Mold Making Service
The mold determines the cost, quality and lifespan of every molded part. We design and build injection molds in our own tool shop — rapid tooling to validate your design quickly, and hardened production tooling engineered for high-volume programs.
By Molding Process
Tooling designed around the molding process your part needs.
- Standard two-plate molds
- Three-plate molds
- Two-shot / multi-shot molds
- Insert & overmold tooling
By Production Volume
Rapid tooling for validation, production tooling for long runs.
- Rapid tooling — weeks, not months
- Bridge tooling for early production
- Hardened production tooling
- Multi-cavity & family molds
By Precision
Precision molds for tight-tolerance and cosmetic-grade parts.
- Precision mold making
- Tight tolerance control
- Textured / cosmetic surfaces
- Hot runner systems
How a Mold Is Made: 8 Stages from DFM to Trial Shots
Our tool shop runs the full cycle in-house — DFM, design, machining, assembly and trial. Stage sequence mirrors the 12-step public workflow at https://firstmold.com/mold-making-service/.
DFM & Mold Design
Part geometry review, gate and runner layout, cooling-circuit design and mold-flow analysis before any steel is cut. DFM is the cheapest revision you will ever make.
Materials Preparation
Mold steel ordered and verified per program class — P20/718 pre-hardened for standard production, H13 or S7 for high-pressure or die-casting work.
CNC Machining
3-axis and 5-axis CNC milling of cores, cavities and inserts in our tool shop; 5-axis cuts deep, angled features that 3-axis would need multiple setups for.
Sinker EDM Machining
Sinker EDM burns sharp internal corners, square pockets and deep ribs that no cutter can reach; electrodes are machined in-house for tight control.
Wire-Cut EDM
Wire EDM cuts through-hardened inserts, core pins and ejector profiles — 9+4 wire-cut machines on our floor.
Assembly & Fitting
Mold-base assembly, core fitting, clearance and alignment checks — the stage where fit-up errors show up before any plastic is shot.
Polishing & Surface Finish
Cavity polishing to SPI grades A1–D3 and texturing or etching for cosmetic surfaces, finished to your surface spec.
Trial & Approval
Trial shots on our Sodick presses, dimensional verification and approval samples before the mold is released to production.
Mold Types We Build, by Process and Volume
Classification follows https://firstmold.com/mold-making-service/ (by molding process, production volume and precision).
Mold Steel Selection Guide
Hardness values are public supplier data; P20/718/H13 guidance per the FAQ at https://firstmold.com/mold-making-service/. MOLDITQUICK keeps all listed grades in stock for in-house tooling.
| Steel | Hardness (HRC) | Strengths | Best For | Typical Life |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P20 | 28–32 | Pre-hardened, easy machining and polishing, low cost | Medium and small molds, general-precision parts | 200k–500k shots |
| 718 (1.2738) | 28–33 | Nickel-added — better toughness and hardenability | Large, complex, precise injection molds | 500k–1M shots |
| NAK80 | 38–42 | Mirror-polish capability, no heat-treatment distortion | Cosmetic, optical and high-gloss surfaces | 500k+ shots |
| S136 (1.2083) | 48–52 | Corrosion-resistant, high hardness | Medical, food-contact and transparent parts | 1M+ shots |
| H13 | 44–52 | Hot-work toughness, thermal-fatigue resistance | Die-casting molds and high-temperature plastics | 500k–1M shots |
| S7 | 56–60 | Impact- and shock-resistant | High-pressure thin-wall and abrasive resins | 1M+ shots |
SPI Mold Classification — Class 101 to 105
SPI / Plastics Industry Association class system; firstmold.com/mold-making-service/ states strict adherence to SPI mold classification standards.
| Class | Cycle Life | Mold Steel | Typical Program |
|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | 1,000,000+ | Hardened tool steel (H13, S7) | High-volume automotive and medical; 5+ year life |
| 102 | 500,000–1,000,000 | Hardened steel | Long-running appliance and power-tool programs |
| 103 | 300,000–500,000 | P20 / 718 pre-hardened | Standard consumer-goods production |
| 104 | ~100,000 | P20 or aluminum | Bridge tooling, pilot programs, spares |
| 105 | < 500 | Aluminum / soft tooling | Prototype validation and design iteration |
EDM, Wire-Cut and CNC: The Machining Core of Mold Making
EDM, wire-cut and CNC are the three dominant material-removal operations, in the sequence of the 12-step workflow at https://firstmold.com/mold-making-service/. MOLDITQUICK runs these in-house on a 10,000 m² floor with 280 staff.
CNC Milling
Rough and finish 3D cavity geometry; 5-axis machines handle deep ribs and angled features in one setup, holding ±0.01 mm on mold inserts.
Sinker EDM
Burns sharp internal corners, square pockets and narrow ribs (radius below R0.3) that cutters cannot reach; electrodes machined in-house.
Wire EDM
Through-cuts precision inserts, core pins, ejector and runner profiles in hardened steel without distortion — 9+4 wire-cut machines in-house.
Surface Grinding
Holds flatness and parallelism on parting surfaces and mold plates before assembly.
Polishing & Texturing
SPI A1–D3 polish grades and chemical etching for leather, grain and texture finishes on cosmetic cavities.
Mold Lead Time and Cost: What the Numbers Really Are
Cycle and cost-share figures are public values from the FAQ at https://firstmold.com/mold-making-service/; MOLDITQUICK program lead times are our own standard commitments.
Mold Making FAQ
Answers follow the public FAQ at https://firstmold.com/mold-making-service/.
- ✓Which mold types do you build? Injection molds — two-plate, three-plate, hot-runner, two-shot and insert tooling — plus die-casting molds; stamping, forging, extrusion and blow molds are outside our tool-shop scope.
- ✓How long does mold making take? Simple small molds 1–2 weeks, medium complexity 2–4 weeks, complex and large molds 8+ weeks; rapid tooling can ship in as little as 7 days.
- ✓Which steel gives the best value? P20 for medium and small molds with general precision; 718 when toughness, hardenability and size push requirements up; H13 for die-casting work.
- ✓What tolerance can precision molds hold? Medical-grade programs are controlled to ±0.005 mm or tighter under ISO 13485; aerospace-class molds are held at micron level.
- ✓Do you maintain the mold after delivery? Yes — maintenance and care guidance is included with every mold; for programs molded with us the tooling stays on file, reorder-ready.
Five Mold-Sourcing Failures and How We Prevent Them
Failure modes published at https://firstmold.com/mold-making-service/ (molding defects, hidden cost, repeated trials, late delivery) and the engineering countermeasures we apply.
Too many defects — burn marks, flow lines, sink marks, short shots, flash — during the whole mold life.
Mold-flow analysis before steel is cut plus a trial-verified process window per cavity.
Long injection cycles, rework and untimely communication quietly inflate the program cost.
DFM-locked design, documented cycle-time targets and a named project manager on every tool.
The mold is repaired again and again because of design or process problems, delaying the schedule.
Design checklist plus manufacturing review before machining — most molds reach approval in one trial round.
Delivery pushed back several times with endless excuses.
Schedule-controlled tooling cycle with weekly progress reports and mold photos — 7–12 day low-volume programs.