many mold project engineers usually meet a problem like how to quickly provide an accurate mold quotation to our customer when they get a mold quotation inquiry, it is a big problem, because as the mold industry grows, it’s competition intensifies,
accurate mold costing and quick response to a quotation inquiry become a critical step in this engineering tooling industry, voluminous studies are available in the literature on cost estimation. They can be grouped into four types of cost estimation approaches: direct, empirical, item by item, and template:
1) Direct estimation basically depends on the experience of the estimator, the estimate can vary widely.
2) the empirical approach is limited to a specific product type in each trade.
3) the item by item approach usually takes too long time to estimate. As the customer often expects a turnaround time of several hours for a quotation.
4) the template approach is built on sufficient data collected from successful deployment of the other three approaches.
Therefore, the practice of each approach only has acquired limited success in the mold industry.
Overall, getting your RFQ right will ensure your mould tooling purchase goes smoothly. We’ll list how in 5 steps below：
1. Provide as much detail as possible on your RFQ.
What features need to be included in your mould tooling?
Whatever the type of tooling required, it’s important to try to cover your specific needs for your production, and include these in your RFQs.
Leaving it to your supplier to determine your requirement for themselves is not ideal. For example, you may have a number of standard features for the fitting of the tooling to machines etc. These may be bespoke to you and, unless stated, will not be included in the quotation.
Give your supplier as much information as possible right from the start. Doing this at the RFQ stage will give you the best chance of receiving the most accurate quotation.
2. Discuss your production requirements.
Discussing your production requirement with your supplier may not only increase your production, but it could save you money on your tooling.
There may be options such as multi cavity moulds for a number of different components, or a more cost-effective solution for smaller runs.
For example, 1 mould unit could consist of 2 identical parts for increased production, or the same unit could consist of 2 different components for shorter runs.
3. Specify the material needed, or, if you don’t know, discuss this with the supplier.
Different types of mould tooling can be produced from a variety of materials, such as resin, tooling board, aluminium and steel. Depending on your application and the material you specify, the cost could vary.
You may already know exactly what material is required, but if you don’t, consult your supplier to find out what will provide more value in the long run. They should be able to recommend the most cost-effective options and point out both the advantages and disadvantages of the materials available. This will take into consideration the production requirement, lifespan of the project, budget, etc.
So, to get a quote for mould tooling that best suits your needs, make sure you specify the appropriate material in your RFQ. Discuss this openly with your supplier so they can advise accordingly.
4. Let them know your lead time requirement.
If you have a date you’ll need your mould tooling by, you should let your potential supplier know straight away.
Providing an indication of lead time requirement at RFQ stage means you won’t be quoted for projects that are unachievable.
That means you won’t waste time comparing quotes that won’t actually deliver. And, more importantly, you won’t accept a quote that will delay your tooling project.
5. Provide feedback.
Value your suppliers and they will value you in return.
Providing feedback builds relationships, and those relationships can go a long way when you’re on a tight budget.
Not only that, but the feedback you provide – be it positive or negative – will shape your supplier’s future offerings.
In future, your feedback may very well be reflected in your buying choices.
Knowing what to include in an RFQ will help you save time and money.
Giving full and accurate information, as well as requesting advice from potential suppliers, will ensure your quote is accurate and cost optimised.
You’ll be able to compare mould tooling suppliers effectively, avoid unexpected costs and spend more time on what’s important – your project.
Injection molding is one of the leading processes for manufacturing plastics. It is widely used for mass-producing identical parts with tight tolerances. It is a cost-effective and extremely repeatable technology that yields high-quality parts for large series production.
It is a fast, intensive process where high heat and pressure are involved to inject molten material inside a mold. The molten material depends on the scope of the manufacturing project. The most popular materials are various thermoplastics, such as ABS, PS, PE, PC, PP, or TPU, but metals and ceramics can be injection molded as well. The mold consists of a cavity that accommodates the injected molten material and is designed to closely mirror the final features of a part.
Normally, the main cost driver in injection molding is the cost of the mold, also known as the tooling cost. The cost of designing and building a mold depends on the required production volume, the complexity of the part design, mold material, and the process used to create the mold.
Simple low-volume 3D printed molds can cost as little as $100, while the cost of designing and manufacturing complex molds for high-volume production may hit the $100,000 mark. Despite the considerable fixed start-up costs, the injection molding process has low variable costs due to the inexpensive thermoplastics materials, short cycle times, and the labor needs decrease progressively due to automation and economies of scale. This means that the variable costs of production are low and the process becomes more efficient and the cost per part decreases at higher volumes as the costs get distributed among hundreds or thousands of parts.
The first move in bringing your plastic product to life is to get a quote for its manufacturing. This can have a massive impact on your costs and profitability, so it is crucial to get the best quote. Plastic injection molding is a very specific process and influenced by many factors, from the design to the materials used. Even though an experienced manufacturer can ensure your product meets your expectations, a clear picture of what you need will make the quoting process much more effective.
A good quote for plastic injection molding comes down five steps. If you cover these, you can ensure the best value and performance for your money:
CAD designs and samples
Before there can be a molding process, there needs to be a mold – and a mold comes from a CAD design. If you do not have such a design, one can be developed using design services. Even if you already have a mold, a CAD design can give the molder a good sense of what the final product will be. If you have samples of the product, it will help as well. These indicate the complexity of the parts, which can cause challenges in the molding process. The more your molding partner knows, the better they can anticipate the process, and quote accurately.
The state of the mold
You may have a mold already – perhaps you are manufacturing a new batch of a tried-and-tested product. But molds wear and can create problems that will affect the quality and appeal of the plastic product. A worn mold cannot be wished away. Present the mold for the quote and be willing to get honest feedback, such as requiring the tooling of a new mold.
Product volumes
Do you need one or two products? Do you need thousands? How soon do you need them? Plastic injection molding can scale, but not without sufficient planning. The number of products you want can have a positive effect on material costs, but a negative impact on mold lifespans. Without sufficient planning around the volumes and timelines, unexpected costs can creep in. It is possible to scale the manufacturing process later in the project, but this might raise prices in ways that could have been avoided.
The right resin
Resin is the key ingredient for plastic. The choice of resin will have the greatest impact on your product’s basic properties. This can be a confusing topic, as a given resin be used for many different applications, from plastic bags to long-lasting parts in cars to high-pressure taps. Those properties are determined during the molding process, of which the base resin has the biggest influence and should be investigated thoroughly. Don’t hesitate to ask the injection supplier questions about resin choices.
Requirements for the product
In addition to the resin, plastics can be given other properties that further distinguish your product. These include chemical or UV resistance, fire retardation, brittleness and more. Such requirements are usually met through additives, added to the resin prior to the injection process. To avoid surprises, know what you want the product to do and not do. For example, making a material fireproof when it doesn’t need to be will just be an unnecessary cost. But neglecting to put UV protection in a product that lives outdoors might result in unhappy customers down the line.
Accuracy is the key here. An inaccurate quote that doesn’t reflect the full details of your job doesn’t do much good for your budget or your bottom line — and, in the worst case, can hurt you in the long run with cost overruns. It’s certainly tempting to get a quote as early as possible in the process — and not totally inadvisable to do so — but the further out you are from a finished design, the more flexibility you should allow in budgeting down the line. In other words, your early quotes should act much more as ballpark figures than set-in-stone numbers around which to plan. A quote isn’t much use if it’s not accurate.
A quotation should include a delivery time. Deliveries are determined by estimating time required to perform the necessary work (designing, machining, assembling, and testing); however, delivery promises also depend on how quickly the job can be started and how available time is in these areas. Deliveries to testing are often quoted instead of deliveries to shipping to make clients aware that testing could reveal unforeseen issues before shipping.
The conditions of the plant constantly change. The majority of people may be busy today, but may find themselves looking for work in a few months. In a quote, the delivery period is usually indicated as a short period of time, or as an immediate delivery period. At the time of quoting, we estimate a delivery within a few weeks depending on the current load in the shop. Each quotation should clearly state the period during which it is valid. This is because there is a change in shop load all the time.
A mold maker, however, faces the risk of continuing to submit quotations in the order in which they are requested, while fully aware from past experience that only a fraction will ever be purchased. Mold makers may think it is a great success when orders are received in excess of what can be shipped, however, ignoring the wishes of customers (for early delivery) does not make sense.
Increasing design and manufacturing hours would be the best proposed solution. However, such an expansion is not practical because more space, more capital for equipment, and a more qualified workforce would be required to capitalize on such immediate expansion. In most cases, the answer is to work overtime; however, some areas limit how many hours can be worked overtime.
As long as qualified personnel are available on time, adding shift work in some areas might be helpful. Subcontracting some of the work is one option for the mold maker. When they operate on a smaller scale, mold makers often outsource design work and some machining and finishing operations.
My suggestion is to find an injection molding or tooling engineer you could refer to,(of course, I am so happy to be your consultant )and have a face to face discussion with him, tell him what quantity and quality you want, which is very important and the most time-and-cost-effective way.If you really develop a new product, this early step will be paid off later.
A good mold quote is much like many other facets of life. The quality of result is proportional to the amount of effort you put into them.
The whole purpose of the mold, is to make the plastic part. So the more the mold designer knows about the part design, the more accurate the resulting mold quotation will satisfy the request.
If the part information is in the form of a sketch with no selected resin or composite identified for manufacturing it, you will get a VERY ballpark mold and component quotation.
A drawing will get you a slightly better result.
A CAD file and the desired resin or composite, you receive a more accurate quotation.
A CAD file with a part optimized for molding with wall draft, identified radii or sharp edges, required surface finishes identified and wall thicknesses optimized, keep out cosmetic areas and acceptable locations for ejection pin marks or knit lines, an absence of or identified undercuts with an understanding that they will add features to the mold design and cost. A very accurate quotation.
All the previous AND an understanding of the component’s use environment, i.e. a Physical Design Requirements Specification for the lack of a better name will result in as accurate a quote you can get without having designed the part with us participating in your work.
As stated earlier, the more the mold designer knows, the better the resulting deliverables will be.
Accuracy is the key here. An inaccurate quote that doesn’t reflect the full details of your job doesn’t do much good for your budget or your bottom line — and, in the worst case, can hurt you in the long run with cost overruns. It’s certainly tempting to get a quote as early as possible in the process — and not totally inadvisable to do so — but the further out you are from a finished design, the more flexibility you should allow in budgeting down the line. In other words, your early quotes should act much more as ballpark figures than set-in-stone numbers around which to plan.
Accuracy is the key here. An inaccurate quote that doesn’t reflect the full details of your job doesn’t do much good for your budget or your bottom line — and, in the worst case, can hurt you in the long run with cost overruns. It’s certainly tempting to get a quote as early as possible in the process — and not totally inadvisable to do so — but the further out you are from a finished design, the more flexibility you should allow in budgeting down the line. In other words, your early quotes should act much more as ballpark figures than set-in-stone numbers around which to plan.
quoting for a mold is a complex and sometimes tedious process, but a few rules can help make the process easier. They’re not written in stone, but you’ll find that to most moldmakers they are gospel.
Send an RFQ that is as detailed as you can make it. Don’t make themoldmaker guess what you want. Moldmakers are a lot of things, but mind-readers they’re not! Be specific about the type of mold, the number of cavities, the steel, expectations of mold life, and any guarantees you’ll need. If you aren’t certain about any of these items, get input from your moldmaker to help you determine exactly what type of mold is best for your requirements. The more detailed the RFQ, the more accurate the moldmaker’s quote will be.
Be honest about why you are requesting a quote. If you need a ballpark figure to submit to marketing, say so. But don’t ask for a complete engineering evaluation and quote, then casually mention it’s just a preliminary quote on a project that’s at least a year away. Or you’re just fishing. Quoting is time-consuming, and moldmakers want to spend their time quoting jobs that have good promise of becoming a reality soon.
Respect the intellectual property of the moldmaker. The knowledge and creativity a moldmaker has acquired are his or her intellectual property. Keep those ideas and suggestions confidential when going out for quote. If you choose another mold shop to do the work, don’t tell moldmaker “B”to make it the way moldmaker “A” suggested in his quote. Remember, moldmaker “B” didn’t quote it that way and may not understand why moldmaker “A” made that suggestion.
Consider the benefits of forming a true partnership with your moldmaker(s).Bring in
him or her early on your project for input; work with him in regard to costing goals and budgets; life of the project and part quantity expectations. Moldmakers don’t like being mushrooms! The best purchasing is done by those who truly know their suppliers and play as a team, openly and honestly, to the benefit of both companies.
Communicate with and solicit communication from your moldmaker on a regular basis. Many provide Gantt charts or other types of progress reports online, or provide online access to regularly posted updates. Knowing where the mold build stands and if it is on schedule is critical, so request scheduled information stands and if it is on schedule is critical, so request scheduled information
Make your payments on time per the agreement. Few moldmakers can afford to play banker, and building a mold entails many, sometimes large, up-front expenses on their part. There are a number of ways to approach the payment schedule, such as 30% down, 30% at half completion, 30% at completion, and 10% upon part approval and mold shipment. Different moldmakers have different plans, or will work with you on a payment schedule that is fair, equitable and will benefit both companies.
Changes to the part design can mean changes to the mold. Remember, the more changes you make during the mold build, the less likely you are to get a mold in the lead time or at the price quoted. Understand that when you require part design changes, it often leads to changes in the mold design, which can add both time and cost to the mold build.
Define up front when the mold is considered complete. When is a mold complete? That often determines when final payment is made. Is the mold complete upon approved part sample? Upon shipment? Usually a mold is complete when it is capable of producing a part according to specifications and dimensions on the part print. Most moldmakers will make small changes and tweaks to get the mold to spec to make the part according to print dimensions. A decision to make a change to the part, and consequently to the mold, after the part has met print specs doesn’t mean the mold isn’t finished. When the part meets print specifications and dimensions, the mold is complete. Changes are done via an ECO (engineering change order) and will be priced accordingly.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.You may find a moldmaker who quotes very low prices on a job. Maybe he’s hungry, or maybe his overhead is low so he can price lower than other shops. However, any quote that comes in too low might not be the bargain is appears to be.