Every day, we receive many requests for plastic molds from new customers as well as old partners. For customers who have cooperated with us for many years, solving requests is quite simple because customers have understood the processes as well as the quality of the products that our company brings.
However, new customers, especially those who order molds for the first time, need to be consulted more carefully so that customers can fully grasp the information before deciding to order. In this article, we will share some important notes that those who need to order molds for the first time need to know.
Important notes when ordering molds.
Mold quality:
Mold quality is a factor that directly affects the price of plastic molds that customers have to pay. Depending on the quality that customers choose, the price will be high or low. To put it clearly, if a mold is cheap, the quality of the mold certainly cannot be the best. However, low mold quality is not necessarily a concern when it does not affect the intended use of the product that the customer wants to aim for. For example: If the customer needs to process a plastic injection mold to produce a product that does not require too much aesthetics, precision or produces a small quantity, it is not necessary to invest in a very good mold set. In this case, if too much attention is paid to mold quality, the mold price will be pushed up while the product is sold in small quantities and at low prices, which will cause damage to the customer.
A corner of our plastic mold making facility
For products that require high aesthetics, precision and are produced in large quantities, a quality mold set is required. Quality here includes factors such as:
Precision mold processing
Mold steel is good steel with high hardness
Mold structure must be perfect to ensure continuous production without errors…
These requirements require the mold processing company that the customer chooses to have enough capacity to meet them in order to make the mold set, and the customer must also pay the corresponding amount.
Product quality
Usually, when customers order plastic injection mold processing, there are 3 main cases: making exactly according to an available product model, making according to an available model but with additional editing – improvement, and making a completely new product. All 3 of these cases have their own notes that customers need to pay attention to.
Ordering mold processing for an available product
The requirement to make a product according to an available model is relatively easy. The customer provides the model and the mold processing company only needs to make a mold to press out a product that meets the quality of the model. For existing products manufactured by injection molding technology, mold making is certainly feasible. The evaluation to liquidate the mold delivery contract will also be simpler for both the ordering party and the mold processing facility.
Ordering the processing of existing molds with additional improvements
Customers who want to improve the product need to understand in detail the points that need to be improved and it is best to have drawings as well as documents describing the improvements so that the mold processing party has a basis for designing and processing the mold.
In cases where customers do not fully understand the characteristics of plastic injection molds but make requests that are not optimal for plastic mold making, the mold processing facility needs to carefully advise customers so that they understand the problems that may arise if they follow that improvement. Our company will advise customers fully and in the most detail so that customers understand the characteristics of plastic injection molds.
In addition, we also support product redesign to optimize the product, mold structure as well as the most reasonable mold processing cost.
Order processing for a new product
A new product is a product that has never been on the market. These product lines often arise from the customer’s ideas. Usually, customers will order based on 2D, 3D drawings or sketch ideas by hand.
This is the most difficult requirement for mold processing facilities because it requires experience and in-depth knowledge of molds, materials and many other factors. The characteristic of plastic injection products is that the shrinkage of the plastic will change the size and shape of the product after injection. Therefore, when making plastic injection molds for requirements like this, the risk is much higher.
For this request, we will use professional simulation tools to predict possible errors in order to advise customers and provide design and processing options to limit errors. Customers also need to clearly understand the necessary requirements of the product such as appearance requirements (gloss, surface roughness, etc.), accuracy (pay attention to the required assembly positions), mass, volume, etc. to avoid problems when liquidating the contract and handing over the mold later.
Plastic raw materials
Plastic raw materials are required by customers to meet the intended use of the product. Here we have virgin plastic which is a type of plastic that has never been used before and recycled plastic which is plastic that has been used and then recycled from scraps.
Mass production quantity
Our policy is to provide a lifetime warranty for molds that customers order and order plastic injection molding at our plastic injection molding facilities. However, if customers have plastic injection molding machines and only want to order mold processing, customers need to provide information about the total order expected to be pressed.
Plastic injection molds are iron and steel structures including components that interact with each other during the operation process, so damage over time and according to work intensity is inevitable. Steel quality and mold finishing are two factors that determine the durability of the mold.
To ensure optimal mold costs, avoid wasting customers’ money while still ensuring full satisfaction of customer needs, customers need to estimate the total output to be produced and the monthly output so that we can advise on choosing the most suitable type of steel for the mold.
Delivery time
Customers often want to know the exact delivery time to arrange production plans. Normally, a mold set takes from 2 weeks to 2 months to complete depending on the difficulty of the product. Most mold manufacturing facilities are late with delivery, even Japanese companies are the same. The problem here is that the nature of the mold processing industry is always different from other fields.
Many unpredictable problems are the main cause of late delivery. To solve this problem, we will anticipate possible risks and come up with a production plan with troubleshooting time if any. Thanks to that, we always deliver on time or earlier if the mold does not have errors.
Warranty
Our company’s policy is to provide a lifetime warranty for plastic injection molds processed and molded at our factory. This means that customers only need to pay the initial mold cost and we are responsible for repairing if the mold develops an error during the plastic injection process at our factory without the customer having to pay any additional repair costs.
For molds sold outside, our company applies a warranty policy from 3 to 12 months depending on the quality of the mold that the customer desires. Customers can also pay additional costs if they want a longer warranty.
Plastic injection mold repair
All mold lines processed at our company are accepted for post-warranty repair at a reasonable cost. Our company does not accept repairing molds that are not manufactured by our company, except in cases where customers order plastic injection at our plastic injection facility.
Plastic injection mold maintenance – maintenance
During the plastic injection production process, the mold needs to be properly maintained – maintained to ensure that the mold operates smoothly, with few errors occurring during the production process. We will provide detailed instructions on the necessary maintenance and repair work before handing over the mold to the customer.
Conclusion
Finding the right mold processing facility and placing an order is very important for any customer who needs to make plastic injection molds. New customers who order molds for the first time will try to find the facility that offers the cheapest plastic injection molds to make, not the most reputable and quality mold processing facility. This is really not a smart choice.
The cost you spend on a mold set is something you should worry about and consider. However, a plastic injection mold is an asset and it will generate profits for you over a long period of time. If you try to find the cheapest mold processing facilities but accept poor quality, it may not have time to generate profits for you before you have to spend money to repair or worse, make a new mold set.
Therefore, before deciding to order a mold, you should contact the manufacturer directly to get full advice on the issues we mentioned above to see how much they can meet. If possible, you should directly visit the factory to see with your own eyes the products they have made, from there make the smartest decision. Wish you success.
Contact information:
VINASTAR COMPANY LIMITED
– Address: No. 21, Street 71, Phu Tan Ward, Thu Dau Mot City, Binh Duong.
