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Injection molding dies, or injection molds, are the heart of molding process. It&#;s crucial for buyers to source them from reliable, trusted, quality-driven suppliers. They have a big decision to make: to build their molds in China, or closer to home in the USA. Often, this leads to questions about quality versus cost and delivery. This requires closer consideration, as each option has its own features, benefits, and disadvantages. Let&#;s explore insourced vs outsourced injection mold die production.
There are several benefits to working with China for your mold production needs. It should come as no surprise the biggest reason manufacturers choose China is cost savings. China&#;s lower labor costs and favorable material prices can significantly reduce mold development expenses. Another factor is China&#;s large manufacturing base &#; it&#;s no secret that China boasts a large fabrication industry, which includes injection molding. This gives access to a vast network of molding suppliers with rapid production capabilities. Further, many Chinese mold manufacturers can handle high-volume orders and tighter timelines.
The benefits of cost savings and other advantages we discussed do come at a price. One big challenge is the communication barrier, due to language and cultural differences. This barrier could lead to misunderstandings and project delays. Also, concerns still linger about quality and consistency, which could lead to rework and revisions. This all adds up to unwanted delays and cost increases. Also, as with outsourcing anything, there are intellectual property (IP) risks. IP protection in China can be less robust, increasing the risk of unauthorized duplication or use of your designs. Violations also harder to litigate should something go very wrong. Finally, shipping from overseas adds additional time, expense, and the increased risk of logistical disruptions.
There are many reasons to have your molds made in the USA. Quality is the big one. As a rule, US-based mold manufacturers often follow stringent quality control standards and processes, reducing the likelihood of defects, and associated delays. Another considerable advantage is that overall collaboration is easier, despite potential time-zone differences. Domestic production allows for much better communication and collaboration overall with the mold maker, simplifying iterations. As for intellectual property concerns, the USA provides stronger legal frameworks to protect your IP and designs. Another obvious advantage is that domestic suppliers tend to offer quicker lead times with relatively simple logistics when compared to overseas options.
Well, you already know the big one: higher total cost. There&#;s no need to elaborate on that one any further. Also, while there are many established and capable mold makers here in the States, some may have less capacity for larger-scale orders, which could affect lead times.
The decision depends on your company&#;s priorities, production needs, and project specifics. Ultimately, it all boils down to considering cost vs. quality, complexity, and IP sensitivity. Your goal is to find a good shop that will do the job on time, within (or close to) budget, while fully respecting your IP requirements.
Generally speaking, it is cheaper to produce molds overseas, and quality has come up over the years. Also, you can consider a hybrid approach: have the die made overseas, but use a local die maker for any required modifications or fixes. We encourage you to keep an open mind when evaluating and making the choice.
Regardless of where you decide to have your injection molding dies made, there are a few things we strongly recommend that you always do:
Injection molds are crucial investments. Be sure to carefully weigh the pros and cons against your specific requirements to help ensure a successful outcome.
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What you know and don&#;t know about your mold design can impact the timing, costs, quality, risks, and life of the mold. The mold design phase defines most of the quality of a mold. You need to ask detailed questions about your new mold during mold design, so you can make changes early on.
If your supplier makes meaningful decisions such as shortcuts to save time and money at the expense of accuracy, you should know. Asking these specific questions helps you learn about both your final output and your supplier. The answers help you select the right provider who will extend your mold&#;s performance and longevity to get the most value from your investment.
Q1: CAN I REVIEW THE MOLD DESIGN?As the owner of the mold, you have every right to review and approve the mold design prior to mold construction. If they decline your request, this raises red flags. Either your supplier does not use a mold design, or they are unwilling to share their design with you. Either way, this supplier introduces extra risks into your project, and you have to ask yourself why. Your goal is to reduce project risks, not introduce more, and this supplier may not be the right fit for you.
We have had clients transfer molds to us that they own. They were surprised to discover that the mold had no cooling lines or ejection because they had never seen the mold before. Maybe you cannot physically review the inner workings of your mold in person. But you can review the mold design which can reveal these types of issues before building the mold.
You want to make sure not to assume that a high-grade mold is automatically a well-designed mold. A Class 101 mold might be made with hardened steel, but that provides little insight into the rest of the mold design. In other words, a Class 101 mold can still have a poor mold design or lack the ability to run automatically. You can read more about mold classifications here.
Even if you do not want to delve into every minute detail, at a minimum you can review parting line assignments, knockout locations, and gate locations to assess the impact on the final part. You can also review inserted areas and venting locations which will also have an impact on the final part.
Q2: WHAT SIZE MOLD WILL YOU BUILD?
We have had many molds transferred to us for molding or repairs where the customer wanted a robust, efficient production mold and ended up with a mold which was much larger than necessary. These molds suffered from inappropriate mold designs. Larger molds consume more raw material and produce unnecessary waste.
In general, you are looking for signs that you are getting the right mold. This means the mold design does not include unnecessary waste. You want a lean mold. You determine waste based upon the purpose of your mold. For example, a rushed mold design could result in a mold that requires a 200-ton press versus a 60-ton press.
That might work if you place priority on speed to first parts as your priority. If the mold will produce a low number of parts quickly, the rapid mold design might work best for you. Rapid molds use quick designs by cutting out steps not needed in pursuit of getting a number of samples as quickly as possible. Building a robust mold with optimized cycle times proves unnecessary with a primary purpose to validate the part design. As Donald Knuth said, &#;Premature optimization is the root of all evil.&#;
As the need for higher quantities of parts increases, a more efficient mold design grows more desirable. If the mold will produce many parts without wasted processing time during injection molding, a smaller, more compact mold works. This means the mold will fit into a smaller press, consume less energy, decrease cycle time, and yield a lower piece price. The smaller press will generally use a lower clamping force and create less wear on the mold. This helps extend the life of the mold.
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