Mold Fabrication | Tooling
Injection molded plastic parts are made by shooting molten plastic into cavities-which are the negative shape of the part; letting the plastic cool; then opening the two halves of the mold and ejecting the finished plastic part. When a small number of parts are desired, the tooling represents the bulk of the cost, but when a large number of parts are created, since the tooling is a one-time cost and is averaged over then number of parts, the relative cost of tooling shrinks dramatically to where – in extremely large quantities – the cost of tooling is reduced to practically zero.
Cost & Schedule
Once the CAD model has been created to your specifications we use it to cut your mold on one of our CNC machines. We usually make our molds out of aluminum to keep material and machine time costs down, but if you require a steel tool or steel components let us know. Tooling costs can vary depending on the size and complexity of a part, feel free to contact us with questions about pricing or for a quote. A deposit on half of the tooling is required to start making your mold, with the balance due when the mold is finished.
Approval & Ownership
When the mold for your custom enclosure is cut, we put it on one of our molding machines and make a few sample parts to send you for your approval. When you approve the sample parts we can move to the production phase of the process. Our terms indicate that you own and control the tooling, so you are free to collect your mold at any point whether we produce the plastic parts or you have someone else produce them.
Learn more about our Design Guidelines