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Injection Moulding
Tooling through to scaled production for plastic parts. We manage mould design, DFM, sampling and approval, and stay with the programme once steel is cut so revisions and quality are handled by the same team.
TYPICAL — SUBJECT TO DRAWING REVIEW
Tolerance ±0.1 mm typical
Tooling options Aluminium bridge · P20 · hardened steel
Lead-time factors Tool complexity, sampling rounds, approvals
File formats STEP · X_T · SLDPRT · DWG · PDF
Inspection options T1 sample report · dimensional · material cert
When to use it — and when not to
USE IT WHEN
- Volumes justify tooling — typically several hundred units up
- Unit cost matters more than time to first part
- Wall sections, draft and gating can be resolved in design
- Cosmetic surfaces and texture need to be repeatable
LOOK ELSEWHERE WHEN
- The design is still moving between revisions
- Quantities sit below the tooling break-even
- Only a handful of cosmetic parts are needed — cast instead
- Geometry needs undercuts that make the tool uneconomic
Materials and finishes
ABS
General purpose housings
PC / ABS
Impact resistance and stiffness
PP
Living hinges, chemical resistance
PA66 GF
Glass-filled structural parts
TPE / TPU
Overmoulded grips and seals
PC
Optical clarity, high impact
Compared with adjacent processes
PROCESSQUANTITYTOLERANCEBEST FOR
Aluminium bridge tool 500–5,000 ±0.15 mm Fast first parts, pilot runs
P20 steel tool 5,000–100k ±0.1 mm Mainstream production
Hardened steel tool 100k+ ±0.1 mm High-volume, abrasive materials
Vacuum Casting 10–100 ±0.2 mm Pre-tooling cosmetic parts
Typical ranges for comparison only. Achievable tolerance depends on geometry, material, fixturing and inspection method, and is confirmed on drawing review.
FAQs
Who owns the tool?
Tool ownership is set in the contract before steel is cut and stated on the quotation. [VERIFY per engagement]
How many sampling rounds should I expect?
Plan for T1 plus at least one revision. Each round is documented with a sample report and agreed changes.
Can you run a bridge tool first?
Yes. An aluminium tool gets you moulded parts sooner and de-risks the steel tool, at a higher cost per part.