Predictive Maintenance for Reliable Process Stability

RKT places a high priority on mold maintenance as part of our predictive maintenance strategy. By closely monitoring the condition of all machines, molds, and equipment, we can anticipate potential issues and address them proactively. This ensures stable processes, minimizes downtime. and prevents major mold failures. A dedicated team of highly experienced specialists focuses solely on mold maintenance and repair, applying their expertise to every task.

Our maintenance programs are based on a standard framework tailored individually for each mold, taking into account the mold type, geometry, and the specific plastics being processed. Certain plastics, particularly those containing additives, require more frequent cleaning due to outgassing and deposit formation. Delicate or highly detailed molds also demand closer attention, as their intricate contours are more prone to clogging. In general, routine maintenance involves thorough cleaning and condition assessment rather than repair or full overhauls.

RKT’s maintenance strategy is structured into three distinct service levels: A-Service, B-Service, and C-Service, each designed to match the specific requirements of the mold, the material, and the production process.

A-Service: During Injection Molding Production

A-Service is performed at the injection molding machine per a predefined maintenance schedule tailored to the product, mold, and plastic being processed. This can be performed as often as every four hours, but at a minimum of once per day. Depending on production requirements, it may be performed as frequently as every four hours, but at least once per day. The service primarily involves opening the mold and removing deposits, with additional tasks such as degreasing to protect against wear. Cleaning may also involve dry ice blasting or other appropriate techniques. All maintenance activities are recorded in a machine logbook to ensure full traceability, and cleaning can be performed using methods such as dry ice blasting or other appropriate techniques.

Cleaning via dry ice blasting

Regreasing for wear protection

B-Service: Mold Maintenance in the Tool Shop

When a mold reaches its defined service interval, it is removed from the injection molding machine and disassembled for inspection and maintenance in the tool shop. While guided by a standard maintenance plan, the procedure is largely customized to the specific mold and the material being processed. Each component is thoroughly cleaned, and any signs of wear or potential damage are identified. Areas subject to higher stress may require more frequent attention. For example, the entire mold may undergo B-Service after 300,000 shots, while the stationary nozzle side may be maintained after just 100,000 shots.

Cleaning is performed using a variety of methods, including standard cleaning water, dry ice blasting, ultrasonic baths, or plastic blasting with specialized granulates. All maintenance intervals and procedures are recorded in RKT’s SAP ERP system, ensuring full traceability of all mold activities.

Cleaning

Ultrasonic bath

Documentation of maintenance

C-Service: Comprehensive Mold Analysis and Wear Management

In addition to A- and B-Service, RKT offers C-Service for molds that require a more in-depth, individualized approach. This comprehensive maintenance is tailored to the specific demands of the mold, production volume, and required product quality, and is typically agreed upon on a case-by-case basis. C-Service is especially suitable for high-volume molds, such as continuous-run systems operating around the clock. During the service, the mold is fully disassembled and extensively cleaned, including cooling channels and hot runner systems. All components are carefully inspected for wear, and performance data and key metrics are analyzed. Based on these findings, RKT provides recommendations for proactive replacement or stocking of spare parts, enabling timely exchanges and ensuring consistent mold performance and product quality.

Analysis of wear parts

Cleaning and rusting removal

How Are Mold Maintenance Intervals Determined?

RKT’s predictive maintenance strategy leverages our extensive experience to set initial conservative intervals to minimize any risk of quality issues from contamination or deposits. If inspections show remains in optimal condition, the maintenance schedule is adjusted and extended based on the shot count. The objective is to identify the optimal timing to delay maintenance as much as possible without compromising product quality. Because maintenance requires production downtime, machine restart, reheating, and sorting of start-up parts, selecting the right interval is critical which is something our experienced maintenance team manages with expertise.

Spare Parts Management

Spare parts management is a key component of RKT’s predictive maintenance approach. For each mold, critical components such as cores, slides, and ejectors are identified and either kept in stock or procured in advance when maintenance schedules indicate an upcoming need. Many of these parts are pre-validated, which is especially important in the medical industry to ensure production can resume immediately. In addition to molds, we monitor and manage spare parts for injection molding machines and associated equipment, using our operating system to prevent failures and minimize production downtime.

Mold Repair

Necessary repairs identified during maintenance are carried out almost exclusively in our in-house tool shop, including specialized work such as welding. We also have the expertise to handle repairs on molds with microstructured surfaces. Whether the entire mold or only the repaired sections require re-validation, and whether this release is performed by RKT or the customer is determined individually in coordination with the customer and RKT’s Quality Assurance department.

In the event of unanticipated mold issues requiring immediate attention, our shop floor project prioritization system ensures rapid response. Molds affecting delivery deadlines are automatically given higher priority. All team members can view the current priorities in the system, enabling tasks to be allocated efficiently to maintain production continuity.

Continuous Improvement Process

Our maintenance strategy is dynamic and continuously evolving. We monitor all processes, regularly review their effectiveness, and implement optimizations wherever possible. The continuous improvement of our maintenance concept includes risk-based spare parts management, seamless documentation of all maintenance and repairs in the ERP system, and the ongoing evaluation of new techniques, materials, and procedures. This ensures that our processes remain efficient, reliable, and aligned with the highest quality standards.