Injection Mold Quotation (1)

1. Basic Knowledge of Quotation

(1) Upon receiving customer samples or drawings for inquiry, conduct drawing review and preliminary quotation.

1. Drawing Review Considerations: Material, dimensions, structure, 2D tolerance requirements (additional costs for spare parts, multiple trial runs, and revisions should be included in the quotation for complex or high-precision parts).
2. Customer Requirements for Mold Material and Heat Treatment: Higher-grade materials increase costs.
3. Structural Complexity: More complex structures (e.g., three-plate molds, slider mechanisms, cooling systems) lead to higher costs.
4. Technical Recommendations: Advise customers on optimizing product design to simplify mold structure, reduce costs, and improve production efficiency.

(2) Factors Affecting Mold Pricing

1. Mold Lifespan: Material selection and structural design directly impact material and machining costs.
2. Product Precision: Higher precision demands stricter machining processes and design, increasing risks and costs.
3. Mold Structural Design: Dictated by lifespan, precision, and machining requirements, directly influencing manufacturing costs.

2. Components of Plastic Mold Quotation

1. Product Information: Name, part number, resin type, cavity count, etc.
2. Market Development Costs.
3. Engineering Costs:
   • Project management
   • Mold design
   • CNC programming
   • QC inspection
4. Material Costs (varies by mold grade):
   • Mold base
   • Core/cavity inserts
   • Sliders, lifters
   • Electrodes (copper electrodes)
5. Purchased Components:
   • Runner system
   • Ejection system
   • Cooling system
   • Side-action and mold-opening systems
   • Other components
6. Machining Costs:
   • Lathe, milling, drilling, grinding, CNC, EDM, wire cutting, polishing, assembly, surface treatment, etc.
7. Other Costs:
   • Trial runs + materials
   • Shipping + customs + packaging
   • Sample delivery
8. Management Fees
9. Payment Terms and Delivery Schedule
10. Mold Production Cycle Assessment

3. Mold Classification by Grade

Based on SPI-SPE standards:

1. Class 101 Mold (1,000K+ shots, long-term precision production):
   • High-hardness materials (e.g., DME #2 steel, 4140 steel, 48–50 HRC).
   • Temperature control, hardened components, and rust-proof water channels.
2. Class 102 Mold (≤1,000K shots, mass production):
   • Similar to Class 101 but with optional features (e.g., guide pins, hard plates).
3. Class 103 Mold (≤500K shots, medium production):
   • P20 steel (28–32 HRC) or equivalent.
4. Class 104 Mold (≤100K shots, low-volume production):
   • Soft steel or aluminum mold bases.
5. Class 105 Mold (≤500 shots, prototype/test molds):
   • Aluminum, epoxy resin, or low-cost materials.

4. Basic Mold Structure

The basic structure of a mold can be divided into functional systems: Runner System, Forming System, Temperature Control System, Venting System, Ejection System, Mold Opening/Closing System, Reset System

1. Mold Base:
   The mold base serves as the framework of the entire mold. All components are designed based on the mold base structure.
   • Cost: Typically accounts for 10%–30% of the total mold cost.
   • Components:
     • Top plate (Clamping Plate)
     • A Plate (Front Mold Plate)
     • B Plate (Rear Mold Plate)
     • C Plate (Support Pillar)
     • Bottom Plate
     • Ejector Plate
     • Ejector Retainer Plate
     • Guide Pins, Return Pins, Ejector Pins, Support Pillars, Stop Pins, etc.
   • Major Mold Base Suppliers:
     • China: LKM (Long Ji Mold Base), Hongfeng, Zhonghua, Mingli.
     • International: FUTABA (Japan), DME (USA), HASCO (Germany), STRACK (Europe).
2. Mold Forming System
   • Core and Cavity Inserts (Mold Inserts):Embedded into the mold base plates to reduce costs and simplify machining.
   • Material Requirements: High hardness (28–65 HRC), corrosion resistance, and thermal stability.
   • Terminology:
     • Front Mold (Cavity/Mother Mold)
     • Rear Mold (Core/Father Mold)
   • Sliders and Lifters:
     • Sliders: Used to form undercuts or side features.
     • Angle Lifters: Assist in ejecting complex geometries.
3. System (S.R.G):
   • Sprue: Connects the injection machine nozzle to the mold.
   • Runner: Channels distributing molten plastic to cavities.
   • Gate: Entry point of molten plastic into the cavity.
4. Mold Standard Components:
   • Domestic Brands: LKM (China).
   • International Brands:DME (USA), HASCO (Germany), STRACK (Germany), EOC (Europe), STAUBLI (France), MISUMI (Japan), NITTO (Japan).

5. Classification of Plastic Molds

1. By Material Hardness:
   • (1) Hardened Molds (THROUGHLY HARDEN):
     • Core/cavity steels require heat treatment (e.g., quenching) to achieve 44+ HRC.
     • Materials: H11, H13, 420, S7.
     • Lifespan: 500,000+ shots.
   • (2) Pre-Hardened Molds (PRE-HARDENED):
     • Core/cavity steels (e.g., P20, NAK80, aluminum) with <42 HRC.
     • Lifespan: <500,000 shots.
2. By Structural Design:
   • (1) Standard Molds:
     • Two-Plate Molds
     • Three-Plate Molds
   • (2) Threaded Molds:
     • Automatic screw ejection (motor-driven, hydraulic-driven).
     • Multi-layer molds for high-volume production.
     • Requires hot runner systems for automation.
   • (3) Stack Molds
     • Definition: Stack molds, also known as “sandwich molds,” consist of two or more mold layers stacked together.
     • Features:
       • Requires a long main runner to distribute molten material to a central hot runner plate.
       • Ideal for flat, thin-walled parts and high-volume production.
       • Three parting surfaces must open simultaneously.
       • Clamping force increases by only 5%–10%, but production capacity doubles.
     • Challenges:
       • Cold runner systems require manual removal of runner waste, complicating automation.
       • Hot runner technology is critical for achieving efficient automated production.
   • (4) Insert Molds
     • Insert Molding:
       • Pre-placed components (e.g., metal inserts) are embedded into the mold cavity before injection.
       • Molten resin bonds with the insert to form a single integrated product.
     • Outsert Molding:
       • A specialized process where resin is overmolded onto localized areas of a pre-formed metal substrate.
3. Classification by Color Quantity
   • Single-Color Molds:
   • Two-Color Molds:
     • Combines a hard base material (e.g., ABS, PC) with a soft overmold material (e.g., TPE, TPU).
     • Requires two separate molds:
       • First Mold: Produces the hard base part.
       • Second Mold: Positions the hard part in the rear cavity and overmolds the soft material.
     • Key Considerations:
       • Precise alignment of parting surfaces.
       • Structural complexity (sliders, lifters, inserts).
   • Multi-Color Molds (3+ colors):
     • Similar to two-color molds but with additional cavities and sequential molding steps.
     • High precision required for part positioning and mold alignment.
   • Silicone Molds
     • Solid Silicone Molds: For rubber parts.
     • LSR Molds (Liquid Silicone Rubber): For high-precision liquid silicone injection.