How to select the standard mold base steel as a custom plastic injection molds vendor?

As we all know, to choose the right mold base saves time and helps to improve mold life. The stamping die has a stamped mold base, and the injection mold has a mold base for the injection mold. In the mold industry park, there are generally local mold base factories and large-scale national mold base distribution points, such as LKM, Mingli and so on.

As an injection mold design engineer, it is generally known that the design standards for plastic injection mold base are Japan's FUTABA , Hong Kong's LKM, Germany's HASCO, the United States' DME, and Singapore's Zhong Cun. LKM’s mold base market share is relatively high, and there are more dealerships. There are production bases in Guangzhou, Shanghai and Zhejiang. The mold bases are exported to Hong Kong, the United States, France, Japan and other places. The materials used by LKM includes two types, made in China type and import type, and each of plates has to be tested for hardness basically, so you will see that each plate has a test point. However, some templates of the LKM mold base are finely milled but the surface is rough.

FUTABA’s mold base is mainly used in the making of more sophisticated injection molds, such as terminal connectors. Previously, it was only used in Shenzhen city. The steel used were mainly Japan's ASUS S55C, and the base was exported to Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia. South Korea and other places. The base is mainly used in the Pearl River Delta. Due to the rapid development of molds in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai, the market potential is large, and later a production base was established in Kunshan as well. Compared with LKM mold base No. 45 steel, FUTABA mold frame material will be better, and the fine frame is better than LKM, the price is about 15% higher than the LKM’s.

The price of the mold base depends largely on the material requirements. The base is not uniform and can only be made of certain materials. It can also be customized according to the customer requirements, but the relative cost of customization will be higher. The same reason, the specifications of the mold base are also decided. A major factor in the price of the mold base, the LKM mold base, there are many ready-made stocks in the company, which are produced in batches. The relative production cost will be lower, and the natural price will also have advantages. About ordering the mold base, many injection mold company engineers are easy to get misunderstandings, thinking that the price of LKM must be higher than other small brands. In fact, for some standard molds, LKM uses their batch. In this case they have prices advantages and can delivery any time.

Why do export molds are more consistent with LKM and Mingli? On the one hand, the mold base materials they produce has more security, secondly there are relatively mature technologies. The straight angle of each plate and the coordination of the guide bush guide sleeves are strictly tested. Compared with the mold base produced by the small brand mold base factory, which the management control system is not perfect enough, and there is no professional after-sales customer service personnel, the small mold base factory  brings hidden risks to the progress of injection mold making and subsequent mass production.