First, do not focus only on product design while neglecting the manufacturing of plastic molds.

Some users, when developing products or conducting trial production of new products, often focus only on product research and development in the early stage and neglect communication with plastic mold manufacturing units. After the product design plan is initially determined, there are two benefits to contacting the mold manufacturer in advance:

It can ensure that the designed products have good forming processes and the final design will not be modified due to the difficulty in processing parts.

2. The mold manufacturer can make design preparations in advance to prevent any oversight due to haste, which could affect the project schedule.

3. To produce high-quality plastic molds, only through close cooperation between the supply and demand sides can costs be ultimately reduced and the cycle shortened.

Second, don't just focus on the price. Consider quality, cycle and service from all aspects.

There are many types of molds, which can be roughly divided into ten major categories. According to different requirements such as the material of the parts, physical and chemical properties, mechanical strength, dimensional accuracy, surface finish, service life and economy, different types of molds are selected for forming.

Molds with high precision requirements need to be processed by high-precision CNC machine tools. Moreover, there are strict requirements for the material and forming process of the molds, and CAD/CAE/CAM mold technology is also needed for design and analysis.

3. For some parts, due to special requirements during the forming process, the molds also need to use advanced processes such as hot runners, gas-assisted forming, and nitrogen cylinders.

4. The manufacturer should be equipped with CNC, electrical discharge, wire cutting machines, CNC profiling milling equipment, high-precision grinders, high-precision three-coordinate measuring instruments, computer design and related software, etc.

5. For general large-scale stamping dies (such as automotive body panel dies), it is necessary to consider whether the machine tool has a blank holder mechanism, and even edge lubricants, multi-station progressive, etc. In addition to the stamping tonnage, the stroke count, feeding device, machine tool and die protection device should also be taken into consideration.

6. The manufacturing methods and processes of the above-mentioned molds are not possessed and mastered by every enterprise. When choosing a cooperative manufacturer, it is essential to understand its processing capacity. Not only should the hardware equipment be considered, but also the management level, processing experience and technical strength should be taken into account.

7. For the same set of molds, the quotations from different manufacturers sometimes vary greatly. You should neither pay more than the value of the mold nor less than its cost. Mold manufacturers, like you, need to achieve reasonable profits in their business. Customizing a set of molds with a much lower quotation will be the beginning of trouble. Users must start from their own requirements and make a comprehensive assessment.

Third, avoid multi-party collaboration and try to integrate plastic mold making and product processing as much as possible.

Even with qualified molds (qualified test pieces), it doesn't necessarily mean that a batch of qualified products can be produced. This is mainly related to the selection of the processing machine tool for the parts, the forming process (forming temperature, forming time, etc.) and the technical quality of the operator.

2. With good molds, good forming processing is also necessary. It is best to have a one-stop collaboration and try to avoid multi-party collaboration. If the conditions are not met, one party should be fully responsible. This must be clearly stated when signing the contract.