Of the hundreds of variables involved in injection molding, clamping mechanisms and platens often get less attention than they deserve. Good clamp performance is critical to minimize cycle times, optimize part quality, and maintain process consistency. Alignment and uniformity of the mold halves, platens, and clamping system is therefore critical. Whether an alignment problem stems from the mold parting line, the platens, or the clamping mechanism and tiebars, the results can be unnecessary machine wear, mold damage, broken tiebars, mold flash, and scrap parts.