This breakdown follows a typical household product mould (2 cavities, 718H steel, ~6 weeks). Automotive tools with sliders and lifters stretch the same stages over 10–12 weeks. The stages themselves never change.
Week 0 — DFM and quotation (before the deposit)
You send the 3D file. Our design team reviews draft angles, wall thickness, gate position, ejection feasibility and shrinkage — and sends back a DFM report with a Moldflow filling simulation. Changes made here cost nothing. The same change made in week 4 costs steel and days.
Buyer tip: answer DFM questions fast. Most projects slip not in the workshop but in the three days the customer takes to approve the tool design.
Weeks 1–2 — Tool design and steel ordering
Full 3D tool design: cavity and core splits, sliders, lifters, cooling circuits, ejection layout. Steel is ordered cut-to-size from the mill (P20/718H usually in stock; S136 sometimes 5–7 days). Standard components — guides, springs, hot-runner if specified — are ordered in parallel.
Weeks 2–4 — Machining
The loud part. Milling and gun-drilling of cooling channels, then 5-axis CNC for cavity and core, EDM for ribs and pockets, wire-cut EDM for inserts and lifters. In parallel, the mould base is machined and cooling circuits pressure-tested. We send photos and machining video weekly — you should never have to ask "how's my tool going?"
Week 5 — Fitting, polishing, assembly
The stage no schedule can compress: a fitter benches every surface, blue-fits the parting line, polishes to the specified SPI grade or applies texture, and assembles the tool. Rush this and you pay at T1 in flash and drag marks.
Week 6 — T1 trial and samples
The mould goes into an injection press in our own workshop — no waiting for external trial slots. First shots are measured, defects corrected on the spot, and T1 samples plus FAI report go to you by DHL within days. If small adjustments are needed, T2 follows quickly because the tool never leaves the building.
Shipping — days, not weeks, if planned
Packing in a fumigation-free wooden case and trucking to Ningbo port is 3–5 days. Sea freight to Europe or the Gulf runs 25–35 days — plan your launch date backwards from the T1 approval, not from the PO.
Where you can safely compress — and where you can't
| Stage | Compressible? |
|---|---|
| DFM approval (your side) | Yes — reply within 24h |
| Steel procurement | Partly — in-stock grades only |
| CNC / EDM machining | Partly — priority slotting, at a cost |
| Fitting & polish | No — rushing costs quality |
| T1 to T2 loop | Only if the tool is trialled in-house (ours never leaves) |
Planning a launch? Send your part file today — we confirm a written T1 date before you pay a cent, and we hold it.