Finding some resources is just the first step, how to identify a good one and choose one out of many injection mold suppliers to work with is the most important part. Here are some ideas for how to identify a good injection mold supplier.
1, Start with a quotation
Injection mold and molding is customization process. So an official mold or contract molding quotation should contain details of the mold solution, rather than just a price. You should also pay attention to other information.
—What is the mold size designed?
Adequate mold base size provides the necessary strength and stability of injection molding performance. Undersized mold size means weaker strength and will endanger mold quality sometimes.
— What is the mold steel used?
There are various mold steels out there. Lower grade steel from un-know resources means unstable performance, steel price varies in wide range. For example, P20 pre-harden steel only cost 15 RMB/kg meanwhile harden steel 1.2343 up to 40 RMB/kg
— How many shots are the molding cycle guaranteed?
Ensure there is a commitment for warranty in the official quotation. The injection mold must be able to full fill your production demands in the whole product life cycle so you don’t have make a new mold later after. Usually the mold was classified into several level by their quality and cycle withstand. Here is a mold classification to understand the details of different mold class.
— What is the accessory standard?
The designed mold and accessory should apply to the standard where the mold run injection molding to ease the mold maintenance. Standard for Europe is HASCO, North America is DME. If you buy injection molds from one injection mold supplier and then do injection with another molding supplier, then this is the part you want to double check. But if you do molds and molding at one place, then this should not be your concern.
— What’s the payment term?
Generally payment term accepted by Chinese mold factories including Aco Mold Company are 40% with PO, 30% with T1 sample submit, 30% before mold shipping. As a custom made product, mold payment term is not that adorable than other products, a long term relationship would make the payment term flexible by negotiation.
2, Ask questions to injection mold suppliers:
Besides a quotation, ask questions as much as you can so you have better understanding of the potential molding supplier. Custom injection molding is a complex process require many back-and-forths in the processing. Capability to communicate effectively is one of the most important factors to determine the success of your custom injection molding project. A smart buyer should do homework and ask good questions.
3, Proven records of the past project, referral
A reliable and capable molding supplier should be able to present you many success project records in the past. Furthermore, ask for customer references so you can talk directly with one or 2 of their customers.
4, Pay a visit
A face to face talk is the most direct and reliable method to make a right judge. Suggest to pay a visit if possible, or a skype vedio call or zoom meeting will do the same on some level.
Please read in conjunction with our another article Injection Mold Buyers Guide in China. It will show you How to find a good Chinese mold supplier.
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