Injection Mold Design Tutorial

Injection mold design is part of the fast paced world of injection molding. When working as a mold designer, you must be able to develop new ways of doing things, and you must be adaptable and willing to learn new technologies.

To the untrained eye the work may look easy because of the powerful CAD programs, but in reality, these programs are merely the tools to help develop your design. In the field of injection mold design you often must develop new and original methods of plastic molding.
What is it like to be an injection mold designer?

Plastic injection mold designers and mold makers work closely together. This is logically for the reason that the mold maker will be building the mold according to the design. The daily schedule is usually quite similar for the designer and mold maker.

A mold designer spends most of his time at his computer, using powerful CAD programs such as Unigraphics, AutoCAd, SolidWorks, MasterCam and many, many others. Nowadays, the programs are incredibly fast and powerful.

Typically, an injection mold designer interacts with the various other people in the shop. This could be th mold makers, CNC programmers, molders, WEDM programmers, etc.. This rapport is critical for a successful career as an injection mold designer.

Very often injection mold makers work fewer hours than their mold maker counterparts. It is common for mold designers have a shop background and help out in the mold making shop as well. This is common when work slows down, or there is some down time in the design department .
How do you become an injection mold designer

In the USA, there are primarily two paths to follow. One is to learn on the job and the other is to learn at a design school. Both are common and work well. It is highly recommended that you use the interactive injection mold design tutorial to teach you about mold design. It is self-paced and full of illustrations, animations and just about everything you need to get started.

Many plastic molding designers come from a mold making background. For the mold maker, it is always easier to work with a design that shows years of practical experience.. You just can't beat real-life experience!

Several tech schools and universities offer excellent courses on injection mold design. It is helpful, but not essential, to have a well rounded background. Physics, mechanics, understanding spatial relationships, and the ability to visualize 3D concepts are all very useful.

Even in a slow economy, plastic mold making continues to grow and develop.Wherever there is a plastic injection mold producing parts, there has to be a mold designer behind the scenes.

Because we live and operate in a global economy, it is not necessary to even work in the same vicinity as the mold maker, though it is easier if you do. There are many mold designers who freelance out of their own home office and are quite happy doing so. This is a viable alternative for the right person.
Conclusion

Working in injection mold design is a solid, respected and in-demand occupation. It is very uncommon for a qualified mold designer to lack employment, in fact, companies are usually looking for help. An added benefit is the fact that you have the possibility of working from your own office, if that is your interest. The pay for injection mold design can also be quite good.

Randy Hough has a comprehensive website: http://global-plastic-injection-molding.com that is full of resources to help injection molding and mold making companies. Visit our site to learn more about injection mold design and the injection molding process.