Molds typically refer to various tools used in industrial production to create desired products through processes such as injection molding, blow molding, extrusion, die casting or forging, smelting, and stamping. In short, Molds are tools used to create molded objects. It primarily achieves the shaping and manufacturing of objects by altering the physical state of the molding material used.

Depending on the product, the machining requirements for molds vary accordingly. For example, plastic stools that we often see have relatively low demands on mold precision and surface quality, which also results in lower mold costs. In contrast, certain electronic products—and even optical products—have extremely high requirements for mold precision and surface quality; consequently, the manufacturing costs of such molds are considerably higher.

The mold industry chain consists of the following stages: Upstream: Using various machining equipment to process mold components. Since molds are assembled from multiple parts, each component must be manufactured through different processing techniques. Midstream: Assembling the components into a complete mold and conducting trial runs. Once all the mold components are available, specialized assembly personnel assemble them into a finished mold and then carry out trial runs. Downstream: The product components formed by the mold are used in the assembly process of finished products.

                     

  The current status of the mold industry  

The mold industry is an exceptionally important sector, and there’s a saying: “Molds are the mother of industry.” This is because molds serve as the fundamental process equipment for industrial production. It’s no exaggeration to say that among the products we encounter in our daily lives, there are... 60% to 80% of components are produced using molds. The mold industry can drive other related industries at a ratio of approximately 1:100; with an output value of about 300 billion yuan, the mold industry supports the production of nearly 30 trillion yuan worth of industrial products in China.

Currently, there are approximately [number] mold enterprises registered in China. 30,000 companies, with an output value of over 300 billion last year and a global output value exceeding nearly one trillion.

Among these mold enterprises in China, the output value is... The proportion of companies with revenues exceeding 20 million accounts for 16.7%, while the proportion of companies with revenues below 20 million accounts for 83.3%. Thus, it is evident that in the mold industry, most enterprises are small- and medium-sized.

Although China’s mold industry boasts a substantial output value, its per capita output is relatively low when compared to that of industrially developed countries. As shown in the chart below, compared with Germany, Japan, the United States, and other advanced industrial nations, China’s mold manufacturing still has considerable room for growth and a long way to go.

                              

 

Common pain points in the mold manufacturing industry, viewed from the five aspects of people, machines, materials, methods, and environment.

Person: This industry heavily relies on skilled workers, and its technology is passed down through experience. For new employees, the training period is lengthy, making it difficult to guarantee consistent processing quality.

Machine: Low degree of automation, low equipment utilization rate, wasted production capacity, and inability to monitor equipment status in real time.

Material: Raw materials, cutting tools, and consumables cannot be used to their full lifespan, and their costs are rising year by year, leading to a reduction in corporate profits.

Law: Enterprises generally have a low degree of standardization and lack coverage by information systems.

Circle: The industry faces intense price competition, poor supply chain collaboration, and severe constraints from both upstream and downstream partners.

                             

  Solution  

So-called digitalization of mold manufacturing means using information technology to manage the entire mold-making process. All data generated throughout the process—including documents—are digitized and can be analyzed as big data.

As shown by the digital map of mold manufacturing, throughout the entire mold-making process—from order placement and project initiation to design and ultimately mass production of the finished product—what consistently runs through the entire process? Archives.

                                 

Digital Map for Mold Manufacturing

From files to entities. First, during the order stage, data about the product—such as product technical parameters and drawing files—are sent by the customer. At this point, these parameters need to be imported into the system in a structured manner, enabling them to be directly accessed during the project initiation and R&D design phases.

Similarly, the information and documentation generated during the R&D and design phase—such as mold part files, file attributes, and assembly structures—can be utilized in subsequent manufacturing processes. Meanwhile, the information and documentation produced by the manufacturing processes will be used in later stages. CAM—used for machining and manufacturing—ensures that all drawing files, parameters, and attributes are automatically transferred via a database under the same project number, the same mold number, and the same machining work order. This eliminates the need for employees to search through vast piles of paper documents or countless folders in cloud storage to locate the corresponding drawings and programs. This is precisely the concept embodied by the digital map for this mold’s manufacturing process.

  Industry Outlook  

The mold industry continues to maintain steady growth. What does this indicate? It suggests that the mold industry—and indeed the entire manufacturing sector—has very little bubble activity; each instance of growth is grounded in solid, practical foundations.

Will the mold industry continue to grow steadily and uneventfully like this, or is there a chance it could experience a breakthrough? Personally, I believe there is—especially as the industrial sector... With the advancement of 4.0 and the ongoing upgrade in consumer demand for new energy vehicles, the mold industry has the opportunity to experience explosive growth—provided that resource availability remains unchanged or even declines—by enhancing both mold production capacity and quality. This, in turn, calls for digital transformation and the adoption of smart manufacturing technologies by mold-making enterprises.

Summary  

Today’s society is a restless one, and fewer and fewer young people are willing to steadily build their careers step by step in traditional industries. However, key industrial sectors such as manufacturing and mold-making must continue to develop, grow, and improve. So what’s the solution? The only way forward is to embrace digitalization, intelligence, and automation.

As we vigorously develop the industrial internet, it also provides a strong boost to the manufacturing sector. And as molds represent a relatively complex industry within manufacturing, they can particularly benefit from this momentum. Strength It has experienced robust growth. Therefore, although the mold industry may currently appear relatively traditional and on the decline, in reality, there are plenty of business opportunities in the mold industry for companies that offer solutions and embrace digitalization.