LS Mtron
Assembly Line
Using AI to Transform Part and Mold Manufacturing
Atomic Industries, based in Warren, Michigan, already has over a dozen customers embracing Atomic’s mission to use cutting-edge digital manufacturing tools to make the best molds possible — faster and more inexpensively.
It starts with AI-designed molds with features optimized for each part. To achieve this, Atomic has partnered with LS Mtron, which has outfitted the injection molding machines (IMM) Atomic uses with 46 I/O ports to capture and leverage a wealth of process data.
“Our long-term vision is to use this technology to change the way parts are made — because ultimately, the most important part of widget production is the mold. Our goal is to commoditize the mold-building process, so when we quote a project we’ll only be quoting a part price — the cost of the mold will be rolled into that cost,” Atomic co-founder Lou Young says.
“In the industry now, when an automaker is kicking off an A-pillar, they have 20 or 30 people around the room going, ‘Here’s where we want the gates’ for one little plastic part. And the car has thousands of plastic parts in it. The AI-designed injection mold we’re building is going to have the best gate location possible for that part and the best waterline design. You won’t need 30 people sitting around a table to ensure it runs right. It’s just going to run right. That mindset will start to shift, says Young.