Date: 2015-02-25

MOULD STANDARD Version no: 5:2

INJECTION MOULDING

Issued by Signature Authorised by Signature Replaces:

Mats Kjellsson Anders Persson 5:1
Plastic category / IKEA of Sweden/
Mould Purchaser Material expert

Contact information at IKEA

Mats Kjellsson / email: mats.kjellsson@ikea.com / mobile phone: +46 730 69 79 60

CONTENTS
1. OVER ALL INFORMATION
2. PARTING LINES AND ORIENTATION OF PART(S)
3. UNDERCUTS
4. DRAFT ANGLES
5. PLACEMENT OF GATE(S) AND FLOW ANALYSIS
6. RUNNER SYSTEM
7. VENTING
8. TEMPERING
9. EJECTION
10. STEEL AND OTHER MATERIAL(S)
11. MOULD BASE AND ACCESORIES
12. TOLERANCES AND MEASUREMENTS
13. SAFETY
14. LIFTING OF MOULD & MOULD PARTS
15. MOULD MARKING
16. PACKAGING, DELIVERY, HANDLING
17. MAINTENANCE
18. DOCUMENTATION
19. MOLD PERFORMANCE TESTS

1. OVERALL INFORMATION:
1.1. No exceptions from this mould standard are accepted unless written consent
by IKEA.
1.2. Responsibility of the mould design, expected life time acc to IKEA Mould
Assignment and assurance of fulfilment of the requirements for the article /
product lies with the product supplier of IKEA.
1.3. All moulds (base) shall be painted in colour IKEA Blue: NCS 4550-R80B.

2. PARTING LINE(S) AND ORIENTATION OF PART(S):

2.1. Consider where the parting line(s) does not disturb the function(s) of the
product. For instance a visible surface should not be divided by a parting
plane unless a written agreement is made with the IKEA product supplier.
2.2. It is important to consider the orientation of the part so it follows the moveable
half of the mould; it is not permitted to make undercuts to “help” the part to
stay in the right half unless a written agreement is made with the IKEA
product supplier.
 Date: 2015-02-25
MOULD STANDARD Version no: 5:2
INJECTION MOULDING

Issued by Signature Authorised by Signature Replaces:

Mats Kjellsson Anders Persson 5:1
Plastic category / IKEA of Sweden/
Mould Purchaser Material expert

2.3. Consider the function and visibility of the different areas of the part and
design the mould so the most visible part is not subjected to marks from
ejector pins and other moving parts of the mould.

Red surfaces are visible so they should

be done without parting lines if possible.
Fixed half without
marks except
from needle valve
gate

Moveable half
The thin blue line illustrates with ejector
the parting line marks.

3. UNDERCUTS:
3.1. Identify the undercuts and solve them as simple as possible. For instance
they might be made with no moving parts if the part is oriented in a suitable
way (without disturbing other functions).
3.2. Normal undercuts, such as holes through the parts walls, should, if possible,
be driven by angled pins with an angle not succeeding 15°. The sliders must
have a support with an additional angle of 2°.
3.3. Longer movements can be driven by hydraulic- or pneumatic cylinders in
agreement with the IKEA product supplier. Also other forms of mechanical
devices can be used. Other types of undercuts can be made just by the
flexibility of the plastic material, consider if the mould design has allowance
for the movement of the plastic part when it is forced over the undercut.

4. DRAFT ANGLES
4.1. It is important that the draft angles are correct in consideration to the
preferred surface structure.
4.2. Also make sure that the part follows the moveable half when the mould is
opened. As stated earlier, we do not normally allow undercuts as a mean for
pulling the part to the right half.

5. PLACEMENT OF GATE(S) AND FLOW ANALYSIS:

5.1. First consideration is what type of gate to use and if a gate rest is permitted.
This has to be done in accordance to the requirements of the article.
 Date: 2015-02-25
MOULD STANDARD Version no: 5:2
INJECTION MOULDING

Issued by Signature Authorised by Signature Replaces:

Mats Kjellsson Anders Persson 5:1
Plastic category / IKEA of Sweden/
Mould Purchaser Material expert

• Normally IKEA prefers needle valves for all moulds.

5.2. Normal consideration of placement of gates should be taken such as:
• Possibility to fill the part without extensive requirement on injection
pressure.
• Consideration of weld lines and weak areas.
• Risk for air traps.
• Risk of degrading the material due to shear and stress.
• Clamping force.
• Cycle time.
5.3. Also esthetical issues should be considered. Gating on surfaces that are
visible must be avoided as far as possible.
5.4. A flow analysis is always required and must be documented. Responsible is
the IKEA product supplier.
• Filling + Balance + Holding pressure + Cooling + Warping are examples
of different levels.
5.5. The result of the analysis shall be presented to an IKEA representative.

6. RUNNER SYSTEM:
6.1. If a cold runner system is used it is important to assure that the waste is
minimized.
6.2. If a family mould is made it is important to consider if it should be possible
to mould the parts separately (for instance by rotating the sprue bushing).
6.3. The runner system must be balanced so the pressure and flow is equalized
in all the cavities. This applies both for cold- and hot runners.
6.4. If a three-plate system is used, the opening of the middle plate has to be
done with mechanical latches.
6.5. Only standard, well known complete hot runner systems will be approved.
Recommended hot runner system includes: Incoe, Moldmaster, Synventive,
Husky, Hasco, HRS, DME, Yudo, Thermoplay, Unitemp-Mould tip,
Thermoject, and Master flow.
6.6. The hot runner system shall be decided by the IKEA product supplier
6.7. Max one shot volume should be contained in the hot runner system, if
possible.
6.8. The hot runner supplier must supply locally spare parts, service and support
to the mould supplier and moulder, during the design of the mould and in
the testing of the approved mould.
6.9. The hot runner system should be designed for quick changes of colour/raw
material when applicable.
6.10. Hot runner ID-plate shall be attached on the operator side of the mould as
shown below:
 Date: 2015-02-25
MOULD STANDARD Version no: 5:2
INJECTION MOULDING

Issued by Signature Authorised by Signature Replaces:

Mats Kjellsson Anders Persson 5:1
Plastic category / IKEA of Sweden/
Mould Purchaser Material expert

7. VENTING:
7.1. Correct venting must be assured by the mould supplier.
7.2. A comparison to the mould filling analysis must be performed to optimize
the position of the venting.

8. TEMPERING:
8.1. A water diagram of the core- and cavity half shall be attached on the operator
side of the mould.

8.2. Tempering channels shall be designed to achieve:

• An even tempering.
• An optimized cooling time.
• Multiple tempering circuits to enable flexible connections.
• A turbulent flow shall be achieved with a Reynolds no not below 4000.
 Date: 2015-02-25
MOULD STANDARD Version no: 5:2
INJECTION MOULDING

Issued by Signature Authorised by Signature Replaces:

Mats Kjellsson Anders Persson 5:1
Plastic category / IKEA of Sweden/
Mould Purchaser Material expert

8.3. The pressure drop and flow needs to be measured as a reference for running
production with the mould to verify when the need of maintenance/cleaning of
the tempering channels are required.
• Cleaning of the tempering channels shall be done when the pressure drop
has increased and the flow decreased by 10%.
8.4. The temperatures for ”IN” and “OUT” of the tempering channels shall be
measured and documented during normal processing settings.
• IKEA request the temperature difference between “IN” and “OUT” should be
less than 6°C while running under stable conditions.
8.5. Plugs and baffles in the tempering channels should be manufactured of non-
corrosive and non-electrolytic materials.
8.6. All seals and o-rings should be made of VITON.
8.7. Leak testing of the tempering is required. This should be performed with
minimum 7 bar water pressure. No leakage is permitted.

9. EJECTION:
9.1. Consider the different types of ejectors (Cylindrical pins, sleeves, flat pin or
strippers)
• Always use standard components if possible.
9.2. The ejection system balance and required force must be considered to avoid
deformation and/or visual defects.
9.3. Withdrawal of the ejector plates must be done with return pins or another kind
of mechanical device.
9.4. Use a coupled rod to connect the ejector plates to the ejection movement on
the injection moulding machine.
9.5. If there is a risk of interference between ejector(s) and slider(s), a safety
protection system must be fully integrated (a micro switch signal the home
position of the ejector plates before closing the mould).
9.6. Guiding for ejector plates should be equipped with ball bushings or self-
lubricant bushings at all times.
9.7. If a two-step ejection is required, consider what moves first and how to
achieve this.
9.8. If a stripper plate is to be moved by the mould opening it should be done by
mechanical latches or hydraulic cylinder.

10. STEEL AND OTHER MATERIAL(S):

10.1. All used materials shall be off well documented quality from established
global brands such as: Uddeholm (Assab), SSAB (Toolox), Thyssen,
Groditz , DAIDO, FINKL.
10.2. When, for instance, narrow sections with high heat concentration that are
difficult to temper occurs; inserts for intensified cooling shall be made from
Beryllium Copper or Moldmax.
 Date: 2015-02-25
MOULD STANDARD Version no: 5:2
INJECTION MOULDING

Issued by Signature Authorised by Signature Replaces:

Mats Kjellsson Anders Persson 5:1
Plastic category / IKEA of Sweden/
Mould Purchaser Material expert

10.3. The decision of material quality should be based on (in order):

• Sensitivity of the product:
• Steel to be hardened.
• Steel already pre-hardened.
• No hardening required.
• Surface finish or structure.
• Coating.
• Raw material (Resin).
• Tempering requirements.
• Size of mould.
• Expected number of shots.
• Sensitivity to corrosion.
• Environment.
10.4. Heat treatment – when heat treatment (hardening) is required. It must be
done by the steel producer or by them recommended companies.
10.5. The hardness has to be certificated; the certificate shall be attached to the
file delivered with the mould.

11. MOULD BASE AND ACESSORIES:

11.1. IKEA prefers mould bases from Hasco, DME and LKM.
11.2. Metric standard is to be used. Exception can be made for the North
American market; this should always be confirmed by IKEA in written form.
11.3. All standard accessories should be from well-known suppliers and IKEA
recommends HASCO or DME.
11.4. The mould shall be equipped with a non-resettable shot counter from
HASCO.
11.5. Spare parts must be locally available.
11.6. If external service is required it should be locally available.

12. TOLERANCES & MEASUREMENTS:

12.1. All requirements and tolerances stated in the product drawing shall be
fulfilled.
12.2. Generally the alignment between the two mould halves should be within
0,1mm. If the guide pillar/bushings does not accommodate this, guiding
element must be located over the centre lines of the mould to align the two
halves together.
12.3. Generally the mould parallelism must be within 0,15mm at all 4 corers of
the mould. With thin walled products, <1,5mm, parallelism should be within
0.1 mm.
12.4. A tolerance of the nominal thickness with the article is +/-0,1 mm for
normal parts if nothing else stated. For thin wall products or deep cores
higher tolerances has be agreed with IKEA. Distance between
 Date: 2015-02-25
MOULD STANDARD Version no: 5:2
INJECTION MOULDING

Issued by Signature Authorised by Signature Replaces:

Mats Kjellsson Anders Persson 5:1
Plastic category / IKEA of Sweden/
Mould Purchaser Material expert

measurement points dependent of the article but should be taken

minimum every 75mm. Smaller articles and wall thickness of <1,5mm
measurement should minimum every 50mm.

13. SAFETY:
13.1. All connections, such as tempering, hydraulic and electrical, must be
designed in a safe way so no harm can come to the operator while
working with the set-up of the mould.

14. LIFTING OF MOULD & MOULD PARTS:

14.1. The mould must have a yoke that secures the mould in a closed position.
14.2. When lifting the assembled mould it must be horizontally balanced.
14.3. Each half of the mould must have threaded holes for eye-bolts so they can
be lifted separately in a balanced way.
14.4. All mould parts with a weight over 20 kg must have at least two threaded
holes for eye-bolts.
14.5. Mould plates with a weight over 80 kg must have one threaded hole for an
eye-bolt hole on each side, totally 4.

15. MOULD MARKING

15.1. The wording “PROPERTY OF IKEA” and “Mould number: XXXX” must be
engraved into the core and cavity plate directly.
15.2. The Marking shall face towards the operator and one more side to enable
identification in any position.
15.3. A separate identification plate shall be mounted on the mould and contain
the following data:
• The wording “Property of IKEA”.
• The IKEA logotype.
• Article name: XXXX, XXX. Ex. Mammut chair, leg
• Mould number: XXXX.
• Mould producer: XXXX.
• Date: YYYY-MM.
• Mould weight: XXXX kg.
• Mould size: W (mm), L (mm), and H (mm).
• Country of origin: XXXX.
15.4. The size of the identification plate is depending on the mould size and the
general preference is to have it as big as possible. The sizes are: (W,H) =
(200,130), (160,104), (120,78).
 Date: 2015-02-25
MOULD STANDARD Version no: 5:2
INJECTION MOULDING

Issued by Signature Authorised by Signature Replaces:

Mats Kjellsson Anders Persson 5:1
Plastic category / IKEA of Sweden/
Mould Purchaser Material expert

Property of IKEA.
Article name: ex, Mammut chair, leg..
Mould number.
Mould producer.
H
Date YYYY-MM, ex 2014-06.
Mould weight XXXX kg ex, 1200kg.
Mould size W, L and H
Country of origin.

16. PACKAGING, DELIVERY, HANDLING:

16.1. Packaging, delivery and handling must be done in such a way that the risk
of damage to the mould is minimized during transport.
16.2. As stated under “Lifting of moulds and mould parts”, the mould must have
a yoke that is fastened on the top side of the mould. This will also act as a
transport safety device keeping the mould closed during movement and
transport.
16.3. Before transport all working surfaces shall be carefully protected against
weather condition.

17. MAINTENANCE:
17.1. It is required that the mould supplier presents a maintenance program for
each mould specifying all necessary maintenance, maintenance frequency
and especially pointing out critical areas.
17.2. Complete files for all ingoing component is to be delivered with the mould
to secure the possibility to acquire spare parts.
17.3. This file shall also state the contact person at the mould supplier for
reference, in case of need of support occurs.

18. DOCUMENTATION:
18.1. Full documentation in English of the mould shall be issued by the mould
supplier in two copies.
• One complete file shall be sent to IKEA and another complete file
shall be sent with the mould.
18.2. The documentations shall (at least) contain the following:
• All drawings and 3-D files of all parts and components.
• Report from flow analysis.
 Date: 2015-02-25
MOULD STANDARD Version no: 5:2
INJECTION MOULDING

Issued by Signature Authorised by Signature Replaces:

Mats Kjellsson Anders Persson 5:1
Plastic category / IKEA of Sweden/
Mould Purchaser Material expert

• Heat treatment certificate.

• Water flow diagram.
• Connection of hot runner and nozzles.
• Other schematics (if any).
• Bill of materials.
• List of spare parts (if any).
• Maintenance plan (see paragraph 17).
• Name and telephone number of contact person(s).

19. MOULD PERFORMANCE TESTS:

19.1. The injection moulding company shall issue a validation plan for the
mould, the mould must fulfil the validation so the mould supplier has to be
aware and participate in this process.
19.2. Tests that has to be performed and documented (including the machine
settings and all findings together with the proposed actions):
• T0 is the first testing and can in some cases not provide any
good parts. For good order it should be documented anyway for
your own reference (not required by IKEA).
• T1 or FOT (First out of tool) – Normally the surface structure is not
yet ready. The samples should be run under production like
conditions and will show if any measurement is out of tolerance. It
will also show if the mould can perform as expected. These parts
are the basis for any adjustment made in the mould to fulfill all the
set requirements.
• T2 or Initial samples – After the adjustments are made the mould
is tested again. The final cavity structure may still not be ready but
all other requirements should be fulfilled and samples are sent to
IKEA together with a complete measuring report. All
measurements and tolerances are supposed to be within
specification.
• T3…T(X) - can be done if needed for smaller adjustment. The
numbers of iterations are not specific but all settings, findings and
proposed actions are documented.
• T-final - These are the final and approved samples, all surface
structure and marking are in place. These samples shall be
marked as approved samples and stored in a dark and secure
place for future reference.
• FAT and SAT (Factory Acceptance Testing and Site Acceptance
Testing) – In many cases these two different test are only made
as one because the mould supplier often does not have an
injection moulding machine on site, in that case the validation
starts at the injection moulding company (SAT).
 Date: 2015-02-25
MOULD STANDARD Version no: 5:2
INJECTION MOULDING

Issued by Signature Authorised by Signature Replaces:

Mats Kjellsson Anders Persson 5:1
Plastic category / IKEA of Sweden/
Mould Purchaser Material expert

• Run at rate testing is also a part of the validation and shall be

performed in the duration of > 8 hours, samples are picked every
half hour and marked. After 24 hours the samples are measured
and inspected, all parts must fulfill the requirements.

Changes records:

2009/4/15 Edition 4.1: Adding 4.7 Hot runner ID card, modified 6.1 by adding water
diagram plate and taking away supplier name and number from the 12.1 marking
plate.
2013-02-26 Edition 5.0: Totally reworked
2013-05-30, point 5.4 gate rest is taken away, 6.5 spare parts & service locally is
added, 6.7 if possible is added, 9.8 hydraulic cylinder is added, 10.1 LKM is taken
away, 11.3 LKM is taken away, 16.3 complete new.
2013-06-09: 12,2 complete new.
2014-06-18: 1.2 acc to IKEA mould Assignment is added. 1.3 Complete new. 6.5
HRS added. 15.3 Article name Ex mammut chair,leg is added, Mould size W (mm), L
(mm), and H (mm) is added. 15.4 mould identification plate updated.
18.1 in English are added.