Nowadays, miniature parts are generally used in aerospace industry, automobile industry, biomedical optics industry, electronics industry, information technology industry,telecommunications industry, etc. Thus higher demands are made on the manufacturing technology of miniature parts.
In order to decline costs continually, most miniature parts are produced with moulds. This trend presents new challenges to
mould producers.
The challenges include employing new aerospace materials, using special mould coatings, milling accessories to sub-micro levels with a cutter that has a diameter of 0.1mm and so on.
The complex internal structure of miniature parts also bring new opportunities for mould manufacturers, especially for those with high technology.
In general speaking, manufacture of simple and not very difficult moulds will be transferred to countries with low labor cost. Therefore, manufacturers in the USA and Europe will focus on researching technologies applied in miniature moulds and micro milling. This would make them to stay at the leading positions in competition.
In China, demands on low and medium class moulds are large and can be meet all the time. However,
high grade moulds in China now are in short supply. The demands greatly exceed supply. What is more, Chinese technologies in manufacturing miniature moulds are unskilled. And there are only a few enterprises that have noticed the importance of miniature moulds. It is urgent for China mould industry to undergo structural change.
