled within ±5℃ of the plastic's melting point), thereby delaying the crystallization process. In the inner drum mold of the washing machine, laser heating has raised the surface gloss of the product from 80GU to 95GU, eliminating the need for subsequent painting treatment. At the same time, due to more uniform crystallization, the impact strength of the product has increased by 15%.

(3) Magnetorheological injection molds: Dynamic regulation of melt flow behavior

    Magnetorheological fluid (MRF) can instantly change from liquid to semi-solid under the action of a magnetic field. The magnetorheological gate designed based on this property can adjust the melt flow rate and pressure in real time. The mold embeds an electromagnetic coil at the gate. By changing the current intensity, the magnetic field intensity is controlled, thereby adjusting the flow resistance of the gate. In multi-cavity molds, this technology can solve the problem of unbalanced filling of melts in different cavities, reducing the weight deviation of products in each cavity from ±3% to ±0.5%. It is particularly suitable for the mass production of precision electronic connectors.

Iv. Intelligent Transformation: Data-Driven Full Life Cycle Management

    The advancement of Industry 4.0 has transformed injection molds from "passive execution" tools into "active perception" intelligent terminals. Through the integration of sensors, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence (AI), it has achieved intelligent management throughout the entire process of design, production, and maintenance. Its core system consists of three levels.

(1) Digital Twin Molds: Design and Optimization of Virtual-Real Mapping

    Digital twin technology builds a virtual model of the mold to map parameters such as the temperature field, stress field, and wear state of the physical mold in real time. During the design stage, the wear of the mold after one million molding cycles can be predicted through virtual simulation, and the structure of vulnerable parts can be optimized in advance. During the production stage, the virtual model is compared with the real-time data collected by sensors to warn of potential faults. BMW Group has applied digital twins in engine block molds, reducing the number of mold trials from the traditional 5 to 8 to 2 to 3, shortening the development cycle by 40%. At the same time, through predictive maintenance, unplanned downtime has been reduced by 50%.

(2) Mold Health Monitoring System: From "Fault Repair" to "Predictive Maintenance"

    Modern molds are equipped with multiple types of sensors: strain gauges monitor cavity pressure, thermocouples collect temperature, and acoustic sensors detect abnormal vibrations. Data is transmitted to the cloud platform via 5G modules. The AI algorithm analyzes the data to establish a mold health index model. When the index drops below the threshold, it automatically issues a maintenance warning. Through this system, Gree Electric Appliances' injection molding workshop has extended the mean time between failures (MTBF) of molds from 300 hours to 800 hours, reduced maintenance costs by 35%, and at the same time avoided the scrapping of batch products caused by sudden failures.

(3) Adaptive process Parameter System: AI reconstructs the production parameter system

    The parameters of traditional injection molding processes are set based on experience and are difficult to adapt to interfering factors such as fluctuations in raw materials and changes in environmental temperature. Intelligent molds, through machine learning algorithms, establish a mapping relationship between process parameters and product quality based on historical production data, and optimize parameters such as injection speed, holding pressure, and cooling time in real time. In the injection molding of mobile phone glass back plates, this system can still control the product's dimensional accuracy within ±0.01mm even when the melt flow rate (MFR) of the raw material fluctuates by ±2g/10min, and the pass rate remains stable at over 99.5%.

V. Future Trends: Cutting-edge technologies shape a new industry ecosystem

    The development of injection molds is evolving towards greater precision, greenness and integration. Breakthroughs in cutting-edge technologies will further reshape the industry ecosystem. The trends worth paying attention to in the future mainly lie in three aspects.

(1) Bio-based material adapted molds: Dual Breakthroughs in environmental protection and performance

    With the global advancement of carbon neutrality, the application of bio-based plastics (such as polylactic acid PLA and polyhydroxyfatty acid esters PHA) is becoming increasingly widespread. However, these materials have poor heat resistance and high shrinkage rates, which pose special requirements for molds. In the future, molds will adopt degradable lubricant coatings (such as plant-based wax) to reduce friction, and at the same time, flexible cavities will be designed to adapt to the high shrinkage characteristics of materials. It is expected that by 2030, the market share of special molds for bio-based plastics will increase from the current 5% to 25%.

(2) Quantum dot in-mold Coloring: Redefining the product appearance process

    Quantum dots (QDs) have excellent optical properties. Integrating them into molds can achieve in-mold coloring, replacing the traditional spray painting process. The mold embeds a transparent quantum dot film on the surface of the cavity. By adjusting the thickness of the film and the wavelength of the excitation light, the product can present any color from red to blue, and the color saturation is more than twice that of traditional spray painting. This technology has entered the trial stage in the mold of smartwatch dials and is expected to be widely applied in the consumer electronics field within five years, significantly reducing VOCs emissions.

(3) Cross-scale forming molds: Full coverage from nanostructures to giant components

    On the one hand, micro-nano injection molds can form products with nano-scale textures (such as anti-counterfeiting labels and optical lenses), and the cavities manufactured through electron beam lithography technology can achieve a precision of up to 10nm. On the other hand, super-large molds (such as wind turbine blade molds) are developing in a modular direction, solving transportation problems through segmented manufacturing and on-site assembly. In the future, molds will achieve cross-scale integration of "micro-nano structures + macroscopic dimensions", meeting the demands of aerospace and other fields for precision large components.

Conclusion

    The development history of injection molds is a microcosm of the coordinated progress of materials science, manufacturing technology and digital technology. From powder high-speed steel to digital twins, from conformal cooling to AI parameter optimization, every innovation has broken through the boundaries of traditional cognition. In the future, with the deep integration of green manufacturing and intelligent manufacturing, injection molds will not only be production tools but also become the core nodes connecting design, materials and processes, promoting the manufacturing industry to move towards high efficiency, precision and sustainability. For industry practitioners, only by closely following the trend of technological change can they gain the upper hand in the new round of industrial upgrading and achieve the leap from "manufacturing" to "intelligent manufacturing".