Swing Bolt Demold System

A production-floor redesign that eliminated removable hardware, preserved mold alignment, and reduced demolding time by 83%.

Organization

Globe Composite Solutions

DateSpring 2026

RoleManufacturing Engineering Co-op

Core SkillsMachining · Assembly · Process Improvement

Swing bolt demold system installed on a production mold, with close-ups of the hardware — Swing bolts installed on a production mold, with close-ups of the retained hardware.

Reduction83%Reduction in demolding time

Cycle time12 → 2 minApproximate cycle-time improvement

Savings$380K+Projected annual labor savings

The Problem

A repeated bottleneck on every cycle.

The existing process required operators to completely remove ten bolts every time a mold was opened. Because the side bars rarely aligned correctly during reassembly, employees often had to use mallets to force the bolts back into place.

This added time to every cycle, created opportunities to lose hardware, and caused inconsistent alignment that could lead to part leakage and dimensional variation.

The Solution

Keep the alignment. Keep the hardware.

I designed and built a swing-bolt mechanism using scrap aluminum and off-the-shelf McMaster-Carr hardware. I machined the components, coordinated CNC drilling and tapping of the steel mold structure, and assembled the system using swing bolts and shoulder bolts.

The design kept one mold face attached to the side bars so alignment remained fixed. Operators now loosen the bolts, rotate them away, and open the mold without removing hardware.

Demolding demonstration shown at 2× speed.

Results

Faster, safer, and more repeatable.

Demolding time dropped from approximately 12 minutes to 2 minutes. The redesign eliminated loose hardware, reduced mallet use, maintained alignment, produced straighter parts, and eliminated leakage caused by misaligned mold faces.

Implementation cost was approximately $100–$200 per mold because the system used mostly scrap aluminum and standard hardware.