Whether you’re creating a new product or seeking a replacement supplier, finding high-quality tooling at an affordable price isn’t always easy. So as the global marketplace continues to grow, more companies are turning to tooling in China to get the moulds they need for their products.
Despite setbacks from the Covid-19 pandemic, China’s tooling industry remains one of the world’s largest. With efficient import/export procedures, affordable rates, and mass production capabilities, many UK and international businesses get tooling from China to create and grow their product lines.
But is getting tooling from a Chinese company always the best choice? In this article, you’ll find out all the pros and cons of tooling in China, and why Maxview trusts Chinese company Connexions to deliver parts for our caravan WiFi routers and satellite systems.
Developing a tool can be one of the most expensive factors when manufacturing a product. Here are all the factors that influence tooling costs, no matter where they’re made:
It’s essential that your tooling lasts as long as you need it. That’s why most companies seek to invest in high-quality plastic injection tooling that will last for many years. So is it a good idea to get your tooling in the UK or abroad?
Let’s look at the advantages of getting tooling from a manufacturer in China.
Just like injection moulding in China, it’s often much cheaper to get tooling from a Chinese manufacturer than suppliers in the UK or Europe. Labour, manufacturing, and materials often cost less in China, allowing them to offer more competitive prices.
Lots of Chinese manufacturers have invested in advanced technology and processes, so they can produce quality tooling using the most efficient practices.
Acoustic radiatorIf you’re looking for custom or bespoke tooling, many Chinese manufacturers can supply this based on a design alone. Connexions, Maxview’s Chinese tooling partner, can help with tool drawing to ensure you have a feasible design.
Millions of businesses import tools from China, so the country is set up with excellent import/export capabilities to streamline logistics and shipping. Choosing an experienced supplier like Connexions will ensure your plastic injection tooling is completed and parts are received on time.
With fast prototyping and manufacturing methods readily available, you can often get your tools made and ready-to-use in a short period of time, despite the distance.
Chinese manufacturers like Connexions can offer excellent economies of scale. The more tools you order, the less you’ll generally pay per tool. This is a significant advantage for companies who need tooling in larger quantities.
Automotive spare partInternational trade agreements between China and the UK (as well as other European countries) allow for smooth cross-border transactions and shipping.
While there are many reasons to consider tooling production in China, there are also some drawbacks to think about.
Not all Chinese manufacturers work to the same standards or specifications as your company, so you’ll need to ensure your chosen supplier has the capability to meet your needs.
Connexions is an ISO9001 certified tooling manufacturer, so they’re committed to meeting the necessary quality and safety standards required by most UK firms.
Street lamp housingClear and effective communication is necessary to ensure your plastic injection tooling is made correctly to your specification. Some UK companies may worry about the language barrier when working with a Chinese supplier.
However, many tooling manufacturers in China work almost exclusively with English-speaking customers, meaning their teams can communicate easily in English.
You’ll need to establish who owns the tooling once it’s been made, and protect your designs using appropriate intellectual property protection measures. This will prevent unlicensed copies of your product entering the market.
While lots of Chinese suppliers have excellent logistics coordination, there may be hiccups, especially in the initial stages. You’ll also need to account for longer lead times and higher shipping costs.
You may need to plan your logistics around Chinese festivals such as Chinese New Year and Dragon Boat Festival. Lead times can be longer around these holidays, so it’s important to account for them to avoid disappointment.
Consider extra possible costs like import duties, taxes, and regulatory fees when calculating the savings you’ll make on tooling from China.
Connexions is highly transparent about its pricing, so you’ll know just how much your tooling and manufacturing costs will add up to. Most tooling costs between $1,500 and $150,000, depending on design complexity, materials, and size.
Maxview has trusted Connexions to supply plastic tooling for caravan products and accessories for 30 years. Here are seven reasons to choose Connexions for your own tooling requirements:
Maxview, a UK-based manufacturer of products for motorhomes and caravans, and King Connect, a USA-based manufacturer of the same products for the RV market in America, have been working with Connexions for 30 years, and fully endorse them for any tooling requirements.
To learn more about requesting tooling from Connexions, contact [email protected].
The use of injection molding machine is becoming more and more of a concern in the industrial industry currently,. Do you know why people want to use injection molding machine? What good does it bring? Here are some of my views.
Only for reference.
Cycle times can be as low as 10 seconds. Combine that with a multi-impression injection moulding tool and you get a LOT of products very quickly. Generally speaking， it takes a bit longer as it’s a specialist material and has a lot of features to be moulded correctly, but at about 50 seconds you’d still get 70 parts per cavity per hour. CNC machining a one-off would take half a day – 3D printing it even longer!
Whilst there is an initial high investment for the plastic injection molding tool, after that the cost per part is low. Other plastic processing techniques may require multiple operations, like polishing, whilst injection moulding can do it all at once. If you chose to Guanxin machine the part above, it would cost hundreds of pounds per part. If you’re looking to go into full production, injection moulding is the way to go.
In addition to a range of colours, the injection molding tool can be made with a special finish which will show on the moulding. Just about any finish you like, for example leather look, soft touch, sparked, high shine, you name it. You can also have logos or other text engraved in the tool. Finally, you can have your mouldings printed, as a range of inks are available.
Once your mould tool made, identical products can be made over and over again. A decently made mould tool has a very long mould tool life. as long as it’s treated well by the moulding machine setters !
Sounds good right ? Of course there are some disadvantages:
Several rounds of designing and modelling are needed before the go-ahead or production is given. Then, the injection moulding tool need to make the mouldings will need designing & manufacturing.
Plastic mouldings need very careful design to avoid tooling issues like undercuts, locked-in features and not enough draft. The material and temperature will need to be taken into account in wall design, otherwise the mould may not fill fully. The placement of ejectors and cooling lines will need to be considered to ensure the product is aesthetically pleasing.
As mentioned under advantages, once the tool exists, it takes very little time to run the mouldings, especially when you have a multi-impression mould tool.
Huge machines are needed to make plastic injection mouldings. Large parts need an enormous mould tool and become very expensive to make, in which case a process like may be a better choice, depending on the tye of product needed.
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