A tooling expert on your side of the table
Product engineers know what a part has to do. Whether it can be molded well, by the right shop, on schedule and on budget, is a different kind of expertise. We act as your tooling advocate, translating between your engineering intent and the moldmaker's shop floor so the finished tool produces good parts. You get that capability when a program needs it, instead of carrying it as a full-time hire.
Where we help
Most engagements start from one of these situations:
- No in-house tooling expertise to judge whether a part is moldable
- Choosing the right mold shop, a high-stakes, hard-to-judge decision
- Overseeing an overseas tool build across time zones and language gaps
- Keeping a multi-month tooling program on schedule and on budget
- An existing tool that flashes, warps, or won't hold tolerance
What the engagement covers
We can run as much of the program as you need, from a one-time placement recommendation to full management through production approval:
- Mold placement, matching the part to the right shop by complexity, volume, tool life, lead time, and budget
- Supplier sourcing, vetting, and quote review across shops
- Design-for-manufacturability review, draft, wall thickness, undercuts, gating, and ejection, before steel is cut
- Build oversight against milestones, with status reporting through the build
- Sampling and qualification coordination, from first shots through production approval
- Troubleshooting, diagnosing whether an issue is the tool, the process, or the part design
How a project runs
We start by understanding the part, the volumes, and your constraints, then recommend a tooling strategy and the shop best suited to build it. Through the build we track progress against the schedule and keep you and the moldmaker on the same page. We coordinate sampling and qualification directly, on site when it matters, remote when it doesn't. The same person stays with your program from kickoff to delivery.
Industries we serve
We work with OEMs, molders, and manufacturers across automotive, consumer products, medical devices, industrial equipment, and packaging. Based in Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania, we serve clients nationwide and travel to suppliers and facilities when a program calls for it.