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← Tool education
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Articles
Articles
Articles
18
The history of the tool trade
History · 8
You get an overview of how the toolmaking trade grew with industry, and how the toolmaker became the key to manufacturing many identical parts — from handwork to computer-controlled machines.
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A working day as a toolmaker...
Weekday · 8
You follow the workflow from a drawing to a finished, assembled tool — through processing, measurement, and assembly — and see why precision and patience are the core of the trade.
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Machines and measuring equipment
Equipment · 9
You get an overview of the machines and measuring equipment a toolmaker uses — from manual processing machines and CNC to precision measuring tools.
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Safety and quality in the workshop
Safety · 8
You learn how to work safely at the machines, and why quality in terms of precise dimensions and good fit is the trade's most important measure.
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Specialties and ways forward
Career · 7
You get an overview of the trade's specialties and the directions the field can take — from work in metal and plastic industries to specialized tool manufacturing.
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How you ensure food safety at all stages
Build-up · 7 min
Get an overview of the path from basic course to qualified toolmaker: how long it takes, how school and apprenticeship alternate, and what it takes to get in.
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Wages and conditions while you are an apprentice
Pay & terms · 6 min
As an apprentice you get paid from the first day in the company — and it increases through the course. Here you get the principles behind apprentice wages collective agreements and conditions when you are fully trained.
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Rules, certificates and documentation in toolmaking
Rules & certificates · 6 min
The tool trade does not require a sector-specific authorization like electricity — but there are still rules, certificates and documentation you encounter in everyday life. Here is the overview.
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Work environment safety and ergonomics in the workshop
Work environment · 7 min
Rotating machines, sharp chips, cooling and lubricating agents and many hours in the same position. Get a grip on the most important risks in the tool trade — and how to avoid them.
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The tool industry today — jobs, demand and future
The industry today · 6 min
Toolmakers are specialists that the metal and plastics industry finds hard to do without. Get an overview of workplaces, job opportunities and the trends shaping the trade.
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After the journeyman certificate — what you can build on
Further education · 6 min
The journeyman's certificate is not a dead end but a springboard. See the paths you can take further — from short courses to a full engineering degree.
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Material science: tool steel and heat treatment
Materials · 8 min
You get an overview of the four steel families toolmakers work with: cold work steel, hot work steel/die steel, high-speed steel, and powder metallurgical steel. The article explains how hardening and tempering give the steel the right combination of hardness and toughness, and how a PVD coating can extend the tool's lifetime even further. You also learn why material selection is one of the targets you must master in your main course.
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Spray-cast mould construction and function
Technique · 8 min
The article takes a close look at the main components of the injection mold — from cavity and core to ejector parting line and cooling channels. You get an explanation of what each part does and why the placement of e.g. parting line and core are crucial design choices. You also learn why a new mold must always be tested and adjusted before it is released to production.
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Punch tool and sheet processing
Technique · 8 min
The article explains how the ram and die work together in a punching tool and why the cutting gap size is crucial for the part's quality. You get an overview of the eccentric press operation the difference between single operations and progressive tools and the four basic stamping operations: cutting punching bending and deep drawing.
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CNC programming: from CAD drawing to G-code
Technique · 8 min
You follow the path from 3D model in CAD to finished CNC program: CAM calculation of the tool path, building G and M codes, and how 5-axis milling and high-speed machining expand what is possible. The article also emphasizes simulation, zero points, and clamping as prerequisites for a safe first run.
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Measurement technique, tolerances and GPS standards
Technique · 8 min
The article introduces GPS standards and ISO 286's fit system with IT tolerance grades and hole basis/shaft basis systems. You get an overview of the main measuring tools in the workshop — calipers micrometers indicator gauges and 3D measuring machine — and why calibration and documentation of measurement control is a permanent part of the work.
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Spark erosion (EDM) in the tool trade
Technique · 7 min
You learn the principles behind spark erosion (EDM), where electrical discharges shape steel without mechanical contact. The article covers the difference between sink erosion (sinker-EDM) and wire erosion, and when these methods are chosen over conventional milling — typically for hardened steel, sharp internal corners, and very tight tolerances.
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Surface treatment and aftertreatment of tools
Materials · 8 min
The article looks at the last step in tool making: surface treatment and finishing. You get an explanation of PVD coatings such as TiN and TiAlN nitriding and polishing of mold surfaces and why quality control of hardness and layer thickness is necessary before the tool is released.
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