Mold Making
Mold Making: production orders and BOM, stock and warehouse, quality and reporting.
Challenges
- A mould is a one-off build, yet costs are never gathered on the project, so nobody knows which mould lost money.
- Design revisions are not versioned, so the shop floor works from an outdated drawing.
- Trial shots (T0/T1) go unrecorded, so rework time cannot be measured.
- After handover, the mould life warranty and maintenance history are not kept.
Workflows
From design to machining
- The mould project is opened with the customer part and its technical specification.
- The design is versioned and machining starts only from the approved version.
- Machining operations and purchased standard components are posted to the project.
From trial shot to handover
- T0 and the following trial cycles are logged and every correction is posted to the project.
- Once the sample is approved, the mould is handed over.
- The life warranty and the maintenance plan are attached to the mould record.
Documents
- Mould project and technical specification
- Design revision log
- Trial shot (T0/T1) report
- Mould handover and warranty certificate
Reports
- Mould project cost and profitability
- Revision and trial count
- Delivery time variance
- In-warranty maintenance records
Metrics
- Cost per mould
- Number of trial cycles
- Delivery lead time
- In-warranty rework rate
Compliance
- Customer technical specification and sample approval (PPAP) file
- ISO 9001 quality management records
- Hazardous waste (machining oil) disposal declaration
Glossary
- Mould project
- The one-off build record that gathers every cost
- T0 / T1 trial
- The cycle record that leads to sample approval
- Design revision
- A versioned document tied to production
- Mould life warranty
- A shot-count commitment held on the mould record
FAQ
Can I see the cost per mould?
Yes — design, machining, standard parts and trial costs all accumulate on the project.
Can I version the design revisions?
Yes — every revision gets a version and machining starts only from the approved one.
Can I record the trial cycles?
Yes — T0 and the later trials are attached to the project as reports.
Can I track the mould life warranty?
Yes — the shot counter on the mould record tracks the warranty threshold.
Can I measure the delivery lead time?
Yes — the elapsed time from project opening to handover is reported.
