cbj11lbs Posted February 6, 2013 Report Share Posted February 6, 2013 I came across this article today and thought I would share! Amazing how big they are. 8,000 gallons of plastic every 10 days! copy the url below and enjoy! http://blog.wired2fish.com/blog/bid/40864/A-Labor-of-Love-Inside-the-Zoom-Factory 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 6, 2013 Report Share Posted February 6, 2013 Great read! Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted February 7, 2013 Report Share Posted February 7, 2013 Very cool read, and I learned something new about them. I had no idea they formulated their own plastic. VERY impressive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinamike Posted February 7, 2013 Report Share Posted February 7, 2013 I always heard that they use the small machines and their baits per minute confirms that, now understand a little more why they came after me. My rate of production per machine is double their's, I can do 88 per minute with a 5 inch finess worm and 70 worms per minute with a 7 inch. Also the type of machines they use and the way the molds are placed on the machines is what enables them to pump that big table salt. cbj11lbs, thanks for posting that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbj11lbs Posted February 7, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2013 Mike, what injection machines do you use and how can you tell what machines they use and how they inject the molds? I was told they use round pie molds from Zorn but dont know how those work. The sprues look really thin in those photos, doesnt look like much waste per mold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted February 7, 2013 Report Share Posted February 7, 2013 A pie mold is just a round mold that injects from the middle. Mikes zorn machine has a larger mold and injects from a long runner. Doing two color baits is a real trick with a machine like zooms. Great read. Thanks for posting. Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinamike Posted February 7, 2013 Report Share Posted February 7, 2013 Their production rate per minute tells me what machines they are using, like you i've been told that they use pie mold machines and the numbers of bait they produce per minute is the cycle time of one machine. Pie molds are round and Zorn may have made some for them but thats not who is currently producing their molds. Pie mold machines have good and bad points, baits made with imbeded hooks, extra large heavy salt, and things like swimbaits that are made with the large piece of hologram in the middle are almost all usually made with pie mold machines. One thing about a pie mold machine is you can remove the mold quickly and install a mold quickly. If you are doing a bait, such as a pre rigged swimbait, then you can be sitting one mold up while the other is shooting, pie molds are about half the cost of a big mold with half the production rate. Those are standard sized runners (runners are usually 3/8 or 3/16) if you want to see my machines you can go to our new facebook page which is listed under carolina baits, click on some of the catagories and you can see the difference in the length of the runner from my baits and the length of the runner of the other bait, that was another thing that told me what type of machines they were using. As far as waste goes we have the same amount. Frank, there is no difference between the difficulties of lamination, its all a matter of time, temperature, and pressure. It may be a little faster to dial in a pie mold machine but once you get either machine adjusted laminates go well. Its something to watch 90 worms laminate at the same time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinamike Posted February 7, 2013 Report Share Posted February 7, 2013 (edited) Here's the difference in pie molds and a production mold. A single pie mold is not really considered a production mold nowadays. There's not a whole lot of companies still using pie molds. When you've been doing this as long as I have, you can tell a whole lot about the production process by just looking at a bait, especially when they're still attached to the runners. Like I said above, you can see my machines on our Facebook page. www.facebook.com/carolinabaits The large mold is set up for two colors (body one color, tail different color) something you can't do with a pie mold. Edited February 7, 2013 by carolinamike 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ipt Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 holy smokes, i didnt realize how big time you were mike! thats awesome that you have your kids in on it with you, those pics are cool! those molds must weigh 100lbs haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinamike Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Ipt, we're really not that big, we are the biggest in the Carolinas. There are some companies that have between 15 and 30 machines. We can produce 30 to 40 thousand pieces a day. Molds vary in weight from about 45 to 150 pounds. We are strictlly a family affair, My wife and I and my oldest Son operate the equipment and my 12 year will pick baits off the runners. But I started out like everybody else on here, pop molds, hot plates, lee pots, and microwave. Did you click on the photos? There is a couple of shop pictures that arn't shown when you first open my businesses facebook page, thanks for looking at it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 That's impressive, Mike.......to say the least! I remember being thrilled at 300 to 400 pieces in a day. LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 So Mike you are saying that it is not different but on a pie mold the second color has to be shot up the middle while the other is shot around it. Just for comparison I am saying that baits made in a pie mold have more of a mix to the rather than what you produce. Really look at baits and you can tell who uses a pie mold and who has a zorn or a machine that uses that type of mold. It might be the user but they are not all that good at doing the laminates. Looked at that type of machine awhile ago and want to go with the big mold route soon. Frank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark poulson Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 I just want to say it is really cool that you both share your equipment and techniques with us home pourers! Fascinating!!! Thanks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maurizio Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 I just want to say it is really cool that you both share your equipment and techniques with us home pourers!Fascinating!!! Thanks. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonecold13 Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 this topic really give so much knowledge !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolinamike Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Sorry Frank, I'm speaking strictly from an operator's point of view. You are correct if you're saying that the upright machines are easier to make laminates than a pie mold machine. But some folks have no trouble at all, and then others just can't do it. I guess what I should have said is for someone that knows what they're doing there's not that much in the difference in the difficulties. But when it comes to laminates, by far the most difficult to do is the cross over laminates, where the bait actually laminates at the nose of each individual cavity. My wife is an ace at this type. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
