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I've had a project in mind for several years now that would be ideal for injection molding plastic parts, the only problem is a $10-20k in mold creation would t

I've had a project in mind for several years now that would be ideal for injection molding plastic parts, the only problem is a $10-20k in mold creation would take a long time to pay off and become profitable for a niche product (lego related for example). Does anyone have experience doing this?

sporkologist 8y ago
Make sure you take care of patent issues first—if you're making something that someone else has patented, they can make you stop producing them and/or sue for legal fees. Consult with a patent atty. first if you haven't done so yet. Having said that, epoxy tooling is another lower-cost option besides aluminum.
Gibbon1 8y ago
You can I think get simple short run molds made for under $5k. Molds made out of CNC milled aluminum instead of hard steel.
- countzeroasl 8y ago
  Possible, depending on how simple the molds are. Typically, this is easier if you have a MUD unit (Master Unit Die) where you can just mill inserts, rather than the whole injection mold (ejection, injection, clamp plates, etc...)
wtracy 8y ago
You might want to test the market first with 3d printed parts. There's a little cottage industry making 3d printed accessories for Lego.
starky 8y ago
How complicated/large is the part? $10-$20k is a pretty expensive mold these days even for production tools (from China). If you only need 2000 or so for a simple part to start, and are willing to pay 2-3X the part price, Protolabs is a good option. Another low tooling cost, low volume option that might be worth looking into is cast urethane.
- klausnrooster 8y ago
  I was told just last week a production mold for an automotive bumper costs about a million $. Mind you, that is a big mold with hot runners, multiple gates, and I think some moving parts. I can't confirm that figure but I do know a small mold for a 4x12 inch rectangular plaque, 3 mm thick, costs $10k. Uh, but that is not from China.
  - starky 8y ago
    Depending on how large and complex the mold is, the price does go up a lot. However, for a 2-up mold for something the size of a game controller, with a 0.5mil shot life, with maybe a slider or two, you are looking at $8-10k at many of the molders I've worked with.
gonzo 8y ago
Yes, based on an idea my son had in 2010 (when he was 12), we built a “LEGO compatible” iPhone case. https://www.smallworks.com/ https://www.smallworks.com/
catherd 8y ago
I run a contract manufacturing service in China. We mostly work with US companies bringing new products to market. I'm a little uncertain what you're asking, but my email is in my profile. In general, I can say that individuals trying to start anything hardware related almost universally run into funding problems before they finish (or their idea was just not what the market wanted). My usual recommendation to people trying to start something hardware related is to do as much as you can in the beginning to make "sales", with sales being defined as whatever you can get that proves someone would actually pay you money for your widget. Prove you have a market before you pay for expensive tooling. That process can vary, but crowdfunding is one example. Some rough rules of thumb if all you are interested in is cash outlay: need 2 parts: 3D print or CNC need 10 parts: silicone mold or CNC need 200+ parts: injection mold If lead time to first part, part uniformity, or uncertainty about design changes are factors that might also swing you toward or away from injection molding. For injection mold tools, assuming the part has a normal level of complexity: 2cm cube: ~$3k, 5 weeks to first shot 15cm x 5cm x 2cm: ~$4k, 5 weeks to first shot 25cm x 15cm x 5cm: ~$8k 8 weeks to first shot First shot means the first time the tool is tested to make samples. Generally there is a sample approval and testing process you have to go through before any remaining tweaks are made + the final mold texture or polish is added. I find the total time has more to do with how organized and diligent the client is in responding, but assuming nobody drags their feet we generally can be production ready in another 2 weeks or so. We only work with production tooling (hard steel, lasts a long time). From checking around, if you use aluminum tooling or other "cheap" fast turn prototyping stuff the price doesn't seem to be any less, and in many cases is more. Tooling made in America is usually significantly more... maybe 1.3 - 3x more.
- countzeroasl 8y ago
  As an engineering manager that does these types of projects for a living, I would be happy to chat with anyone who is interested in the actual process, design/manufacturing issues, or rough costs/timeline of this type of project.

sporkologist 8y ago

Make sure you take care of patent issues first—if you're making something that someone else has patented, they can make you stop producing them and/or sue for legal fees. Consult with a patent atty. first if you haven't done so yet. Having said that, epoxy tooling is another lower-cost option besides aluminum.

Gibbon1 8y ago

You can I think get simple short run molds made for under $5k. Molds made out of CNC milled aluminum instead of hard steel.

countzeroasl 8y ago
Possible, depending on how simple the molds are. Typically, this is easier if you have a MUD unit (Master Unit Die) where you can just mill inserts, rather than the whole injection mold (ejection, injection, clamp plates, etc...)

wtracy 8y ago

You might want to test the market first with 3d printed parts. There's a little cottage industry making 3d printed accessories for Lego.

starky 8y ago

How complicated/large is the part? $10-$20k is a pretty expensive mold these days even for production tools (from China). If you only need 2000 or so for a simple part to start, and are willing to pay 2-3X the part price, Protolabs is a good option. Another low tooling cost, low volume option that might be worth looking into is cast urethane.

klausnrooster 8y ago
I was told just last week a production mold for an automotive bumper costs about a million $. Mind you, that is a big mold with hot runners, multiple gates, and I think some moving parts. I can't confirm that figure but I do know a small mold for a 4x12 inch rectangular plaque, 3 mm thick, costs $10k. Uh, but that is not from China.
- starky 8y ago
  Depending on how large and complex the mold is, the price does go up a lot. However, for a 2-up mold for something the size of a game controller, with a 0.5mil shot life, with maybe a slider or two, you are looking at $8-10k at many of the molders I've worked with.

gonzo 8y ago

Yes, based on an idea my son had in 2010 (when he was 12), we built a “LEGO compatible” iPhone case. https://www.smallworks.com/ https://www.smallworks.com/

catherd 8y ago

I run a contract manufacturing service in China. We mostly work with US companies bringing new products to market. I'm a little uncertain what you're asking, but my email is in my profile. In general, I can say that individuals trying to start anything hardware related almost universally run into funding problems before they finish (or their idea was just not what the market wanted). My usual recommendation to people trying to start something hardware related is to do as much as you can in the beginning to make "sales", with sales being defined as whatever you can get that proves someone would actually pay you money for your widget. Prove you have a market before you pay for expensive tooling. That process can vary, but crowdfunding is one example. Some rough rules of thumb if all you are interested in is cash outlay: need 2 parts: 3D print or CNC need 10 parts: silicone mold or CNC need 200+ parts: injection mold If lead time to first part, part uniformity, or uncertainty about design changes are factors that might also swing you toward or away from injection molding. For injection mold tools, assuming the part has a normal level of complexity: 2cm cube: ~$3k, 5 weeks to first shot 15cm x 5cm x 2cm: ~$4k, 5 weeks to first shot 25cm x 15cm x 5cm: ~$8k 8 weeks to first shot First shot means the first time the tool is tested to make samples. Generally there is a sample approval and testing process you have to go through before any remaining tweaks are made + the final mold texture or polish is added. I find the total time has more to do with how organized and diligent the client is in responding, but assuming nobody drags their feet we generally can be production ready in another 2 weeks or so. We only work with production tooling (hard steel, lasts a long time). From checking around, if you use aluminum tooling or other "cheap" fast turn prototyping stuff the price doesn't seem to be any less, and in many cases is more. Tooling made in America is usually significantly more... maybe 1.3 - 3x more.

countzeroasl 8y ago
As an engineering manager that does these types of projects for a living, I would be happy to chat with anyone who is interested in the actual process, design/manufacturing issues, or rough costs/timeline of this type of project.