Frequently Asked Questions
What types of industries do you service?
Currently, we service several mold and die industries including, plastic injection molds, rubber molds, candle molds, stamping dies, forming dies, extrusion dies, pultrusion dies, vacuum forming dies and thermal set dies.
Bales Mold Service Inc. also services the following precision tooling industries: textiles, medical, electrical, food, paper, military/defense, aerospace, small arms, automation equipment, and precision valves.
These are just a few of the industries we serve. Please call us to see if we might be able to help you with your project.
When sending a job in for polishing, what information do I need to send with it?
A clearly marked print or piece part showing all shut-off surfaces, parting lines and notes on all critical dimensions, with tolerances less than .0005 is always helpful. Also, we need to know what kind of material the mold is made from, as well as the finish required after polishing in reference to the S.P.I. scale. Bales Mold Service can consult with you to determine the best, most economical finish, if desired.
What type of materials can be coated?
At Bales Mold Service, we have the pretreatment for, and can apply any of our coatings to, the following materials:
- All tool steels
- Stainless steel
- Cold rolled steel
- Beryllium
- Copper
- Aluminum
Can areas of a part be masked or does the entire part have to be coated?
We have several different masking techniques that can be used in the application of any of our coatings, including tapes, paints and waxes. This process is very labor intensive, so we only recommend it if needed.
Is there a particular preparation needed for plating molds?
The pretreatment the mold receives at Bales Mold Service will plate any oxidation-free surface. Oxidation-free meaning there is no surface rust on steel, no white oxidation on aluminum and no tarnish or discoloration on beryllium.