Plastics News Europe - June 2019 - 23

MOULDS & TOOLING

lion are not unusual. First, however,
the mould will need to be designed,
and then built - a painstaking process
that takes time.
Just how long it takes varies, said
Davis, depending on how much of
the tool design process is outsourced
and whether the contract moulder
has the in-house skills and resources
to project manage and review the design and tool samples.
She added that Broanmain's estimated timeframe is typically between
15 to 17 weeks from initial design to
receipt of the finished tool, including
shipment by air from China.
A bespoke tool is custom built to
an OEM's exact specifications. That
said, a moulder is likely to have a library of examples in the tool room,
possibly even similar components
that have been previously produced.
This expertise can be leveraged to
optimise tool Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
Davis: "And while Intellectual
Property will restrict moulders from
'borrowing' from a tool inventory,
having proven technical capabilities
means they won't be rewriting the
tool design rules from scratch This
can be especially helpful if the design requirements at the outset are a

little vague or ambiguous. It can also
speed up the innovation cycle for
tooling."
Moulders seeking to optimise tool
TCO might also be able to offset the
cost of the tool development by examining the entire product portfolio
and seeing if the same component
could be used across a 'family' range,
she suggested. "Additionally, being
able to access the tool inserts and
make changes to the master tool further down the line helps to extend
the longevity of an investment."
Moreover: "Being the legal owner
of the IP for your tool and component
means that you have total control
over the development and features.
Plus it can help to differentiate your
product from your competitors. With
a mass-market part, there is far less
scope to define the exact functionality. Although this might be fine for
say a pen, if a specific switch is required for an electrical board it may
limit design options."
As Davis pointed out, a reputable plastic moulding firm should be
able to source examples for its customers to compare the differences
between buying 'off the peg' plastic
components and developing a bespoke tool to mould their own. In

A high-quality, well-maintained mould tool should
produce in excess of half a million components,
often much more

most instances, the decision will
rest on budget. However, there is a
transitional point for many plastics
parts where investing in tooling will
not only speed up turnaround time,
but also drive the price per unit
down. Speaking with a specialist
moulder will quickly help to determine if the incremental cost savings
stack up against the business case.

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JUNE 2019

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Plastics News Europe - June 2019

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