Moldmakers typically work as subcontractors to Tier 1 suppliers. Aerospace OEMs, like their automotive counterparts, want to receive modules for assembly from a few suppliers rather than manufacture an aircraft from the ground up with components from hundreds of suppliers.

Mold shops may not, consequently, need the range of quality certifications a Tier 1 or an OEM must have. While ISO certification is desirable, most toolmakers advise against applying for aerospace certifications like AS9100, a quality management standard that is complex, lengthy and expensive to acquire.

If a moldmaker develops an ongoing relationship with a Tier 1—or an OEM—and gets involved in critical fabrication work, toolmakers say it’s worthwhile to apply for higher-level quality certification. But it’s a pretty involved process, a moldmaker that recently expanded into aerospace. There is a lot of paperwork, and you pretty much have to hire someone dedicated to monitoring the process for a year.
Toolmakers say there is no size requirement on the part of mold shops for aerospace work. Small companies can compete as effectively as large firms, provided they have the equipment and fabrication skills, and deliver products on time and on spec.

One requirement, though, is a talent for problem-solving. Moldmakers say that as in any new industry, there is a learning curve in aerospace, especially since many of the metals in use are more advanced than the P20 and 1040 steel grades mold shops typically work with. And when it comes to building tools for composites, moldmakers must understand the shrink rates and other properties of the materials, which are substantially different than those of thermoplastics.
We sat down with every part we worked on and analyzed what we’d done and how we could have done it better, about the company’s initial aerospace work. “The secret was to get our people thinking differently because we had been 100 percent in automotive. It took a while, but we learned how to do it.

Most moldmakers say they get leads by networking at trade shows and conferences, and even by contacts from suppliers they worked for on jobs in different industries. Once a shop establishes a reputation for reliability and quality, word-of-mouth is an important route to new business. Price is, of course, a consideration in awarding aerospace jobs, but many suppliers pay attention to a mold shop’s ability to successfully deliver work, and to its record with customers.
The aerospace companies are demanding, but it sets us apart from competitors when a company chooses us for a job. We’ve won no-bid contracts from aerospace customers because they thought we were the only company that could do the work.