• Reduces the chance of damage to the part due to friction during release
• Reduces wear and tear and chances of damage to the mold
• Ensures a uniform, smooth, unscratched finish when required
• Ensures the integrity and uniformity of other surface finishes and textures
• Reduces overall cooling time by lessening or eliminating the need for unconventional ejection setups
• Most, if not all, of these benefits offer either direct or indirect overall production cost reductions

• Mold-Tech texture specifications
• Mold-Tech texture depth 
• Mold-Tech texture draft angle spec
• Mold-Tech texture deep Inch-meter conversion chart

• Yick Sang YS-20001 series mold texture technical data sheet
• Yick Sang YS-20001 series texture surface roughness
• Yick Sang YS-20001 series texture draft angle chart
• Yick Sang YS-20001 series texture specifications
• Yick Sang YS-20001 series texture standards
• Yick Sang YS-20001 series mold texture polishing finish
• Yick Sang YS-20001 series texture guidelines
• Yick sang standards for texturization

Yick Sang Texture is the Pioneers of the mold texturing in China, Yick Sang Texturing is used on multi-industry, such as:

• Automotive
• Mobile
• Household
• Electronic
• Office

Yick Sang Surface Finish technology datasheet what is guiding the part and mould design with a correct draft angle for injection molding.

• Reduces the chance of damage to the part due to friction during release
• Reduces wear and tear and chances of damage to the mold
• Ensures a uniform, smooth, unscratched finish when required
• Ensures the integrity and uniformity of other surface finishes and textures
• Reduces overall cooling time by lessening or eliminating the need for unconventional ejection setups
• Most, if not all, of these benefits offer either direct or indirect overall production cost reductions

Injection mould tooling can be textured by different means, which may vary according to tool manufacture method, timescale, budget, material and supplier facility limitation.
Aluminum tooling (and others) which is typically machined rapidly by a CNC process often uses bead, sand or vapour blasting to minimise budget and time. In practice, the final surface varies by supplier and can be influenced by the personal technique of the operator as well as the precise bead/abrasive material used. I’ve found it best to obtain moulded sample parts from the moulder/toolmaker in question, so that their specific process can be seen and approved, with their sample becoming the standard reference for all parties to abide by.

Steel tooling, where spark erosion may be used to define final surfaces, can utilize the various textures available by the spark erosion/EDM techniques. Those are well defined and controlled by standards and applied by most suppliers. Guide plaques and reference strips are available for these and can be obtained from the machine manufacturers as well as other engineering supply houses/sources, Such sources can generally also supply polishing grading and gloss finish grading bars for other material finishes. These are commonly used to keep time and budgets tight. But sparking creates sharp cavities with a hardened surface. This may or may not be desirable. Sharp textures do hold dirt more than softer forms.

Where time and budget is available, the best and widest range of textures to the source is the proprietary photo-etched patterns, available from various suppliers, all of whom can provide full sample books and individually moulded plaques. and Akron, are examples. These companies produce specific easy-clean textures with soft form cavities, developed for the vehicle industry to aid in keeping bumpers and suchlike looking good for the customer.

With all texturing, draft angles must be allowed, dependent on the depth of surface change. Otherwise scuffing will occur during part ejection.

• Mold tech texture draft requirements
• Injection mold texture standards
• Mold tech texture chart
• Mold texture specifications
• Mold texture technology
• Mold texture depth
• Mold texture draft angle
• Mold texture standards

The SPI is that Society of the Plastics Industry  sets standard for plastics industry in the United States that identifies the cosmetic quality of plastics, Upmold uses  the SPI standard to define finish of plastic injection molded parts.
There are twelve grades of finishes specified by the SPI in four categories that range from shiny to dull. Each grade has different requirements for allowable deviation from perfect, with lower numbers allowing for less deviation and higher numbers allowing for more deviation.
Below specifications provide guidelines for mold surface finishes as provided by the UP MOLD.  For more information visit Tooling Manufacturing.

• SPI texture standard
• SPI mold finish standards
• Plastic surface finish chart
• SPI mold finish Guide
• Mold surface finish standards
• SPI Mold finish comparison 
• Injection mold  surface finish standards
• Injection molding surface finish
• Mold surface finish
• SPI surface finish specification
• SPI surface finish chart
• SPI surface finish standards

SPI a1 is comparable to RA.0-1 made by #3 diamond buff
SPI a2 is slightly finer than a1 and RA.1-2 made by #6 diamond buff
SPI a3 has more imperfections than a2 and RA.2-3 made by #15 diamond buff

SPI b1 is finer than a3 and RA.2-3 made by 600 grit
SPI b2 is slightly finer than b1 and RA.4-5 made by 400 grit
SPI b3 is comparable to RA.9-10 made by 320 grit

SPI c1 is finer than b3 and RA.10-12 made by 600 stone
SPI c2 is slightly finer than c1 and RA.25-28 made by 400 stone
SPI c3 is comparable to RA.38-42 made by 320 stone

SPI d1 is finer than c3 and RA.10-12 made by #11 glass bead sandblasting
SPI d2 is comparable to RA.26-32 made by 240 aluminum oxide sandblasting
SPI d3 is a little more coarse than d2 and RA.190-230 made by #24 aluminum oxide sandblasting

Shiny Finishes

SPI-A1, A2, A3

Semi-Gloss Finishes

SPI-B1, B2,B3

Matte to Dull

SPI-D1,D2,D3

Texture

SPI-D1,D2,D3

To assure clean ejection of your part, we suggest using a simple rule for determining draft:

1.5 – 2 degrees of draft per .001” in texture depth

Texture depth can be reduced in specific areas and/or the texture pattern can be ‘softened’ on surfaces where there are ejection concerns.

Part design, part size, molding materials, texture construction, and other molding factors have a significant impact on ejection issues.  Mold-Tech has the largest staff of technical advisors in the industry. We are available for early involvement in your project to assure that your decorating ideas are realized on your product.

To assure that your molds are successfully textured, Mold-Tech has formulated the largest selection of mold etchants in the industry.   Standard tool materials such as P-20, H-13, S-7, 01, A1, A2, A6, 420 stainless, beryllium copper, kirksite, forged, wrought and cast aluminums have all been textured successfully.

Since your tooling material choices can significantly affect the texture appearance, Mold-Tech’s Technical Advisors are always available to discuss and test your specific material preferences.

To assure that your texture pattern shows clean and without any surface flaws, we recommend the following surface finishes:

• 400 paper (SPI B-2) for textures less than .001” deep.
• 400 stone (SPI C-2) for textures between .001” and .003” deep.
• 320 stone (SPI C-3) for textures over .003” deep.

Gloss on a part is typically measured with a 60-degree gloss meter. The gloss number represents the percentage of light that is reflected off of the part. The gloss on a part is the result of many factors coming together: molding material, tool temperature, material temperature, venting, cycle time, wall stock thickness, texture patterns, mold coatings, etc.

Mold-Tech uses a variety of blast media to help set the final gloss on the mold surface.  Each part has its own factors to consider – contact us to discuss specific needs, factors and expectations.

With many gloss targets being pushed lower, Mold-Tech has developed a laser-generated micro overlay texture called MicroMatte – lowering gloss and giving a rich and realistic appearance to textures.

If you are considering welding on a surface that is to be textured, proper welding procedures will greatly increase the final outcome of the texture appearance.

• The mold should be pre-heated prior to welding, welded while the mold is hot, and annealed after welding. Contact the steel supplier for proper welding procedures and weld rod material.
• Any difference in hardness, composition or texture structure in the welded area when compared to the parent metal tends to produce an irregularity in the texture appearance after etching. When proper welding procedures are followed, differences can be minimized and welds become easier to blend-in and repair to a very acceptable level.
• If you are unsure of the direction to proceed with welding, Mold-Tech can help – with decades of experience to draw from as well as relationships with the steel manufacturers and welders, we can help give you the latest information you need to achieve the best results.

1.Completely dis-assemble mold – only send components to be textured.