Injection Molding Company: what it costs and who makes it

How injection molding is quoted

1. The tool decides most of the price. Cavity count, steel grade, side actions and how many shots the tool has to survive move the tooling number far more than the part's size does. A tool cut for ten thousand parts is a different object from one cut for a million, and it costs accordingly.
2. The part decides whether the tool is possible. Draft, wall thickness, undercuts and where the gate can sit are not styling choices. A part with no draft cannot leave the tool, and a part with thick sections will sink no matter how good the moulder is.
3. The quantity decides which process you should be asking about. Below a few hundred parts the tooling rarely pays for itself, and machining or printing will usually land the job sooner and cheaper. Moulders will tell you this, and the good ones tell you first.

What changes the price, and what does not

What moves the number: cavity count, tool life, part volume and wall section, undercuts and side actions, material, surface finish and tolerance. What moves it less than people expect: the part's outside dimensions, the colour, and the logo on it.

Common questions

Capacity data by state