Question 1

What is your typical lead time for mold production?

Accepted Answer

Lead times are very dependent on the complexity of the mold design with many key factors involved. Those factors include, but are not limited to, cavitation, size, manifolds, cylinders, custom components, slide/lifter actions, tolerances, surface finish and others that all determine the length of the tool build. We have built a mold for a very simple part in as little as one week, but more complex tools take several weeks. By reaching out, we can review and give an estimate on price and lead time for any tool build.

Question 2

Do you offer expedited services for urgent projects?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Expedited services can be quoted upon request but may not always be available, depending on the number of expedited jobs in our queue at the time of quoting.

Question 3

What industries do you specialize in serving?

Accepted Answer

We specialize in the medical device industry, but we also serve a wide range of other industries, including firearms, agriculture, electrical equipment, consumer products, and more.

Question 4

What types of steel do you use for your molds?

Accepted Answer

For production molds, we typically use stainless steel and/or H-13. For prototype molds, we often use the same but have access to a wide variety of tool steels. Alternative materials can be quoted based on customer requirements.

Question 5

Do you offer prototype or short-run molds in addition to production molds?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We regularly produce short-term MUD or single-cavity molds for prototyping, which can be scaled into full production molds after successful testing and approval.

Question 6

What are the steps in your mold manufacturing process?

Accepted Answer

Once terms are agreed upon and the initial down payment is received, our engineers begin the mold design process and submit it for customer approval. After approval, steel is ordered, rough-machined, and then heat treated to designated requirements. The steel is then ground and finished milled. Those that require an EDM process are wired and burned in our sinkers. Molds are polished or textured per customer specifications, then assembled and tested. If initial test parts do not meet specifications, modifications are made until approved parts are produced. Molds are then shipped or stored as needed.

Question 7

What factors affect the pricing of a mold?

Accepted Answer

The cost of a mold is influenced by several key factors, including part complexity, number of cavities, ejection method, material selection, and project timelines. Expedited lead times or complex mold features may result in higher costs.

SUMMIT MOLD

F.A.Q.s