Moulds and Production Tooling
A mould or production tool is a one-off production setup made for the series production of an enclosure, panel, connector cover or mechanical part. It is made once and used in every subsequent production run; for this reason its cost depends on the project, not on the quantity.
The tooling most frequently encountered in electronics projects is the plastic injection mould, sheet metal bending and cutting tools, the stencil for the printed circuit board and the production test fixture.
- Decision point: at low quantities, using a ready-made standard enclosure is usually more suitable than having a mould made. A mould becomes meaningful as quantity increases and when a mechanically unique shape is required.
- Cost of change: changes to be made on a mould afterwards are limited and costly; for this reason the enclosure geometry is verified with a prototype before the mould is made.
- Ownership and storage: who owns the mould, where it will be stored and by whom it will be maintained are written separately in the contract.
- Life: tools wear depending on the number of uses and require maintenance.
For this reason, in custom projects the enclosure decision is not considered independently of the electronic design: board dimensions, connector placement and mounting method directly affect the tooling decision. Tooling cost and quantity thresholds vary by project and become clear at the quotation stage.
The context in which this term is used: Our Services