The number of moulds required for a set of blocks depends on the complexity of the design and the variety of the blocks. The following are some of the key factors that affect the number of moulds:
1. Types of blocks
- Basic blocks: such as standard squares, rectangles, cylinders and other basic shapes, each of which usually requires a separate mould.
- Special blocks: Special shapes such as gears, wheels, doors, windows, character shapes, etc. Each special shape also requires a separate mould.
2. Size and scale
- Different sizes: Even for blocks of the same shape, if the sizes are different (e.g. 2x2 square and 4x4 square), different moulds are needed.
- Scale variations: some blocks may have different scale versions, which also require additional moulds.
3. Colours and materials
- Colours: If the colour of the blocks is achieved directly through injection moulding and not sprayed at a later stage, then each colour may require a separate mould.
- Material: If different materials of plastic are used (e.g. transparent, translucent, opaque), different moulds may also be required.
4. Functional design
- Movable parts: such as gears that can be rotated, doors and windows that can be opened and closed, etc. These functional parts usually require special moulds.
- Connections: blocks with different connections (e.g. pins, snaps, etc.) also require different moulds.
5. Mould complexity
- Multi-cavity mould: A mould can be designed as multi-cavity, i.e. one mould can produce several identical or different block parts at the same time, which can reduce the total number of moulds.
- Combination moulds: Some moulds can be designed as interchangeable modules, where different shapes of blocks can be produced by replacing parts of the mould.
Example
Suppose a set of blocks contains the following parts:
- Standard squares (2x2, 4x4)
- Rectangles (2x4, 4x8)
- Cylinders (different diameters)
- Gears (different sizes)
- Wheels
- Doors and windows
- Character shapes
Each shape and size of block requires a separate mould. Assuming that there are 2-3 sizes or variants of each shape, a set of blocks may require 20-30 or more moulds.
To summarise
The number of moulds required for a set of blocks can vary from tens to hundreds, depending on the type, size, colour, material and functional design of the blocks. The design and manufacture of moulds is a key aspect of block production, directly affecting the variety and quality of the product.