Prototype, bridge and production tooling
Aluminum prototype tools are cheaper and faster but have limited life. Bridge tools carry you through early production while a hardened production tool is built. Hardened steel tools cost more up front and earn it back over hundreds of thousands of cycles. Choose based on realistic volume forecasts, not optimistic ones.
Part design drives everything
Wall thickness uniformity, draft, gate location, rib design and material selection determine cycle time, warp and scrap. Molders will run DFM review before quoting — take it seriously, since changes are cheap in CAD and expensive in steel.
- Keep wall sections uniform
- Add draft everywhere the design permits
- Discuss gate and knit-line locations for cosmetic parts
- Confirm who owns and stores the tool