Advantages of Rapid Tooling

• 01

  Design Flexibility and Customization

  Designers can quickly iterate and refine designs, allowing for adjustments based on testing and feedback without extensive rework. Rapid tooling allows for easy customization of tools and parts, meeting specific customer needs without extensive retooling.

• 02

  Limited Volume and Faster Time

  Whether you are rapid prototyping or simply have a tight deadline to meet, the prototype mold process allows for quicker turnaround with parts in your hand in as little as 10 business days! Ideal for projects where a limited run of high-quality parts is needed. Great for quantities up to 10,000-50,000 depending on tooling used.

  Rapid tooling significantly shortens the time required to create molds and tools, enabling faster product development cycles

• 03

  Break-Even Costs

  With low piece pricing at high quantities, the cost of molding, in many instances, outweighs the costs of other rapid prototyping processes such as Additive Manufacturing. Tooling used is optimized for smaller runs and is typically made of cheaper materials, is less complex, and thus less expensive to produce.

• 04

  Material Variety

  It supports a wide range of materials, including metals, plastics, and composites, providing flexibility in choosing the right material for the application.

Common Types of Rapid Tooling

• 

  Aluminum Tooling/Prototoype Tooling

  This is the ideal choice for prototype injection molding because it is a cost-effective means of producing injection molded parts. Using aluminum ensures dimensional stability in the mold tooling, significantly reducing waste production and part deformation during production. Aluminum molds are also easier to cut, thereby reducing tooling costs by up to 25%. Using aluminum molds also reduces cycle times by 30-40%. All of these combine to ensure faster turnarounds.

  
  

  Discover More About Aluminum Tooling/Prototyping Tooling

• 

  Steel Tooling/Rapid Injection Tooling

  Steel is a high-quality, solid, and sturdy material with a longer life cycle. It is more suitable for high-volume production runs and for producing molds from engineering-grade plastics. Despite its long life cycle, it is more expensive than aluminum and may require more time to produce mold tooling and prototypes.

  
  

  Discover more of Steel Tooling/Rapid Injection Tooling

Why Choose Rapid Tooling Service From IDEAL?

How Rapid Tooling Works?

Optimized Design for Manufacturability (DFM)

We incorporate design for manufacturability (DFM) into every aspect of the injection molding process, from part design to injection mold tooling, materials selection, and machining process. No need to wait until production to reveal issues with the design. Our optimized design for manufacturability ensures cost-effective tooling and molding of parts to scale.

Tooling Method and Material Selection

Typically uses metals (e.g., aluminum, steel) or hard plastics.

Tool Steel

D2 Steel: High carbon, high chromium steel; excellent wear resistance; suitable for durable molds.

A2 Steel: Air-hardening steel with good toughness and dimensional stability; suitable for precision tooling.

P20 Steel: Pre-hardened tool steel; good for low to medium volume production and can be machined easily.

Stainless Steel Corrosion-resistant steel often used in specific applications where moisture or chemicals are present. Offers durability and resistance to corrosion; suitable for medical or food industry applications.

Aluminum Alloys Used for quick tooling due to its lighter weight and ease of machining. Lower costs, faster production times, and good thermal conductivity; suitable for prototype molds or low-volume production.

Tooling Production and Mold Assembly

Manufacturing: The selected rapid tooling method is used to produce the mold or tooling inserts. The mold is machined to create the cavity that will shape the part. This involves precision work using CNC machines.

Integration: If required, the rapid tooling inserts are assembled into a complete mold base, including features like cooling channels.

Injection Process: Once the mold is ready, it is used in the injection molding machine to produce parts.

T1 Sample Improvement and Final Sample Approvement

With the newly made molds, we make a T1 sample to have a clear vision of how the customer's final molded parts will turn out.

We provide Improvement if necessary based on our analysis of the T1 sample, we review the mold design and make any adjustments needed. Upon the approval of new sample, the remaining parts are made and shipped.

Production Run and Post-Processing

Material Injection: Molten material (e.g., plastic resin) is injected into the mold cavity under high pressure.

Cooling and Ejection: The material cools and solidifies within the mold cavity, and the part is ejected once solidified.

Cycle Repetition: The injection process can be repeated for large production runs, with minimal downtime for maintenance.

Finishing Touches: Additional processes may include trimming excess material, painting, or adding surface finishes.

Rapid Injection Tooling Considerations

• Rapid Injection Tooling Considerations

  Tool Material & Tool Life

  Tooling used for prototype molding applications is generally made of softer materials and thus will wear out sooner than molds made of tougher material, typically made of steel such as P20 Steel, 718H. Additional maintenance may be required before 10,000 shots are performed.

  Part Material & Mold Texturing

  Texturing and polishing of rapid molds can be performed, and IDEAL can running multiple colors on the same order. 

  All of our usual injection molding material offerings are available for prototype molding!

  Gating Options

  Gates may be constrained to edge, direct & fan techniques. Gating that requires high shear or hot runners is better suited for Bridge or Production tooling.

  Basic gate strategies like edge, direct, and fan gating, bridge tools may also utilize hot-runners or hot manifold systems to meet the project requirements. High shear applications are also suitable.

  Tool Origin

  IDEAL offers both China-based molding and also international molding options.

  Leading Time

  IDEAL can typically deliver a prototype injection mold component within 3-5 weeks, and Our engineers and project managers will work with you to develop a more detailed timeline with weekly progress staus.

• Rapid Injection Tooling Considerations

  Tool Material & Tool Life

  Generally made of softer materials in prototype grade aluminum molds, Up to 2,500 shots.

  Part Material & Mold Texturing

  Dozens of production-grade material options to choose from, and 6 Standard finishes (SPI-A2, A3, B2, B3, light or heavy textured) are available.

  Gating Options

  Gates may be constrained to edge, direct & fan techniques. Gating that requires high shear or hot runners is better suited for Rapid Tooling or Production tooling.

  Tool Origin

  China-based molding.

  Leading Time

  IDEAL can typically deliver a prototype injection mold component within 3 weeks, and we will provide weekly progress staus.

Rapid Tooling Cases