Lost-wax casting is one of the oldest systems to produce jewelry, which has evolved over millennia from handmade art to industrial production. Thanks to the advent of industrial automation, machinery evolution and the possibility of data exchange, new injections have an extraordinary degree of technological sophistication.
The automatic wax injection system is undoubtedly one of the most effective apparatus to ensure quality pieces that are perfectly reproducible in the shortest possible time. Let’s see why.
Production speed increases productivity
Compared to the traditional, manual system, the automatic injection has a huge advantage: it saves time. The manual system takes much longer and is less precise. The worker, in fact, has to stop after the injection to check the level of wax in the mold and the correct filling of all the cavities.
With the traditional method, the worker brings the mold in front of the nozzle and presses it to have the wax injected inside the silicone rubber mold. The process is entirely manual, without pre-set parameters. For every injection, the worker has to open the mold to check that the injected wax is enough and that every cavity of the mold has been filled perfectly.
This means two things:
- Workers waste their time in checking the process when they could be employed in other activities
- If the injection is not successful, the process must be repeated from the beginning
Now let us consider the second issue in terms of time management, which is the waste produced by the injection’s poor accuracy. The manual system, therefore, takes up precious time, which could be strategically invested. Moreover, it is likely to halt production in order to correct the unsuccessful injections. Beyond the quality issue, we could affirm that the manual system is extremely detrimental for time optimization.
Automatic injection: time advantages
Automatic injectors are equipped with an automatic mold loader. Once the rubber molds have been loaded, the self-centering clamp takes the mold and brings it in front of the nozzle, where the wax is injected.
With our automatic injectors, it is possible to set the injection time and pressure through an intuitive touch-screen interface. All the parameters will be saved in memory and replicated with the utmost precision without any intervention.
This process does not involve any stops or check of the work in progress because once the values are set, we can be absolutely sure of the injection’s quality. And this leads us to the second advantage in terms of time: production is successful on the first try. There is no extra time needed to correct errors, so we can proceed with the subsequent steps of the lost-wax casting process.
Automation and technology for maximum quality results
The automatic injection system shortens production time and prevents errors. Its advantages, thus, do not end there. With an automatic wax injector, the quality of the wax model increases and, consequently, the final results of the piece.
Automatic injectors are faster, but they are also more precise. This allows the production of wax model that are perfectly identical to the model to be replicated. And if every injection is successful, the investment is fully optimized, with no waste at all.
Manual injection always involves a margin for error. The automatic one, on the other hand, can be pre-set on established parameters to avoid waste of time and material. Let’s see how.
RFID technology at the service of efficiency
Masterix automatic injectors also work with RFID technology (Radio Frequency Identification), which allows digital automatic identification. Basically, all working parameters, called recipes (amount of wax, injection time and pressure) are stored on the microchip.
The microchip exchanges this data with the injectors, which injects the exact required amount of wax into each mold for the right time and with the predefined pressure, with no risk of error.
We can use two different systems for exchanging recipe data: through tag or through sticker. In the first case, all the information for the injection is stored inside a kind of “pill” that is vulcanized inside the mold. In the second case, information is recorded on a sticker that is placed on the surface of the mold.
The technique changes, but not the final result: the injection is driven by the collected data. There is no need to keep a worker occupied and, above all, the injection is perfect every time, without opening the mold to check.
Automatic injection system, in conclusion, provides a substantial benefit to the entire lost-wax casting process. Injection is faster and more precise, resulting in increased productivity.
Both medium-sized companies and larger factories can leverage automation competitively, to increase annual rate growth, improve quality and reduce labor costs.
