Mold Changeover Time Log Worksheet
A changeover log turns the feeling that mold changes take too long into numbers by phase. Enter each change, and the sheet totals the minutes and highlights how far you went over target. Export it to Excel for a monthly review.
| Date | Press | Mold out to in | Teardown (min) | Mold install (min) | Heat up (min) | Tune to first good part (min) | Total downtime | Target (min) | Over target | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
152 min | 32 min | |||||||||
101 min | 0 min | |||||||||
205 min | 55 min | |||||||||
90 min | 0 min | |||||||||
126 min | 6 min |
Record phases from the moment the previous job stops to the first good part. Time the mold change from the press operator's perspective, not from the lift truck. Review the largest phase each month and move work from internal to external time.
Pull downtime from your ERP or MES
Optional: discuss how to feed changeover data automatically instead of typing it.
Optional. The tool and every export work without this. No spam.
How to use the log
Use one row per mold change. Split the time into teardown, install, heat up and tuning to the first good part. Set a realistic target for each press and mold pair, since a small mold on a small press needs less time than a large hot runner tool. At the end of the week, sort by total or over target to find the changes that deserve a closer look.
- One row per change
- Four phases so you can see where time goes
- Targets per press and mold family
- Review weekly with the setters
The SMED idea behind the phases
Single minute exchange of die separates internal work, done with the press stopped, from external work that can be done while the previous job is still running. Preheating the incoming mold, staging water lines, hoses, tooling and material, and pre drying the next resin are the usual external moves. Heat up and tuning are typically the biggest opportunities, which is why the sheet keeps them separate.
- Preheat molds on a cart or at the press before the stop
- Stage clamps, hoses and the next resin in advance
- Use quick couplings and standard mounting heights
- Write setter instructions and keep them with the mold
Reading the results
Look at the average per phase before looking at the total. If heat up dominates, the answer is preheating or hot runner procedures. If tuning dominates, the process sheet or material condition is probably the issue. If teardown is long, check that water and electrical connections are standardized. A few extreme rows usually have a one off cause such as a damaged tool or the wrong resin, so annotate them in the mold column.
Common mistakes
Teams often stop the clock at the first shot instead of the first good part, which hides tuning time. Another error is mixing planned maintenance with changeovers. If a cleaning or repair happens during the change, note it separately so the log stays comparable. Finally, setting the same target for every press makes the data less useful.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good mold changeover time?
It depends on mold size, hot runner, press and water connections. Many shops see 30 to 60 minutes on small tools and several hours on large ones. Compare against your own baseline and improve from there.
Should heat up count as downtime?
Yes if the press cannot make good parts during it. That is why preheating the mold externally is one of the first improvements to test.
Can I add more phases?
Export the sheet to Excel and add columns for cleaning, purge or color change if those are significant in your plant, then include them in the total formula.
How do I set the target?
Start from the average of your best recent changes on that press and mold type, then lower it as improvements land. Avoid targets that no one has ever achieved.
If your downtime reasons are captured in an MES or ERP, we can help roll changeover minutes into the same reports so nobody retypes them.
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