In today’s world everyone is always looking for the best deal they can find. Unfortunately everyone markets themselves as the solution to all your problems, and this leads to confusion when selecting a supplier. It’s not until it’s too late that you actually know whether or not you have chosen the right path. I’m here to tell you that in the Plastic Injection Molding world there is a way to get the most bang for your buck EVERY TIME, and that is Round Mate.

Round Mate is an interchangeable modular molding system

Although it is not as well-known as its main competitor, MUD, it is a much better option. Round Mate provides you with not only the ability for quick change overs (10 minutes), but it also contains its own water cooling system. Unlike MUD, Round Mate is accurate to 0.0002”. Every Round Mate base is equipped with full-sized leader pins, guided ejection and a Die Clad coating for wear resistance. Also, don’t let the Round Mate name fool you, Round Mate is capable of molding any shaped part with almost any feature. Round Mates have the ability to mold parts that require auto-unscrewing, 3-plate gating, 2 stage ejection, side action, and even sleeve ejection. Now at this point you probably feel that you are reading just another sales pitch, and up to this point it kind of is, but now it’s time to demonstrate the real beauty of Round Mate.

It's not only about the initial purchase, it's about saving money as you grow

Getting the most bang for your buck is not just about saving on your initial purchase. It’s also about how the initial purchase saves you money in the future. Well the Round Mate system is unique in this aspect because it has the ability to be vertically expandable. This means that if you first purchase a 4 cavity Round Mate tool, and then years down the road your volumes increase to the point that a 4 cavity tool just isn’t enough, you can simply purchase a second 4 cavity Round Mate tool and utilize a 2 position frame.

Now there are some that would argue that you could do the same with a dedicated tool or a MUD tool and run both 4 cavities in 2 different presses. While this may be true, it is very costly to tie up 2 machines just for an increase in volume. With the Round Mate 2 position solution, you are able to run both of your 4 cavity Round Mates, utilizing only one frame and one press. This takes your initial investment and carries its value over to the 2 position. Therefore, if you started with a dedicated 4 cavity tool, and then wanted to move to an 8 cavity, you would have sacrifice your original 4 cavity tool and lose out on that asset.

This is not just something that looks good on paper either. We had a real customer that had real problems, and they were grateful that they had the Round Mate System in their facility from the start. This customer well-exceeded what I have explained previously. Our customer first started out with a Single Position Round Mate Insert with 16 cavities for a new product line that they were going to produce. A couple of months after their initial launch they realized that they had severely underestimated the demand they would face. Their first reaction was to move to a dedicated 64 cavity mold, and completely disregard their initial 16 cavity tool. Fortunately for them, they had invested in the Round Mate System from the beginning. We were able to take their initial 16 cavity tool, and create a 4 position Master Frame. This frame would house 4 Round Mate inserts, all identical to the first. The only capital investment our customer had to make was for the 4 position Master Frame. If you couple the cost of the Master Frame, along with the 3 new sets of 16 cavity Round Mate Insert Sets, it was a savings of more than $10,000.

Everyone wants a deal, but the key is getting a deal that keeps on dealing

With Round Mate, your savings are exponential. Every tool you purchase that utilizes the Round Mate System saves you money when you compare it to buying a dedicated tool. With a Round Mate tool you’re not continually purchasing steel, or spending hours doing drill chase work on a frame. This is how the Round Mate System saves you money upfront. And the customer’s story I have told is how you keep saving money in the future. No matter how big or small a project is, if it can fit into the Round Mate System you can ensure that with Round Mate you are always getting the most bang for your buck.

If you have any questions or comments regarding the Round Mate Product line please feel free to email me at pguajardo@teamppi.com or call me @ 937-844-2158.