We know molds
Some mold plate manufacturers never see their products after they’re put into service. Because SMS group has been a leader in mold maintenance, plate refurbishment and new plates for more than 40 years, we’ve seen thousands of mold plates after they’ve been in operation. More importantly, we’ve tracked and benchmarked plate performance, and we know what it takes to produce a copper plate that will provide superior performance and long service life.
State-of-the-art high-speed manufacturing
Using four advanced high-speed vertical CNC machining centers in our Oil City, Pennsylvania facility, we can efficiently machine copper plates of virtually any size to precise specifications. Because we have both three- and five-axis precision high-speed machining technology, we can accurately and quickly machine the complex contours and profiles required by many designs while holding extremely tight tolerances.
With our sophisticated CNC programming department and extensive machining experience, we are highly efficient and can be very responsive to our customers needs and requests. In addition, we are a fully certified ISO 9001 facility that adheres to strict standards and specifications throughout the entire manufacturing process.
Sophisticated modeling enhances performance
To help steel producers meet ever increasing demands to produce high quality crack-sensitive grades of steel at higher and higher speeds, we can provide optimized copper plate designs to enhance caster mold performance and throughput. Using sophisticated 2-D and 3-D thermal modeling techniques, we can redesign copper plates to optimize cooling, minimize thermal distortion and reduce internal stresses to achieve superior mold performance.
By redesigning the slot configurations for more efficient cooling, we can update existing OEM designs to meet changing operational speed and quality demands.
Specialized coatings
Our in-house coating department can provide a wide range of coatings from nickel, nickel alloy, and copper electroplating to leadingedge thermal spray coatings. Plus SMS group is the exclusive source for premium UniGuard® and NanoGuard® Mold Coatings that provide superior durability and mold copper protection.
Superior materials
Our plates are made from the highest grade copper chrome zirconium and/or silver bearing copper and sourced from multiple suppliers from around the world to meet our rigid internal specifications for metallurgical properties and material strength.
Responsive service
Because we machine and manufacture mold plates in North America, from one location, we can often reduce the lead time required to pro duce new plates, provide quicker delivery times and respond quickly to a customer’s immediate needs.
Excellent value
Because we have efficient, sophisticated machining technology, multiple sources for raw copper material, purchase large quantities of material and sell directly to our customers, we are consistently highly competitive on both large and small quantity requirements.
To find out more about how new mold plates from SMS group can help you cast faster and meet your production, performance and profit goals, call (814) 677-9400.