Half tool, production and assembly costs thanks to 4+4-fold and automation

Two different sized parts must have two different tools, right?

Not necessarily! After the old tools were already well past their warranty period and new ones had to be built, we came up with exactly this idea.

This not only enabled us to reduce the cost of two molds to one, but also to limit production to one machine. For us as injection molders, this means more production capacity for other parts too.
When thinking about a new handling system it was also clear that this was the perfect opportunity to produce the two parts fully assembled on the machine.

The molded parts are automatically removed from the mold and transported to the assembly station next to the injection molding machine. Once there, the plastic part “nut” is first placed upright and then the “sleeve” is attached and snapped into place so that the finished part “connector” is fully assembled. The parts then fall into different boxes, separated by cavity.

This is a classic example of a win-win story for both customer and supplier.