Hi friends, how many years have you been in mold business and what did you do to be a professor in mold industry? Is there any skills or fast way? Any suggestions or good book to recommend?

I'm serving this industry for nearly 29 years now, and I don't call myself a professor.There are no fast ways in the moldmaking industry. Everyday represents a chance to learn more. The knowledge behind this industry is endless. I recognise though, that I'm often teaching people around, just by sharing my knowledge and experience. Inovation based on experience allows, together with interest and investment of my thechnical skills, to generate a different day everyday. By keeping focused, curios, interested, willing to learn with my mistakes and the mistakes of others, choosing to deliver good results to my inner and outer clients as been the main keys to my "sucess".

Thank you Calos. Could you please kindly recommend some good magazine or book which is suitable for a freshman in mold industry? Um..as some are in business English major, know little about engineering. It's not easy to understand some deep knowledge.

I Carlos> Your name lets me think you're portuguese or brasilian. Can you suggest me any tecnical books in portuguese. I'm a mould setter in the UK but I've been in any kind of course. All I know if from my experience in the factory. Thanks.

Haha Raul, maybe writing down a work diary is a good method to accumulate knowledge. The real working experiences will be more practical.

Dear Della,

I'm absolutely agree with the Carlos words. Excellent reflections from a great professional.

Probably, if you ask to the people related in our business you can find 2 answers and the 2 answers are right but with some points always discussed.
Studies Vs Experience.
Obviously, for the people that have been studying for several years an engineering (for example) they are more prepared that anyone that never studied nothing related with the business.

But I supose that my colleagues are agree with me that the experience and the feedback won during the years can make you an excellent professional though you haven't a engineering studies.
Naturally, that if you can mix the 2 tools, sure that you will have an excellent career but at the same time, this depends of where you are working and which opportunities brings the company to you.

There is no exist a magic formula to be a good professional, more than work hard during several years and work closely with people highly prepared.

Keep informed about the last news in our market and attend at all the courses available related with our business.
If in your area doesn't exist this kind of courses, always can attend some interesting webinars where at least the theory will be helpful and your own practices will help you to adquire you your own feedback.

Regards and good luck!!

Dear all,
One of the key points that I try to implement sistematicly while training people, is to participate in tryouts. I find this participation inlightning. It's during try-outs that I can observe the projected function versus reality. without disregarding the other areas, I strongly believe that this participation, supported by a sistematic checking list is necessary (specially for youngers), brings out a huge amount of lessons and experience. Check try-outs, discuss problems, define solutions and check them during the next try-out. Allow yourself to learn with mistakes. There are no 2 equal problems or sultions. Good luck

HI. All:
As Carlos said, it is really difficult to say who was professor. Since technology and parts are too much different one by one. What we can do is to summarize our experience and learn some guide line to study case by case. Like a lot of problem till now we can't solve it.
For example, the scratch on the texture surface while there are tongue design on the parts.
Shrinkage; for example. ABS/PC; Cycloy C6200; some case it is only 0.3%; some times is 0.45% some times 0.55%; It is big difference.
So what we can do is to study it case by case.

There are many good points made here, I can say that after having been in the mold making industry now for over 34 years that the best place to "learn" about this industry is right on the plant floor, you need to follow each step of the mold build to truly be able to put the theory to an actual, and ask questions, I haven't come across any mold maker that isn't willing to help someone understand and learn from them. Technology is changing every day so the learning never stops, we can only hope that the young of today still have an interest in this trade. Long gone are the days where one mold maker built the entire mold themselves, companies these days have various departments that each work on a portion of a mold in an effort to reduce costs, and shorter lead times.

I agree Werner. In fact may background started as an office boy serving at the designe department. At that time drawings were 2D on the board. Serving this function was tremendously important to my training. It has allowed me to meet all the sectors involved in the shop floor and offices, allowing me to ask and get answers from the people and their involvement in their work. It was important to understand the process and the flow of information, and how the internal costumer/suplier chain works, how one affetcts the other and how this affects the final result. Today these sectors are more sealled to themselves, and care more about their belly tahn anything else. This seasm very straight forward and it's not 100% true , but it's much like this. An example, the operator at the Conventional CNC machine that mills paltes, only cares about his plates at vthe end of the day. The only people that keep an overall view of the tools are the Team leaders, the Production Manager and me as Project Leader. For this I can assure anyone that this can be a wonderfull job, full of activity, knowhow, oportunitis to grow perssonaly and technically. As in everything in life, it's directlly related to the amount of effort, dedication and interest that you put in it. It may not give you back immediatly, may take sometime, but that's life, isn't it?

There is a book called <<Mold Engineering>>, written by Herbert Rees. He is a Canadian, worked as Chief engineer of Husky. this book is like a bible for tooling. regarding Molding, please contact with RJG company. this is an American company.

For this kind of book, you can find a lot of. Almost each famous brand name of hot runner make and material makers who had this kind of book. If you use it as guideline to study the technology that is OK. But if you want touse everywhere then it should be careful. A lot of thing we need think of it case by case.