Manufacturing of the intermediate plate creates some interesting challenges. Number one, it's thin, which creates issues to hold it without bowing or bending. Second, it's machined on both sides and on the periphery. One side is very detailed-literally the features you'll mold into your part. On the other side, you have critical relationships to maintain because the thickness is vital to maintaining surface temperature on the hot and cold cycles. Traditional machining is not an option for this piece because you have multiple setups, high cutting forces, and torque issues. In addition, if you use a vice or means of clamping, you can easily distort the part.

Therefore, what we really require to manufacture this intermediate plate is a single setup providing the utmost of accuracy and accessibility to both sides of the plate. It has to be of the highest position for a 3D surface finish, as it will be the actual surface from which the molded part comes out. And you really need to be able to accomplish high-speed hardmilling.

Obviously, this is where Makino comes into this process. Here you'll see a V56, which was the basis of the machining of the 3D weldless mold components. It allows for outstanding volumetric accuracy for bench-free production, high-speed spindle with tight control of thermal growth for fine details and high precision, stiffness and rigidity for chatter-free cutting and outstanding surface finishes, exceptional control capability (for example, the SGI.4) for machining of complex 3D mold surfaces, and the experience and innovation of Makino in the die/mold area.