How to find a Quick-Turn Injection Molding manufacturer

by | Jan 23, 2019 | Blog | 0 comments

How to find a Quick-Turn Injection Molding manufacturer

 

At  early stage of product development, a good quick-turn injection molding manufacturer can help designers or engineers, develop their products rapidly, and in cost efficiency. Rapid tooling and quick turn-injection molding is popular, for small volume of prototypes, and low volume production. Anyway, as there are many mold makers all over the world, you may find following alternatives when looking for a quick-turn injection molding one:

  • A production maker;
  • A prototype manufacturer;
  • A broker;
  • Then a good and reliable quick-turn injection molding manufacturer.

We can imagine their advantages and disadvantages at quick-turn injection molding. I listed them below for comparison:

Advantages Disadvantages
Production Mold Maker
  • Solid technical knowledge;
  • High price;
  • low speed;
  • not fragile at custom requirement;
  • difficult at project follow up.
Prototype Maker
  • Fragile at custom needs;
  • Various surface finishes;
  • High price;
  • Not professional at medium volume production;
  • If with difficult project issues, difficult to proceed.
Broker
  • Fragile;
  • easy to communicate,
  • If with difficult project issues, difficult to proceed.
Good quick-turn mold maker
  • Solid technical knowledge;
  • Reasonable price;
  • Fragile manufacturing;
  • One-demand manufacturing.
  • Limited facilities;
  • Company size not huge in normal.

 

At early stage of product development, we would like to use quick-turn injection molding. How can we find a good quick-turn injection molding manufacturer? We have 4 suggestions. Maybe it would be helpful for reference:

  • Communication speed, and their professional at injection molding:
  1. A good quick-turn injection molding company: response in 24 hours in standard, and 12 hours in normal, with their professional queries, design for manufacturing advice, manufacturing options guide and etc.
  2. A production mold maker: response in 1-2 days in normal. It would be even longer if a quantity needs is not and not fit for them.
  3. A prototype company:  response in 24 hours in normal. While in often they will guide if you would need protypes in advance.
  4. Anyway, a broker will react similar as a quick-turn mold maker. We may cannot find the difference.
  • Their tooling cost and unit prices
  1. A quick-turn injection molding company: generally consider tooling structure and quantity needs. Tooling price relatively low, while unit price relatively high.
  2. A traditional mold maker : will consider a tool fit for high-volume production equipments. Their tooling price normally high, tool making lead time long, while unit price lowest.
  3. A prototype maker: high tooling price and high unit price.  Prefer to make parts with rapid prototyping manners.
  4. A broker: normally their price is a bit higher than a quick-turn mold maker, but not vary a lot, and depends on different projects.
  • Ask for free DFM analysis, and do that in times.
  1. A quick-turn injection mold maker:  a standard quic-turn service. They have own designers, project engineers mainly for this. A professional quick-turn injection molding company do that in 24-48 hours.
  2. A conventional injection mold company: special requirement. It will take almost 1 week or even more for preparation.
  3. A prototype maker: would have to work outsource. Difficult for them do that in speed. And may be not professional enough.
  4. A broker: can provide this services. But if do that in times, it would be out of capacity.
  • Facility validation:

It’s always good to visit a factory on-site.
But it maybe difficult if you’re just looking a mold maker China on internet or by Google search.
Anyway, we can check their professional, working experience, quality control at their website.
One important thing is that you may ask for company images, to compare with the ones at their website.

  1. A quick turn-injection mold maker: maybe not a huge factory, but with basic facilities a mold maker should have. The images recived will be same as the ones at their websit, and in harmonious background.
  2. A production mold maker: sharing many injection molding machines with robotic arm. They have capacity, but not for quick-turn injection molding.
  3. A prototype maker: mostly with the model shop, painting shop, but no tooling and molding shop.
  4. A broker:  may many facilities at their website, but not in harmonious at background.

In general, we listed a form again for comparison and summary:

Response Price Free DFM, in times Facility validation
Production Mold Maker
  • Slow, in Days.
  • High Tool Cost;
  • Low Unit Price;
  • No.
  • Many molding machines with robotic arms;
Prototype Maker
  • 1-2 days;
  • High Tool Cost;
  • High Unit Price;
  • No;
  • or yes but last long time.
  • No mold shop or injection molding shop;
Broker
  • 1-2 days
  • Med-High tooling cost;
  • Medi-High unit price.
  • mostly can;
  • Difficult in time.
  • No shop, facilities at website but not in harmonious;
Good quick-turn mold maker
  • 24 hours in standard,
  • mostly in 12 hours;
  • Medium tooling cost;
  • Medium unit price.
  • Yes, and in speed;
  • Standard services.
  • An average mold shop and injection molding shop.

 

Quick-turn injection molding is very popular in USA for product development. Following our suggestions, probably you can find a good one in China. We believe that they have close quality, customer-oriented service, and much more competitive prices.

Danke Mold is also one of the quick-turn injection molding companies, in China. We provide proto mold, quick-turn injection molding and on-demand injection molding agilely. Email us via info@dankemold.com. We will response in 12 hours.