Is a mold delivery time of 45 days reasonable? Periodic disassembly

Is a mold delivery time of 45 days reasonable? Periodic disassembly
A conventional wheel hub mold has a tight but achievable cycle of 45 days from order placement to T0, provided that there is no waiting in the design, material preparation, and processing stages.
The design phase takes 7-10 days
The four steps of structural review, pouring system design, waterway layout, and simulation verification usually take 7-10 days.
The customer confirmation process is the easiest to delay. It usually takes 2-3 days to make one round of drawings back and forth, but changing two rounds will consume a week.
Xinfeng Mold will pre confirm the nodes in the wheel hub mold project and lock the product data synchronously when signing the contract to reduce mid process changes.
The material preparation stage takes 5-12 days
The standard specifications of H13 forgings are available in stock and can be delivered within 5-7 days. Non standard sizes or electric slag remelting materials require 10-15 days.
If the mold frame is made of integral castings, the cycle time is 5-8 days longer than that of welded parts. The production of wooden molds requires an additional 3-5 days.
During peak season when materials are scarce, the preparation period may be extended to 20 days. This is the biggest uncertainty in the 45 day cycle.
The processing stage takes 20-25 days
Rough machining of the cavity takes 3-5 days, heat treatment takes 5-7 days, precision machining takes 7-10 days, and research and polishing takes 5-7 days.
Heat treatment is a serial process and cannot be carried out in parallel with processing. Quenching and tempering three times already require more than 5 days.
The working hours for five axis precision machining depend on the complexity of the surface. The appearance of the wheel type is 3-5 days longer than the conventional wheel type.
The trial stage takes 3-5 days
Assembly, takeover, machine debugging, and first piece inspection usually take 3-5 days. If mold modification is required, add 5-10 days.
T0 non-compliance is the norm. Counting the time from T0 to T1 into the delivery time, 45 days is not enough, it actually takes 60-70 days.
Therefore, the "delivery date" in the contract should be clearly defined as either T0 or mass production acceptance. The difference between the two is 20-30 days.
What situations may cause delays
The first is the change of product data. Changing the wheel shape requires a complete redesign and manufacturing process.
The second issue is the delay in material delivery. The fluctuation of steel delivery time during peak season is a common reason for delays.
The third is the trial mold scheduling. The trial molding machines in the mold factory are limited, and it takes 3-7 days to queue up during peak seasons.
How to delay the delivery date
Design in parallel. Before freezing product data, conduct a process review and directly generate drawings after freezing.
Pre investment of materials. Pre stocking commonly used specifications can save 5-7 days.
Outsourcing of processes. Outsourcing heat treatment and five axis machining can shorten the cycle, but quality control is required.
How to read the production schedule
The production schedule should show the equipment occupancy and process connection, not just the delivery date. The production schedule with only dates has no information content.
Focus on the scheduling of the bottleneck processes of heat treatment and five axes. These two blockages are useless no matter how fast the previous and subsequent processes are.
The cost of urgency
Urgent delivery is usually achieved through inserting orders, which may crowd out other projects. The expedited fee is commonly 5% -10% of the contract amount.
A more secure approach is to ship in batches. Submit one set for trial molding first, and then supplement the other set to alleviate node pressure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can a wheel hub mold be made in 45 days?
Answer: Conventional wheel types are acceptable until T0.
Q: How long does it take to include T1?
Answer: Usually 60-70 days, depending on the modulus of change.
Question: What is the easiest link to delay?
Answer: Material preparation and trial mold scheduling.
Question: How long does the design take?
Answer: 7-10 days, including simulation and confirmation.
Q: Can heat treatment be carried out in parallel?
Answer: No, quenching and tempering are serial processes.
Q: How to shorten the delivery time?
Answer: Parallel design, material pre investment, and outsourcing of processes.
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