Mold side locks, also known as jaw locating blocks or mold locking mechanisms, are indispensable precision positioning hardware components for injection molding, die casting, and stamping molds. They are installed in pairs with a concave-convex fit on the side of the mold blank.
1. Multi-axis integrated milling, one-time clamping and forming without secondary positioning errors
Mold side locks have a complex structure, including U-shaped interlocking grooves, stepped countersunk mounting holes, positioning through holes, chamfered edges, and right-angle mating surfaces. Traditional machining requires multiple flipping and tooling disassembly and assembly, resulting in positioning offsets with each clamping.
CNC machining uses three-axis/four-axis linkage equipment. All processes, including grooving, drilling, boring, chamfering, and precision milling, can be completed in a single clamping of the blank. This eliminates the need for repeated workpiece disassembly, ensuring the perpendicularity, parallelism, and symmetry of each mating surface. The gaps on both sides of the interlocking grooves are uniform and symmetrical, and the paired concave-convex locks fit together without any play.
CNC Machining of Mold Side Locks Technological Characteristics and Core Advantages
2. Precise and controllable dimensional tolerances, zero clearance in the interlocking fit
The positioning accuracy of the side locks directly determines the mold forming quality. CNC programming precisely controls the cutting trajectory, and the flatness, groove width, and hole spacing tolerances can be stably controlled within ±0.003mm.
The inner wall of the U-shaped jaws is precision milled, resulting in a smooth and flat surface without textures or steps. The countersunk stepped holes have uniform depth, and after the screws are tightened, the surface completely fits the mold blank, without any hanging or tilting. The paired concave and convex side locks are highly interchangeable, and any two pieces can perfectly interlock without jamming or one-sided force.
3. Wide material compatibility, balancing lightweight and high hardness/wear resistance
CNC cutting has no material restrictions, allowing free selection of raw materials according to mold conditions: lightweight 6061 aluminum alloy, tempered and wear-resistant 45# steel, high-hardness Cr12 mold steel, and corrosion-resistant stainless steel.
CNC equipment can be customized with specific speeds and feeds for different materials, preventing chipping and surface scratches when machining high-hardness steel; aluminum materials achieve a smooth, brushed surface without additional polishing, balancing processing efficiency and finished product appearance.
4. Flexible Programming, Rapid Customization of Standard/Non-standard Irregular Side Locks
The market offers a wide variety of mold specifications, with diverse needs for standard side locks, thickened heavy-duty side locks, narrow small side locks, angled irregular side locks, and extended jaw positioning blocks.
CNC machining eliminates the need for customized stamping dies; only modifications to the CNC program drawings are required. Debugging and prototyping can be completed on the same day. Flexible processing is available for both small-batch trials and large-scale mass production, overcoming the drawbacks of long processing cycles and high modification costs associated with traditional mold making.
1. High Product Consistency, Seamless Batch Mold Matching
Ordinary lathes and milling machines rely on manual operation, resulting in inconsistent side lock groove widths and flatness within the same batch. Matching failures are common when interchangeable molds.
1. CNC Equipment: The CNC equipment program uniformly replicates the machining logic, ensuring that hundreds of products have completely uniform dimensions. After bulk purchase, they can be freely allocated to different molds. Assembly eliminates the need for manual grinding and repair, significantly reducing assembly time for mold fitters.
2. Higher Finished Product Strength, Less Prone to Damage Over Long-Term Use: Traditional machining involves multiple clamping and cutting operations, easily causing stress deformation within the workpiece and leading to hidden cracks at the right-angle joints. CNC one-time forming and cutting distributes force evenly, preventing repeated compression and damage to the internal metal structure.
CNC precision milling uses a smooth transition process at the corners, eliminating stress concentration points. Under long-term high-frequency opening and closing and high-pressure impacts, the mold is less prone to corner chipping, wear, and deformation, extending its service life by 2-3 times compared to conventional machining.
3. Excellent Surface Finish, Reducing Mold Opening and Closing Wear:CNC precision machining is fine and uniform, with no burrs, rough tool marks, or uneven steps on the edge lock engagement surface. When the mold repeatedly opens and closes, sliding and rubbing, the smooth contact surface has low frictional resistance, preventing scratches on the mating edge lock surface, reducing the wear rate of the meshing gap, maintaining precise positioning over a long period, and reducing the frequency of mold maintenance.
CNC machined mold edge locks, with their four core advantages—ultra-high positioning accuracy, stable batch quality, wear resistance and long-lasting performance, and flexible customization—are widely used in household appliance injection molds, new energy battery shell molds, automotive parts die-casting molds, and precision instrument molds. With the continuous upgrading of mold precision in the manufacturing industry, CNC integrated molding edge locks have gradually replaced traditional manually machined positioning parts, becoming the standard hardware for ensuring molding accuracy and reducing defect rates in high-end molds.
Q1: Where can I get product & price information?
A1: Send us an inquiry e-mail, we will contact you once we received your mail.
Q2: How long will I get the sample?
A2: Depends on your specific items, within 3-7 days generally.
Q3: What kinds of information do you need for a quote?
A3: Kindly please provide the product drawings in PDF, if provide in STEP or IGS will be better.
Q4: What are the payment terms?
A4: We accept 50% as a payment deposit, when the goods are prepared, we shoot photos or videos for your check, and then you can pay the balance. For small quantities, we accept Paypal, the commission will be added to the order. For big amounts, T/T is preferred.
Q5: How to deliver the goods?
A5: We deliver the products by courier company.
Q6: Are you a trading company or factory?
A6: We are factory direct with 17 experienced engineers and more than 50 employees as well approximate 3,000m2 workshop area.
Q7: What shall we do if we don't have drawings?
A7: Please send your sample to our factory, then we can copy and provide you better solutions. If send us pictures or drafts with dimensions(Length, Height, Width), CAD or 3D file will be made for you.
Q8: Can we get some samples before mass production?
A8: Absolutely yes.
Q9: Will my drawings be safe after sending them to you?
Q10: Is it possible to know the operation status of my products without visiting your company?
A10: We will offer a detailed production schedule and send weekly reports with digital pictures and videos which show the machining progress.
