The earliest application of molds, known as the "mother of industry", can be traced back to ancient times and has made indelible contributions to the development of industry. However, with the advancement of technology and the upgrading of machine tools, the mold industry is also facing impacts from various internal and external factors.

The prices of raw materials continue to rise, and manufacturing costs continue to climb

Basically, the entire manufacturing industry will be directly affected by upstream raw material prices, with the mold industry being the first to bear the brunt. In recent years, due to factors such as rising mineral prices and increased costs of labor, transportation, and land, raw material prices have skyrocketed and remained high.

The mold industry, which heavily relies on raw materials, was the first to be impacted. The rise in raw materials means that the production costs of mold manufacturing enterprises have increased, and cost competition can be said to be an important way of competition between enterprises. Under the heavy pressure of operating costs, reducing marketing costs may become one of the choices for enterprises to compress operating costs. Due to changes in raw material prices, many mold manufacturing companies have completed large orders before breaking even or losing money, which has dealt a heavy blow to their capital turnover and development.

However, speaking of which, the rise in raw material prices is a double-edged sword for enterprises and industries. From the perspective of enterprises, the rise in raw materials is not a rare opportunity for high-quality companies in industries that are more scientifically managed, lean, and efficient. The product structure of these enterprises is relatively reasonable, with a large proportion of high value-added products, and the products have certain technical barriers, are not easy to replicate, and have advantages and competitiveness in terms of price. On the contrary, the rise in raw materials will also accelerate the elimination speed of low-end and inferior enterprises, which may be a disaster for enterprises with extensive management and serious product homogenization. In the early stage, due to the high demand and low entry barriers in the coated grinding tool market, some companies relied on low price competition strategies to support themselves with meager profits. In the current situation, there is really no order worry, and orders are even more worrying. The already meager profits are all eaten up by the rising material costs, and life will be even more difficult.

3D printing brings pressure to the traditional mold industry

3D printing, as a gradually maturing emerging technology, has made rapid progress in recent years. The continuous emergence of various research results has put great pressure on the mold industry, and in some fields, it has even gradually begun to overturn mold technology, forming a direct competitive relationship with it.

Below, the editor will briefly introduce the difference between traditional molds and 3D printing. Firstly, in production applications, molds must withstand wear and tear and be cost-effective. Therefore, most molds are made of steel, and some are even made of hard alloys. 3D printing is the most suitable printing material based on the actual needs of users. Currently, the materials for 3D printing are very extensive, and new types of suitable materials are constantly emerging. Secondly, traditional molds are created using 3D modeling software such as PRO-E to draw the mold diagram, which is continuously adjusted to achieve the final molding effect, and then produced using tools such as machine tools; 3D printing adopts the additive manufacturing mode, stacking materials layer by layer to form the desired model.

Once again, regarding product usage, traditional molds are mainly used for traditional injection molding, die-casting, rubber, and stamping products; 3D printing is currently mainly used for the manufacturing of small and complex parts, while large parts need to be assembled through overall printing. Next is product strength and precision. Traditional molds have undergone years of development and mature technology, and products can confirm strength and precision according to user needs; The strength and accuracy of 3D printing are related to many comprehensive factors, such as the quality of the selected materials, the accuracy of the 3D model diagram, and the quality of the 3D printer, all of which determine the accuracy and strength of the final product.

Finally, there are processing efficiency and time. Traditional molds have fast processing speeds and good economic efficiency for large-scale production, but poor economic efficiency for single piece and small batch production; However, 3D printing takes a longer time to form and has poor economic efficiency for mass production, while single piece and small batch production have better economic efficiency.

In summary, it can be concluded that 3D printing is currently not suitable for mass production. Traditional mold manufacturing still holds a significant advantage in China's large-scale production. In the field of non batch and precision product manufacturing, molds do not have substitutability. The prospects of 3D printing applications are greater in non batch, precision, and cutting-edge product manufacturing, such as aerospace, medical equipment, and other fields. At present, 3D technology is only suitable for complex shapes in small batches of single pieces, while molds are indeed suitable for large quantities of standard and universal parts. There is no conflict between the two, but many aspects can complement each other.

Every industry will encounter various internal and external factors in its development process, and the mold industry is no exception. However, in the face of difficulties and obstacles, mold manufacturing enterprises should actively seek change, unite as one, actively embrace the arrival of the intelligent manufacturing era, enhance the technological value of products, reduce production energy consumption, and make the domestic mold industry a golden business card of Chinese manufacturing.