5 Axis CNC Milling of Injection Molds

The 5 axis CNC milling of injection molds is so commonplace now that it has become standard in the industry. In a single setup, 5 sides of the workpiece can be machined, which saves time, money and increases accuracy. Thankfully, the days of tedious setups are mostly a relic of the labor-intensive past.

With the advanced CAD/CAM software available today, programming is relatively easy. This is remarkable, considering the complexity of the simultaneous movement of all 5 axes! There is, of course, a learning curve invloved though and 5 axis CNC programming is not to be taken lightly.

By integrating the plastic injection mold design with the programming and actual machining, the chance for human error is greatly decreased, plus the modeling is more true to the design. This makes for a cleaner part with a better finish.

Many times, nearly all of the core and cavity work can be finished in the 5 axis CNC machining center. Those details that cannot be finished are semi-finished for later electrical discharge machining (EDM).

Are 5 axis milling machines worth the expense?

That depends on your operation. If you manufacture injection molds with complex geometry and have sufficient volume, yes! But if your work is rather "simple" and low volume, you might have a difficult time justifying the purchase of CNC mills. Also, having the right CNC tooling is critical to any milling operation, especially using such a precision machine tool.

Because these remarkable machines are so versatile, you will find that you are able to machine cores, cavities, electrodes, and inserts as well. This is, of course, what can be done on a 3 axis machine, but that requires much more set-up time and programming. Plus, any time you break up a set-up, you lose precision and vast amount of time.

Do you need new help or special programmers?

A good CNC programmer will quickly adapt to the change in programming, in fact, he will probably find it easier, once he becomes accustomed to the changes. Since so many operations can be done in one set-up, programming time actually goes down overall. This also presents an opportunity to gain a foothold in the industry, it is one of the better jobs in plastics.

Some of the leading 5 Axis Milling Machines are:

• Huron, from France
• Deckel-Maho, Germany
• Mikron, Switzerland