C & R MOLDS, INC.
2737 PALMA DRIVE
VENTURA, CA 93003
(805) 658-7093 : (805) 650-9249 Fax

The two flute insertable ball nose endmills have the ability to ramp up or down, center cut, and plunge. Single screw clamping positively locks insert into position. And the insert screw is positioned away from cutting action, so chips don't damage screw. Typically, roughing tool life of 2 to 3 hours and finishing life of 6 to 8 hours are not uncommon.

So for C&R Mold, these ball insert tools are an economical way to rough or finish mold machining in stainless, aluminum or tough tool steels and hard alloys. They reduce scrap rate, extend tool life, sharply cut tool costs and machining time, maintaining accuracy and consistency, too.

As for shop jigs and fixtures or special work-holding devices, the shop makes its own. "We try to keep as much work in-house as we can. The reason is "control." However, moldmaking is usually one of a kind so a lot of repetitive tools and fixtures are unnecessary. You do one part and that's it.

"By the time your program is finished and everything is figured out, you are done with that job. You're not building two dozen or more of something. You have to be right the first time. And we seldom use our tool changers though they're on both mills, for 24 tools. It's been three years since I had a tool in either one," he adds.

"We use a lot of special tools and make most of them ourselves. All the chamfers on the counterbores, like for a 1" to 3" leader being the standard, we also drill and tap a lot on the same machines."

The plant also houses a number of knee-mills (manual), mostly Sharp, used for small parts, components, secondary operations.

Part is a 420 stainless steel cavity for the plumbing industry. It is contour cut with Dapra insert ball nose mill cutter.
Products for the medical industry include safety syringes and infusion pump, allproducts of C & F' Mold

"They do all our water lines." C&R also does some lathe work, mostly job shop orders such as cylindrical turning for mold customers.

They have two Mori-Seiki NC lathes. Most of the turning is again one of a kind, such as multiple cavities 24 or 48, "it's so simple."

"We also use EDM a lot on our two Sodicks. Finishes are pretty important in moldmaking and EDM gives you good ones and the Dapra cutters also give us such a good finish that it takes very little followup benchwork operations. Some of our products are optical and require polishing or grinding. The shop houses three surface and one ID/OD grinder. Just about everything requires a finish grind," says Ohnemus.

C&R Mold specializes in prototype mold work where they may build a single cavity mold to get the customer's product out and then the customer will come back and want a multiple cavity. "While we'll do the prototype in aluminum we will then build the hardened tool. Class A mold.

Many mold customers require pilot plant or limited production runs of injection-molded parts, and C&R is well equipped to provide this service, including extended runs as needed. Medical industry customers, especially, can benefit from C&it's Clean Room facilities and experience.

Both Randy and partner Craig Smith are not resting in mahogany row. They're both "hands on" managers, working on machines in the shop every day alongside their employees. They enjoy it. "It's the fun part," they say.