At the beginning of a plastic injection molding program, investing in bridge tooling (e.g., family molds) to bridge the gap between R&D/prototypes and multi-cavity production tools can be a good, cost-effective approach to take. Here are 10 reasons why.
1. It’s LESS EXPENSIVE to build fewer, low-volume molds, than it is to fabricate more, multi-cavity, high-volume tools.
Fewer Molds 👉🏻 Less Labor + Fewer Materials 👉🏻 Lower Initial Investment
2. Bridge tools give you the ability to PRODUCE PARTS AT SCALE, which is cost prohibitive for methods like 3D printing.
Generally speaking, injection molding is faster ⏩ and
cheaper 💰 than additive manufacturing
3. It’s USUALLY QUICKER to get bridge tools built and validated, so you can get to market sooner.
Fewer molds to build + Lower complexity tooling = Shorter build time
4. Selling your product sooner means having the ability to test the market and to start garnering MARKET SHARE and demand.
Start selling 🏪 and marketing 📣 your product!
Find out what works 👍🏻 and what doesn’t 👎🏻!
5. Sales results in WORKING CAPITAL, which will help fund the fabrication of multiple cavity, high-volume molds later.
Sales = 💲💲💲
6. Selling product will provide you with valuable MARKET FEEDBACK on functionality, issues, pricing, etc.
Your customers will tell you what they like, don’t like, and want!
🙂😐🙁
7. Actually molding parts will uncover areas of improvement in PART DESIGN, TOOLING AND MANUFACTURING.
Your molder can identify 🔬 part and mold design changes 🛠️
to optimize part quality ⚙️ and the manufacturing process 🏭
8. Insights gleaned from the market and from suppliers can be used to REVISE AND IMPROVE your product.
Designers 👩🎨, engineers 👨💻 and mold builders 👨🔧 can collaborate
to improve 📈 the parts, processes and program
9. You can continue SELLING PRODUCT while designing, building and testing the multi-cavity, high-volume tools.
Generate revenue 💵 and market the product 📢
while molds are being built 👩🏭 and validated 🏅
10. Once built and in production, using multi-cavity tools should result in INCREASED PROGRAM PROFITABILITY.
Multiple cavity molds ➡️ Shorter manufacturing time ➡️ Lower part prices ➡️ Higher margins 😃