Injection Molding & Mold Making: FAQs

Part & Project Information

What technical information is necessary to receive a quote?

In order to help you with the most precise and timely quote, we require all the information about your plastic part. Key details are:

  • 3D CAD Files: These are a must. See question 4 for preferred formats.
  • Material Specifications:
    • Resin Type: Including, but not limited to, (e.g., ABS, Polypropylene (PP), Polycarbonate (PC), Nylon (PA66), HDPE, etc.).
    • Specific Grade: If known (e.g., PC Lexan 141R).
    • Additives: Colorant (Pantone, RAL number or sample), UV Inhibitors, flame retardants, fillers (glass fiber, etc.).
  • Detailed Dimensions & Tolerances:
    • Overall part dimensions.
    • Critical dimensions and their tolerances. If you have 2-D drawings with GD&T, please give me those.
  • Production Volume:
    • Estimated Annual Usage (EAU): How many part do you have to buy annually?
    • Initial Order Quantity (EOQ): Parts per first production run?
    • Projected Lifetime Volume: Sum total of parts during the life of the product. This helps us create diagnosis of mold cavitation, mold material and feasibility of overall project.
  • Application/End-Use of the Part:
    • What is part used for? (Consumer Electronics housing; automotive component; medical device etc…).
    • Functional requirements – what is needed (e.g., bearing capacity, flexibility, resistance to impact).
    • Which environment will it be in (e.g. on the ground or on the wall; exposure to high-temperature extremes; exposure to chemicals; outdoor or indoor use).
  • Cosmetic Requirements:
    • Are there any aesthetic requirements?
    • Which surfaces are cosmetic?
    • What is required on the specific gate marks, ejector pin marks or parting line?
  • Sample Parts (if available): If you are fortunate enough to have some samples, however imperfect, they can be extremely useful.

What is the specification of the injection molding machine?

We will generally find the correct injection molding machine for your part and production needs as your molding partner. However, if you:

  • Send us an existing mold and have us run it, or.
  • If your plan is to operate the mold in your facility or third party facility then the following machine specifications are important:
  • Clamping Force (Tonnage): The force needed to maintain the closure of the mold during injection.
  • Shot Size / Injection Volume: The biggest amount of plastic the machine can put into its cycle. And there should be enough for your part volume as well as the runner system.
  • Mold Space / Platen Dimensions:
  • Tie bar distance.
  • Maximum and minimum mold height.
  • Maximum daylight (opening).
  • Ejector Stroke and Pattern: The distance and arrangement of the disk machine’s ejector system.
  • Compatibility of Nozzle Radius and Sprue Bushing.

If you don’t have this information we can generally figure out the machine size based on your part data.

What else would we require for a quote?

More than the basic part information, such details help to work on the quote and deliver the final result in accordance with your expectations:

  • Tolerances: Specify any critical dimensional tolerances. Industry standard tolerances shall be used unless noted otherwise.
  • Surface Finish:
    • List required surface finishes by SPI (Society of the Plastics Industry) standards, e.g., SPI A-2 high polish, SPI B-1 semi-gloss, SPI C-2 matte, SPI D-3 textured.
    • For a specific texture, Mold-Tech (or equivalent) texture (e.g. MT-11010) is another standard.
  • Runner System Preference (if any):
    • Hot Runner: In general used for high production volume, faster cycle time and avoids runner scrap. Molds are typically more expensive.
    • Cold Runner: Molds that are simpler and cheaper but results in runner waste and may lead to longer cycle times. If you don’t have a preference, we can advise you for that.
  • Gate Type and Location:
    • Do you have any demands on type of gate (tab gate, sub gate, pin gate, cashew gate) or its location on the part? Cosmetic or functional requirements determine this most of the time.
  • Color Requirements:
    • Offer either a Pantone, RAL number or a physical color chip to match with.
    • State whether a masterbatch or b pre-compounded colored resin is desired.

Which design formats do you like?

For compatibility and documentation reliability purposes we prefer the following 3D CAD file formats:

  • Most Preferred:
    • STEP (.stp, .step): This is the most robust, and the most neutral form that describes solid geometry.
  • Also Acceptable:
    • Parasolid (.x_t, .x_b): Another solid modeling kernel format.
    • IGES (.igs, .iges): The older neutral format, if possible export as a solid model.
    • Native CAD Files: Files from software such as, SolidWorks (.sldprt), Creo/ProE (.prt), CATIA (.CATPart) could be okay, but please contact us first.
  • For Reference Only
    • STL (.stl): This is a mesh type format used for 3D printing. It interpolates surface using triangles and is not ideal for precision mold manufacture. It is good to use for initial visualization or quoting simple parts but for the design of the mold a solid model will be needed.
  • 2D Drawings:
    • Other than 3D files, 2D drawings (e.g .pdf, .dwg, .dxf) depicting critical dimensions, tolerances, material specifications, surface finishes and other annotations are highly recommended and very helpful.

Please always try to export your 3D files as “solid models” and not as “surface models” wherever possible.

Do you provide design/ordering if CAD does not exist?

Yes, a lot of molders, including us, provide services to service clients who don’t have completed CAD files, or they are at the beginning of product development.

  • Design for Manufacturability (DFM) Analysis: Although you may have CAD files, we usually conduct a DFM analysis to discover possible molding problems and make adjustments to designs with a view to optimizing cost, quality and production ideas.
  • Part Design Services: If you have concept, sketch, an existing physical sample or even some basic drawings, we may be able to help prepare a complete 3D CAD file suitable for moulding purpose. Please contact us to talk about your particular needs.
  • Prototyping Services: There are a number of approaches to prototyping which we can use to help you validate your design before you commit to production tooling:
    • 3D Printing (SLA, SLS, FDM): This is a best way for the quick form, fit and basic functional checks.
    • CNC Machined Prototypes: Can be made from production-intent or equivalent materials for even stronger testing.But cost will be highert cost
    • Soft Tooling / Prototype Molds: These molds are typically created from aluminum or P20 steel and are more affordable than full production tools and are good enough to produce a limited number of parts (normally several hundreds to thousands) in actual production material. This is a great way to test functionality and market .

Please refer to us for availability and scope of these services.

Logistics & Timelines

Would you want to know the place of the destination of the mold for logistics?

Yes, please. There are several reasons why we want to be aware of where it is going.

  • If we are what is manufacturing to your de for the mold AS WELL as the parts. We require the final place of delivery of the parts to make costs of shipping and logistics.
  • If all we are doing is manufacturing the mold and it is going to be shipped to your facility or some other moulder for production: We require the terminal destination of the mold to: * Freight in freight quotes, insurance.
  • Establishing crating and packaging requirements for transport.
  • Provide management of import/export documentation and custom process if the UNE is being shipped abroad.
  • Coordinate delivery schedules.

Please give the complete shipping address of the mold.

How long is it for getting a quote?

Depending on: The time to offer a quote can be different..

  • Part and Mold Complexity: Quoting process is faster for the simple parts and molds than those complex with undercuts, several mechanisms, etc.
  • Information Provided: The more information you offer (as listed above), the quicker and exact the quotation. Lack of information will postpone this process as we will always need to follow up.
  • Our Current Workload: Just as any business, the quoting time that we offer may be influenced by the number of requests we are receiving.
  • DFM Analysis: Such an identification or design change that is requested if a preliminary DFM analysis is required, before quoting, will take up space in the timeline.


General Timelines (Estimates):

  • For single parts with full information: 24 to 72 hours.
  • For complex pieces or projects that require analysis: 3 to 5 business days.

We will always endeavour to get quotes back to you as soon as possible without affecting accuracy. If you have a rush request, please let us know and we will try to fit it into your timeline.

Hope this will help for your injection molding projects. If you have more questions, contact us.