Moldes Barcelona, an ally for the automotive sector

Moldes Barcelona opened its doors to the team of Interempresas TV to show the work done by the company at its facilities in Polinyà, in the province of Barcelona. Thus the policy of the company accompanied the team on a tour through the various departments involved in the manufacturing process of a mold, on a trip that began in the technical Office. In it, the technicians of the company receive the information, in most cases, via the Internet and in 3D format.

Explains Josep Garriga, Moldes Barcelona Manager, at times, the company receives project in 2D, i.e. at a level, which must develop in volume (3D) in order to work with him, that mechanization is always done in 3D. There is also the case of the customer that defines the mold accurately, with the necessary parameters and the type of steel, and narrows the tolerances. "We then have to make the best possible mold within the parameters that we are asked," adds Garriga. "Other clients do not have a closed idea of the mold and give us room for our contribution." Do you know what kind of piece want and have clear for what they have to serve, but the mold itself do not defined. Tell us with which machines will work the mold, and with what supplier of injection are thought to produce the piece. Then we need to develop the mould that gives the best performance for the production of the piece, i.e. the mold that is more rapid in cycle, the mould to cool more quickly, more suitable for the volume of manufacture provided... "."

According to Garriga argues, "it is not necessary to obtain the best mold if the customer only needs to manufacture 5,000 pieces". Thus, if this is for large productions, should be more sophisticated, more developed, more quality.

Work in times of crisis

Can how in times of crisis survive with solvency a company working primarily for the automotive industry? Moldes Barcelona has not suffered the effects of this global crisis. On the other hand, has assumed "volumes of work enormous" which has nearly overflowed them. Why? Garriga answers the question: "It is difficult to answer, we should ask our clients." "We assume that it is due to the effort and dedication, to attempt to offer a good service and willingness to solve the problems of our customers," he says. "We not only manufacture molds." We put ourselves in the situation of our customers as if were to be us who will use the mould. We provide solutions that reduce the cost of the mold. "We lose today, but we win tomorrow, in the sense that the client appreciates this gesture and repeated".

Before designing the mold, a simulation is done falls to choose the most suitable injection system. Often, the company meets the piece is very well designed but with areas for improvement in the mold. "Changing small things in the piece, rather than its function but small details (a nerve in a reverse direction, change an anchoring system...)" "can do that the mould, with the same cost, give better performance, more simple and easy to maintain, in the end, which gives greater profitability", says the director of Moldes Barcelona.

In the technical Office, the company has several programs of technical design. "The design in 3D do with Topsolid, Catia and Unigraphics." "The volumes of the mold we do with them". From that design, obtained parts or parts that after their processing make up the mold. The files are converted to a universal system that can read any 3D program. With this file the machining area CAM programs are developed to transmit the information to the machines.

Moldes Barcelona, with the automotive industry

In the beginning, Moldes Barcelona moulds for plastic parts of interior of vehicles such as diffusers of air produced. Currently, they are able to manufacture any mold to any sector, although the automotive industry accounts for 80% of the company's production. The rest would be up to packaging and maintenance and other industrial sectors. Today, the company is capable of designing and producing moulds for injecting and blow-moulding thermoplastics, as well as thermoforming, and dies for casting zamak and aluminium.

The company works mainly for multinational enterprises of the transformation of plastics (80%, approximately), many of them with own product, but in the service of automotive companies. These casts just manufacturing parts for porch, Renault, Citroen, PSA group, BMW... ", explains Garriga." Another 20% are customers with less volume of work "but that they are looking for quality".

The machining area office receives information in 3D format, which are programmed machines, with the drawing of electrodes for erosion and all the necessary information for the machining of moulds. The material of the moulds, usually of different hardness, temperate or stainless steel, will depend on the function of that template, the number of units to produce the type of piece to perform or any material that is going to inject. By technical needs, pieces made in brass, copper or aluminium are incorporated in certain areas of the mold.

The machine star

All company machining centres, four of them are Awea, a Taiwanese firm, represented in Spain by Juan Martín. "Them we have been introduced in recent years gradually." "We hope the mark thanks to the smooth functioning of the equipment and the personalized attention of Juan Martín, who has given us excellent service always". The latest model, the Centre for machining Awea SP 3016, acquired by the company in the middle of November, is the star of the company. "It will allow us do molds of great size at a competitive price." "In addition, we can have her working day and night". For the incorporation of this machine of large dimensions, the company has had to expand its facilities and acquire a fifth ship, adjacent to the rest. In addition, it has received a grant acc1ó and the Department of innovation, universities and enterprise of the Generalitat de Catalunya, which has provided them soft loans to deal with the investment.

For the manufacture of the mould, the company currently has six machining centres of high speed of between 610 and 3,000 mm of trail of the X axis, four of whom are of the firm Awea, distributed by Juan Martín.

The last team acquired by Moldes Barcelona is an Awea SP 3016, a major center of machining of 3,000 mm of trail of the axis X. "we decided on this machine for the reliability of the brand." "Many years ago that we work with it and know that it offers a low incidence in repairs and a cutting-edge technology that is evolving rapidly", explains Rubén Pleguezuelos, director of production of Moldes Barcelona.

The new machine incorporates a programme within the control that calculates the weights of the piece to improve the capacity of the engine. "That gives much versatility, because it is not the same machining a piece weighing 200 kilos than other that weighs 8,000". "The engines have to graduated according to the weight of the piece," says Pleguezuelos.

Although it can artefact, the company reserve machine for semifinished and finishes of large pieces of figure, normally, due to its size, for the automotive industry.

"Despite being a large machine, has good acceleration and quite a few revolutions in the head." "Are talking about 10,000 revolutions with a good pair of engine", says the director of production of Moldes Barcelona.

When the usual tools cannot be access to certain parts of the mould, the company employs machining by EDM. Thus, manufactures an electrode, usually of copper or graphite, which melts the material through electric shocks. To this end, the company has two teams of erosion of penetration and two of thread.

The final finish of the moulds is located in one of the ships of the company. In it, the finishing touches and are the general adjustment of the pieces for delivery customer. "Are checked thoroughly all the movements of the molds, and aspects such as cooling." "In this Department, we have all the equipment needed to ensure that the final product conforms perfectly to the demands of our customers", says Torcuato Hernández, director of the company finishes.

Once adjusted parts of the moulds, a robot arm with an accuracy of one hundredth per meter perform a comparison in 3D from the final piece to the original 3D of the same. "With this operation we see deviations in machining". "If they are not tolerable, repair the defect," explains Pleguezuelos.

Next to the client

The company was formed in 1988, fruit of the Union of three professionals in the sector. "All had worked in large companies in the industry and we realized account in large enterprises are afforded a little close to the customer service." Manufactured moulds but without the complicity with the client that it can be in a smaller company. Hence the idea of creating Moldes Barcelona. "Since then, we have evolved and now have a team of 22 people and with all the machines, tools and facilities to ensure an optimal final product adjusted to the needs of our customers", explains Josep Garriga, Manager of Moldes Barcelona.