Solution

Mold Monitoring and Tooling Management

We build mold monitoring that records which mold ran on which machine and how many shots it made, and plans maintenance on actual shot counts.

Let's talk about your project → What we deliver

Our clients

Siemens
Anadolu Isuzu
BSH
Tofaş
Toyotetsu
Martur
Turkcell
Vodafone
Doğadan
Pakmaya
Bross
Abdi İbrahim
Nobel İlaç
Plastimak
Dalgıç Kalıp
Barbaros Motor
Magneti Marelli
Rözmaş
Sanel

A mold monitoring system tracks which mold runs on which machine, how many shots it has made and when it is due for maintenance. In injection molding, stamping and die casting, molds and dies are among the most expensive assets, yet shot counts are often written on a card. When a mold moves to another machine the count is lost, and maintenance happens either too early or after flash and dimensional problems appear.

VOLSOFT takes shot and cycle data straight from the machine: controller interfaces, OPC UA or Euromap-based interfaces on injection molding machines, PLC counters on presses. Which mold is mounted comes from the mold number in the machine, the operator terminal or a barcode or RFID read.

Because mold data lives on the same Proxus foundation as production monitoring, OEE, cycle time and scrap rate are also visible per mold.

What we deliver

Mold Monitoring

Automatic shot counter

Every shot is read from the machine and booked to the mold mounted at that moment, and the lifetime count travels with the mold between machines.
Mold-to-machine history

Which machine a mold ran on, when, and for which work orders is recorded automatically.
Shot-based maintenance

Each mold gets a preventive maintenance interval in shots, and the toolroom and planners are alerted as it approaches.
Cycle time and cavitation

Actual cycle time per mold is compared with standard, and blocked cavities are reflected correctly in part counts.
Changeover time

Mold change times are measured, giving SMED work real data instead of stopwatch samples.

How a project runs

From discovery to live, step by step

01
Mold inventory

Molds, cavity counts, standard cycle times and current maintenance intervals are collected with the toolroom.
02
Machine connectivity

Shot and cycle signals are read from injection, press or casting machines, and the mold identification method is chosen.
03
Rules and alerts

Rules for shot-based maintenance limits, cycle deviations and changeover logging are configured.
04
Dashboards and training

Views for the toolroom, planning and production go live and the paper mold card is retired.

Built on Proxus

Shot signals are counted at the Proxus edge and booked to the mounted mold; if the network drops, no shots are lost and they are forwarded once the link returns.

Proxus is the industrial data platform built by the VOLSOFT team.

Proxus edge processing ↗

Frequently asked questions

Common questions

What is a mold monitoring system?

A mold monitoring system automatically tracks which machine each mold runs on, its lifetime shot count, cycle time and maintenance due date. It replaces paper mold cards with data taken directly from the machines.

How do you track mold shot counts automatically?

Shot counts are read from the machine controller, an OPC UA or Euromap-based interface, or the cycle signal in the PLC. Each shot is booked to the mold mounted at that moment, so the lifetime count stays correct when the mold changes machines.

When should mold maintenance be done?

Mold maintenance should follow shot-count intervals defined by the moldmaker and your toolroom, not the calendar. Rising cycle time and scrap rate can signal that maintenance is needed earlier.

How does the system know which mold is mounted?

Many injection molding machines expose a mold or recipe number in the controller. Where they do not, operators select the mold on a terminal or scan a barcode or RFID tag. The method is chosen to fit your machine park.

Does it work for stamping dies and die casting?

Yes. On presses and die-casting machines the stroke or shot signal comes from the PLC and is booked to the die the same way. The tracked asset can be a mold, a die or a fixture.