If a lot of things in the mouldmaking industry have become a matter of course and the processes for mould production have become extremely simple, in 2024, it is worth remembering that the basic idea of the modular standard mould system originated from HASCO.
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HASCO is this year celebrating its 100th anniversary. Most people can no longer remember the beginnings of mould construction when every manufacturer created its own one-off model on the workbench and the profession was still very much characterised by craftsmanship.
Rolf Hasenclever was to change the way of thinking, designing and working of a whole industry and shape it forever. In 1957, following the early death of his father, he took over the fortunes of the company. He was permanently driven by the desire to find an answer to the question of how the construction of a mould could be simplified and made more straightforward. The solution was to create standards. And for these standards, Rolf Hasenclever created the basis in the form of a system that functions like a building set – the HASCO mould unit. In 1960 he patented the modular system for standard mould units, which until the present day has shaped an entire industry.
The simplicity of his idea was at that time absolutely ground-breaking, and today as never before forms the basis for all mould units. In every mould built today there is guaranteed to be a piece of HASCO. He defined the standardised dimension spectrum with measurements that were oriented to the distances between the tie bar of the injection moulding machines. The system quickly became established, first of all regionally in the Sauerland part of Germany, then throughout the country, and soon afterwards internationally.
It is thanks to Rolf Hasenclever's corporate vision that this system still survives to this day. Despite a lot of resistance and also a number sceptics in the industry, the range of HASCO's standard components and accessories was further extended in the 1960s. At the same time, he pushed forward with the streamlining of production and the development of the corporate structure at a time when nobody was yet talking of lean management. In 1965, he opened the world's first production plant for standard plates at the Lüdenscheid/Germany site. From then on, standard plates could be ordered and supplied quickly ex stock. The four drilled holes were drilled simultaneously in the plates stacked on one another, while the final spindling was carried out individually on drilling machines used for teaching purposes. In 1966, a 4-Spindler automatic precision boring machine that had been specially manufactured in line with HASCO’s designs, was put into operation. In combination with an NC punched tape machine, the pioneer once again set standards in the series manufacture of precision products. The demand at that time was so great that it was soon necessary to switch to triple-shift production.
Quality and precision have always set the standard for the manufacture of all HASCO products. As ever, ensuring customer satisfaction is the driver for reliability and innovation. The name HASCO stands for the original standard mould unit – a synonym for innovation, simplicity and product quality.
