WEINIG MACHINERY FAQs: Templates & making templates
- PWT
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Exploring how CNC-made templates improve consistency, efficiency and accuracy in modern moulding production
Q: Why do we make templates?
A: Sometimes we lose sight of the simple things in life – and one of those is templates. They may be small, typically made of plastic, but they’re the essential starting point for all profiles made on a moulder.
Templates provide the following:
Consistency: Templates ensure each moulded part is produced with the same dimensions and specifications, maintaining uniformity across batches because knives are always ground to the same pattern.
Efficiency: Templates speed up profile grinding by providing a ready reference, reducing setup time and minimising errors on the grinder.
Accuracy: Templates serve as a benchmark for quality, which reduces the chance of deviations from the desired standard.
Cost savings: By reducing errors and waste, templates help to lower production costs.
Q: What’s the best way to make templates?
A: In a modern mill, the old days of making templates out of steel – hacksawing, filing, scratching an identifier and hardening them in an oven – are long gone. Today, an ISEL template maker – a compact 3-axis CNC router as shown here – is ideal for the job, paired with Galaad or equivalent 2D CAD drawing package.
Q: Before making a template, is there any helpful guidance?
A: To speed up the setting of a moulder, many people work with what we call an Axial Constant. This means using a single precise reference line all the way through the system – from the template to the grinder, then to the moulder.
W.P. = width of the profile
A/C. = axial constant dimension (typically 20mm, but it can be less, chosen by yourself – the key is that it remains consistent throughout your system).
NOTE: The ‘square bottom’ and ‘reference side’ must be an exact 90°.
Q: What steps are essential for making a template?
A: The profile you want to produce must be drawn in the Galaad 2D drawing package, which drives the ISEL template maker via a post-processor.
The input for this can be:
A thin wooden sample (scanned)
A CAD drawing supplied by an architect
A hand sketch with vertical and horizontal
Once the profile is drawn in CAD, a tool path is applied to cut out the template. At this stage, it’s wise to give the template a meaningful reference, which can then be engraved directly into the plastic.
A little thought here saves hours of searching later for the “right” template. Weinig UK supplies plastic strips specifically for making templates; these consist of a sandwich construction with a dark middle layer. Engraving into this layer ensures you have a clear, permanent identification.
Q: Are there any other advantages I should be aware of?
A: Yes – a key one. Many companies overlook the opportunity to produce mouldings in multiples. Hand-made templates often result in slight differences between each one. With CNC-made templates, the profile is only drawn once and then duplicated, which ensures exact replicas every time. This dramatically increases moulder productivity.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Michael Weinig (UK) Limited
T: 01235 557 600
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