What are the applications of toolbox molds in the manufacturing industry
Toolbox molds are mainly used in the manufacturing industry to produce various types of toolbox shells, linings, and accessories. Their design and manufacturing accuracy directly affect the structural strength, durability, and ease of use of toolboxes. The following will explain
Toolbox molds are mainly used in the manufacturing industry to produce various types of toolbox shells, linings, and accessories. Their design and manufacturing accuracy directly affect the structural strength, durability, and ease of use of toolboxes. The following will explain from the aspects of application fields, typical products, and mold characteristics:
1、 Application Fields and Typical Products
1. Manufacturing of industrial toolboxes
Metal toolbox mold
Application scenarios: Storage boxes used for processing hardware tools and mechanical parts, such as auto repair toolboxes, electrician toolboxes, etc.
Mold features:
Using stamping molds (such as progressive dies and composite dies), steel plates and aluminum alloy plates are stamped and formed to achieve processes such as bending, punching, and flanging of the box shell.
The mold needs to have high wear resistance (such as using Cr12MoV mold steel) to cope with repeated stamping of metal sheets.
2. Plastic toolbox mold
Application scenario: Production of lightweight plastic toolboxes, commonly used for storing household and gardening tools.
Mold features:
Using injection molds, the box shell is produced through injection molding technology. The mold structure includes a cavity, a pouring system, and a cooling water channel to ensure smooth surface and stable dimensions of the plastic parts.
For plastic materials such as PP and ABS, the mold needs to be designed with a reasonable demolding slope (usually 3 °~5 °) to avoid scratching the workpiece during demolding.
2. Car maintenance and 4S store tool storage
Drawer style toolbox mold
Mold type: Injection mold or stamping mold (metal drawer frame+plastic drawer panel).
Key applications:
Production of plastic drawer slides and dividers using injection molds to ensure smooth drawer sliding and pulling; Stamping molds process metal frames to ensure structural strength.
The mold needs to be compatible with multiple drawer sizes and achieve mass production through modular design.
3. Aerospace and Precision Instrument Toolbox
Anti vibration toolbox mold
Application scenario: Used for storing aviation instruments and precision testing equipment, it needs to have shockproof and moisture-proof functions.
Mold features:
The inner lining adopts EVA or foam plastic mold, and the buffer slot is processed through the hot pressing process. The mold needs to customize the surface according to the equipment shape to ensure the fit.
The shell is mostly a composite structure of metal and engineering plastic, and the mold needs to achieve injection molding of the metal skeleton and plastic panel.
4. Outdoor portable toolbox
Folding toolbox mold
Mold type: Injection mold (often using dual color injection molding or rotary mold).
Key design:
The mold needs to achieve integrated molding of the box folding hinge, and solve the demolding problem of the hinge part through the slider mechanism.
For weather resistant materials such as PE, the mold cooling system needs to dissipate heat evenly to avoid cracking at the folded parts due to stress concentration.
3、 Technology demand and innovation in manufacturing industry
1. Balance between lightweight and high-strength
Mold optimization:
For aluminum alloy toolboxes, extrusion casting molds are used to reduce porosity and improve material strength through high-pressure solidification; The mold needs to be designed with gradient cooling channels to avoid deformation of the casting.
The plastic toolbox mold adopts micro foaming injection molding technology, injecting nitrogen into the mold cavity to reduce the density of plastic parts while maintaining rigidity.
2. Modular and customized production
Quick mold change technology:
Adopting standardized mold bases (such as FMC rapid mold changing system), rapid switching of different specifications of toolbox molds is achieved through positioning pins and hydraulic clamping devices, adapting to small batch and multi variety production.
Customized lining mold:
Use 3D printing technology to make the core of the lined foam mold, quickly customize the separation groove according to the size of the customer's tools, and shorten the mold development cycle.
3. Intelligent mold design
Mold monitoring system:
Embedding temperature and pressure sensors in injection molds to monitor the real-time filling status of the melt, and automatically adjusting injection parameters through a PLC system to reduce scrap rates.
Application of CAD/CAM technology:
Use software such as UG and Pro/E for 3D mold design, optimize the pouring system through Moldflow analysis, and avoid weld marks on the plastic toolbox shell.
4、 Typical Manufacturing Cases
1. Integrated production of automotive repair toolboxes
Mold combination:
Shell: Multiple station progressive stamping molds are used to complete the steel plate cutting, punching, and bending processes, and can produce 10-15 box shells per minute.
Inner lining: EVA hot pressing mold is used in conjunction with CNC cutting equipment to process grooves according to the shape of the tool (such as wrench, screwdriver), achieving "positioning and storage" of the tool.
2. Manufacturing of military shock resistant toolboxes
Key processes:
Shell mold: The aluminum alloy frame is produced using die-casting molds, and the mold needs to undergo T6 heat treatment to strengthen the hardness of the mold core (HRC48~52) and withstand high temperature erosion from molten metal.
Inner lining mold: Adopting vacuum forming technology, the temperature of the mold heating plate is controlled at 180-220 ℃, so that the PVC sheet adheres to the mold cavity, forming a shock-absorbing groove with concave and convex shapes.