Automated CNC Mold Polishing and In-Process Quality Control Integrated Technologies

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Mold making is a time-consuming and high-cost industry, with several recent advancements in milling automation that have successfully addressed these concerns, providing companies with the ability to produce greater quantities and higher precision molds. Despite these advancements, mold polishing, the final mold making process and critical step to ensuring mold precision, has not seen such technological intervention. Mold polishing currently represents approximately 12-15% of the entire manufacturing costs and 20-30% of the manufacturing time, as this process, as well as quality control inspection, is conducted manually. Our proposed project aims to develop a fully automated mold polishing and in-process quality control system and to implement it into Windsor Mold Group's operations. By doing so, Windsor Mold Group, a global competitor in the mold, tool, die, and machining industry, will have the ability to offer their clients quicker turn-around times, lower costs, and higher precision molds, while meeting increasingly high client demands from aerospace and automotive sectors. After patent protection, it is expected that there will be an uptake of this technology by much of the industry, especially in Windsor-Essex where there is a large cluster of Canada's mold making companies. This uptake will ultimately result Canada being recognized as an innovative leader in mold production, with a competitive advantage in national and international markets. St. Clair College, as a partner in the proposed project, will also benefit from this technology development, as it will be able to offer its students specialized training and education on a globally high-demand system, as well as local job opportunities.