Extending Ejector Pin Life on a High-Cycle Connector Mold
A high-cycle connector mold was burning through standard ejector pins every 150,000 shots, with wear-driven flash and part damage forcing monthly mold stops.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
"A 32-cavity connector mold running glass-filled PBT resin suffered ejector pin wear at the pin-to-part interface. Wear caused flash around the ejector marks and dimensional drift on the connector geometry, requiring mold stops and pin replacement roughly once a month."
PAIN POINTS
- Standard SKD61 pins wore through their nitrided layer within 150,000 shots
- Wear debris contaminated the cavity surface and caused part sticking
- Monthly mold stops for pin replacement cut into production output
OUR SOLUTION
- Switched to TiN-coated ejector pins with a verified coating thickness of 3-5 microns
- Ground pins to ±0.003 mm with matched head-to-shank concentricity
- Added a pin PM check every 50,000 shots with a written condition report
MEASURED RESULTS
| Pin life before | ~150,000 shots (uncoated SKD61) |
| Pin life after | 450,000+ shots (TiN-coated), 3x improvement |
| Mold stops | From monthly to once per quarter |
| Part dimensional drift | Eliminated — CMM stable across 400,000 shots |
YOUR APPLICATION MAY DIFFER
"Send us your ejector pin drawing or part file and we will recommend the pin steel, coating and maintenance schedule for your resin and shot count."