Design and Manufacturing Principles of
Molds for Various Processes

Molds are the core process equipment in the manufacturing industry, and also the core supporting field that Ruichi Hardware has been deeply engaged in for 20 years. Ruichi focuses on the R&D, production and sales of roof drainage series products, HVAC ventilation series products, wooden structure connection hardware, garage door supporting series products and other customized products. With 20 years of production experience and 11 years of online service experience, we have long provided products and customized solutions for distributors, wholesalers and retailers in the United States, Canada, Australia and other countries. Our mold design and manufacturing are all carried out around the core needs of our own hardware products, accurately adapting to the processing of hardware base materials such as galvanized sheet, stainless steel and carbon steel.

The core principle of mold design and manufacturing is to design a cavity and structure with the characteristics of precise forming, efficient demolding and stable durability according to the product structure, material and forming process requirements, process the mold base material into finished products meeting the design standards through processing means, and finally realize the mass and standardized production of hardware products. Molds for different forming processes have significant differences in design logic and manufacturing principles due to the differences in processing requirements and product characteristics. Combined with the application scenarios of Ruichi Hardware products, the following focuses on the analysis of the design and manufacturing principles of various commonly used process molds in industrial production.

Stamping Molds

Stamping technology is widely used in the following industries: hardware products, household appliances, automobile manufacturing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), furniture fittings, wooden structure construction, electronic and electrical appliances, communication equipment, lighting fixtures, mechanical equipment, rail transit, kitchen and bathroom equipment, tool boxes, industrial sheet metal and other fields.

The core of a stamping mold is to make the sheet metal undergo plastic deformation or separation under the constraint of the mold cavity (punch and die) through the action of external force to obtain products with the required shape and size. It is a key equipment for Ruichi Hardware to produce core products such as gutter hanger bracket, endcaps, joist hanger, nail plates, damper blade, G-Clamp,duct corner.Combining Ruichi’s 20 years of hardware processing experience, the design of its stamping molds focuses on “forming accuracy”, “force balance” and “hardware base material adaptation”, accurately matching the characteristics of commonly used base materials such as galvanized steel, stainless steel and carbon steel. The key points include:

Cavity Design:

The gap between the punch and the die must be accurately matched (an excessive gap is prone to burrs, and an insufficient gap is prone to scratching products and damaging molds). Combined with Ruichi’s product scenarios, the gap value (usually 5%-10% of the sheet thickness) is determined according to the sheet thickness and material (such as galvanized steel, stainless steel), adapting to the precision requirements of stress-bearing hardware such as joist hanger and nail plates to ensure that products meet the foreign trade export standards.

Force Design:

The mold shall be equipped with a guiding mechanism (guide pillar and guide sleeve) to ensure the precise alignment of the punch and die movement and avoid product deformation caused by deflection; at the same time, a stripping mechanism (stripper plate and ejector pin) is designed to ensure the smooth demolding of products after stamping, avoid mold jamming, adapt to mass production needs, and improve the production efficiency of gutter hanger brackets, endcaps and other products. Relying on Ruichi’s existing processing equipment foundation, the guiding precision is further optimized to ensure product consistency.

Process Adaptation:

Adjust the mold structure according to the stamping processes (blanking, bending, drawing, flanging) – blanking molds focus on the sharpness of the cutting edge to adapt to the cutting needs of damper blade and other products; bending molds focus on the cavity radian and springback compensation to adapt to the bending forming of hook codes and angle codes; drawing molds focus on lubrication and wrinkle prevention (equipped with blank holders) to adapt to the complex forming of various hardware fittings, fully meeting the diversified production needs of construction hardware.

Manufacturing Principles

The manufacturing of stamping molds focuses on the “precision processing of cavity and cutting edge”, following the process of “base material pretreatment → rough processing → finish processing → surface treatment → assembly and debugging”. Combined with the high-quality requirements of Ruichi Hardware’s foreign trade export, its manufacturing principles are reflected in:

1. Base Material Selection and Pretreatment:

Select high-strength and high-hardness mold steel (such as Cr12MoV, SKD11), reduce hardness and eliminate internal stress through annealing treatment for easy subsequent processing, and improve mold durability at the same time to adapt to Ruichi’s mass production needs and ensure the long-term stable operation of the mold.

2. Cavity Processing:

First, rough processing is carried out by milling machine and lathe to remove excess base material and reserve a finish processing allowance of 0.1-0.3mm; then, high-precision processing of the cavity and cutting edge is realized by electrical discharge machining (EDM) and wire cutting machining (WEDM) to ensure that the dimensional error is controlled within ±0.005mm, and the cutting edge is sharp without chipping, which conforms to the precision standard of Ruichi Hardware’s export and ensures the dimensional consistency of products.

3. Surface Treatment:

Quenching and tempering treatment are carried out on the cavity and cutting edge to improve the mold hardness (usually reaching HRC58-62) and enhance wear resistance; if necessary, nitriding and chrome plating treatment are carried out to reduce friction and prevent rust, adapting to the production needs of Ruichi’s outdoor hardware (such as garage door tracks, outdoor wooden house beam supports), and at the same time meeting the stringent requirements of the overseas market for anti-corrosion and rust prevention of hardware products, forming synergy with Ruichi’s product surface treatment process and improving the overall durability of products.

4. Assembly and Debugging:

Precisely assemble the punch, die, guiding mechanism, stripping mechanism and other parts, test punch samples, adjust the gap, guiding precision and stripping force to ensure that the stamped products are qualified in size, free of surface defects, and the mold runs smoothly, adapting to the production needs of Ruichi’s hardware products for household, commercial, industrial and other scenarios. At the same time, it provides debugging support for molds with customized sizes, hole positions and shapes for customers, matching Ruichi’s all-round customized service concept.

Design and Manufacturing Principles of Molds for Various Processes