The tool’s in your toolbox can make or break your operation. I don’t mean the tools available to you like tips and tricks of the trade but the physical tools in your tool box or on your shadow boards. If you walk out onto the shop floor right now and inspect the tools your workers have to work with, will you cringe? I have walked into many shops where management is eager to show off all of their impressive equipment and often even the maintenance process they have in place but when you look closely, sometimes you can see the things that fall through the cracks.
Drywall screws, paper clips, steel hammers are just a few things found in many toolboxes of the plastics worlds. I can’t deny that these all do a job and usually do it very well but is the risk worth it? A paper clip can be used to melt and pull stuck plastic but it can also scratch up a cavity or core block. A hammer can be used to hit tool plates apart but can also mushroom over the edges. A screw can be used to pull stuck sprues or cavities but can scratch or worse be forgotten while in a mold. A screw forgotten and closed on can end the life of a cavity.
These techniques have been used for years but as we all strive to improve do we want to take the added risk? So what is your tool box instead? It is recommended to use tools that are softer than mold you are working on. This often makes brass a great choice for hand tools. Here are a few things that I like to make sure to keep in stock.
- My go to tool for just about everything is the classic Brass Sprue Puller. This tool is great for pulling out sprues, medium to large stuck parts, and moving around hot purge patties.
- The Brass Sprue Puller is complemented by the Brass Needle Nose Pliers. Pliers are able to get into tighter areas and handle smaller parts.
- Another go to tool that doesn’t hurt to have at every press is the Brass Rod/Screw Driver. A Brass rod is great for reaching into hot area around a barrel or sprue orifice to clear plastic. It is also great for hitting out stuck sprues without damaging the orifice or nozzle tip shutoff on the mold.
- A Brass Hammer pairs nicely with a Brass Rod. A hammer is necessary in a production environment if there is ever a stuck sprue or stuck part. The hammer gives the force needed to break the suction plastic can create to a core or sprue channel. Brass Hammers are also good for taking stubborn molds apart.
- While Brass Hammers are great to have it is also beneficial to have a Deadblow Hammer. These Hammers give the extra force to get molds apart or sometimes together. If you have to as a last resort hit parts together a Deadblow Hammer is a good tool to reach for.
- A Brass Brush is great for cleaning off buildup on a mold.
- Brass is a common theme in this list so it comes as no surprise that Brass Sprue Pullers with Brass Screws are on the list. As it may sound, a Brass Sprue Puller is good for pulling plastic that is stuck in a mold. A Brass Ribout pairs nicely for thin areas such as ribs and gussets.
- Wrenches of all kinds, Allen Wrenches, Open End Wrenches, Socket Wrenches, any wrench needed to fit your equipment.
- Multiple sizes of Screw Drivers. The equipment throughout your production floor is bound to have regular sized fasteners down to tiny fasteners. Many sensors have tiny set screws that need jeweler sized screw drivers.
- Ensuring the right nozzle tip is on your press will help make your process repeatable. Using an Orifice Gauge will help ensure the right tip is used.
- The magic of Mold Release can’t be passed up for this list even though it is not always allowed in use for production or in clean rooms. It still serves a magical purpose.
- Files and Polish keep your molds burr free to keep running without sticking and drag marks.
- A multi-meter is essential to keep equipment running. It may not be something that everyone is trained to use but a little lesson can help troubleshoot equipment malfunctions and get you back up and running quicker.
This list is not comprehensive but a good starting point to ensure your team has what they need to get the job done. The risk of downtime always out weights the extra cost of brass to me. Small tool damage and wear from using the wrong equipment may not seem like a big problem now but can shut down your whole operation. These risks may seem unlikely but are they worth it when the right equipment is so easy to obtain thanks to sites like www.ppe.com, www.emicorp.com, www.imscompany.com to name a few.