Plastic molds are the tools that decide whether a moulded part can be made at all, and at what cost. This section covers injection moulds, blow moulding and extrusion tooling, die sets, hot runner systems and mould components offered by Chinese toolmakers. Buyers usually compare steel grade, cavity count, runner type and trial support — check those four before you look at the quotation total.
A mould quote is not a market price, it is a design decision. The same part can be tooled for a fraction of the money or several times it, depending on what you ask for. The variables that move the number most are cavity count, part size, steel selection, side actions and surface finish.
| Variable | Effect on cost | Effect on part cost |
|---|---|---|
| Cavity count | Rises roughly with cavity count, not linearly | Falls sharply — this is where tooling pays back |
| Steel grade | Moderate for pre-hardened, higher for hardened and polished grades | Lower downtime and better consistency over the run |
| Side actions / sliders | Each slider or lifter adds tool cost and maintenance risk | May remove a secondary operation |
| Hot runner | Clear increase in tool cost | Less regrind, shorter cycles, better for engineering resins |
| Surface texture | Depends on grain spec and whether it is etched or engraved | May reduce or eliminate painting |
When you compare tool offers, make each one declare the same fields:
Paying for a mould is not the same as owning it. If the invoice says "tooling fee" and the purchase order is silent, you may find at the end of the programme that the tool stays with the moulder — along with your ability to move the part to a second source. Fix three things in writing before the deposit: that you own the tool, that the amortisation is explicit (fully paid, part-amortised, or free against volume commitment), and under what conditions the tool is released to you or to another moulder. Our article on tooling ownership and transfer sets out the clauses.
A tool is not finished when it closes for the first time. Expect T1, dimensional measurement, correction, and a further trial before approval. Ask for the trial report with the process parameters recorded — injection pressure, holding pressure, melt temperature, mould temperature and cooling time — because that sheet is what lets the next moulder run your tool successfully, and what lets you diagnose a defect two years later.
Simple single-cavity tools are typically measured in weeks from design freeze, and complex multi-cavity tools with sliders and hot runners take considerably longer. The realistic answer depends on how fast the design is frozen and how many correction loops the samples need, so ask for a dated plan with the trial date included, not just a total duration.
Only if the tool is yours and it is in a condition worth moving. Before transfer, request a tool condition report with photographs, confirm the tool fits standard platens at the receiving moulder, and clarify who pays freight and any refurbishment.
Usually, if the tool is built to your machine specification. Give the toolmaker the platen size, tie-bar spacing, maximum and minimum mould height, ejection pattern and injection unit data at the quotation stage. Retrofitting a tool to the wrong press is far more expensive than specifying it correctly.
Worth it when you run engineering resins, when regrind is unacceptable for food or medical parts, or when cycle time and sprue waste dominate the unit cost. Not worth it for low volumes, for parts where the gate mark is hidden anyway, or when a simple cold runner already meets the quality requirement.
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