Soft mould (non-silicone mold) is a mould made of NAK80 and other steel materials. The core of this material is usually pre-hardened and can be machined directly, without heat treatment after processing, so it can be put into production directly. Hard mould means that the core material of the die frame is annealed before machining, and then heat treated after machining, and then reformed by electro processing after heat treatment.
The following is a comparison of the cost, process and life of the product in the process of starting the mould
Comparison item
Soft mould
Hard mould
Price of die carrier
Same
Same
Price of mould core
Depending on the size of the product, there is a difference of several hundred to two thousand for the core material
Processing technology and working procedure
Finish cut (CNC & Electric spark)
Rough finish (CNC Quenching heat treatment hardening & Electric spark)
Follow-up treatment(polishing or Etching-stripe
Same
Same
Time for mould making
Rough finish, the hard molding need 1-2 days;
heat treatment, Soft moldings are 5-8 days less than hard ones.
total about 10 days.
Accuracy of the molding
Same
Same
Modification
Less procedure
Complicated procedure
Life cycle
10000-30000PCS
5000000PCS
Frequency and cost of mold repair
Will have rag and burr after producing thousands pieces, need repair the molding
