There’s no job too small for us here! We have no MOQ. We do have setup charges, but they are amortized over the order qty. We do drop the charge completely for orders over 1k units. The exact cost of the setup varies based on mold size and material required for the parts.
What types of molding services are offered?
We offer all types of molding! Traditional horizontal molding, vertical molding, insert molding (overmolding), 2 shot molding (using 2 different machines, not rotary B-side molds), compression molding, thermoforming, and extrusion. If you have any questions regarding which type of molding is best for your project, just ask us with the chat box below.
What types of secondary operations and decorating services do you offer?
We can provide turnkey solutions for most projects. We can do assembly work via ultrasonic welding, glueing, solvent bonding. We can heat stake in inserts or decorate the parts with silk screening or pad printing. In addition, we can provide shelf ready packaging as well.
What quality certifications do you have?
At Quicksilver Mfg, we are ISO 9001 and TS16949 certified. If we requested, we can also be AS9100 compliant for aerospace jobs.
What is the typical lead-time for tools?
For a compression mold tool?
Most compression mold tools can be completed in 1-2 weeks
For an insert mold tool?
Inserts molds are generally tricky, especially if you have to create the mold for the first shot as well which requires tuning before shooting the 2nd As such, insert molds are typically 3 weeks depending on part complexity.
For a traditional injection molding tool?
Standard A/B injection molds with no mechanical slides take 2-3 weeks
For a QC10 Al tool?
We can complete Al tooling in 1-2 weeks on average.
Who owns the mold after it is built?
Molds are always the property of our customers! We can send you full 3D mold designs as well. We can transfer the mold to another molder at any point in the product manufacturing cycle, or simply build and test molds before shipping them out to you. We do need to know if a mold is going to be potentially transferred up front so we can design it with its own dedicated base. Otherwise, we generally use our custom in house MUD (master unit die) base system to save on both cost and lead-time, which we pass on to you the customer.
How long does a quote take?
All quotes are turned around in 24 hours or less. If you’ve submitted a quote and haven’t received it back within that time frame, please call us immediately so we can rectify the situation.
How does plastic injection molding work?
In plastic injection molding you start out with small pellets of plastic. They are dried to remove any moisture (if necessary) and then feed into a hoper on the machine. The pellets drop down in a heated barrel, which has a rotating screw inside that moves forward to force the molten plastic past a check valve and into the mold. The mold is a steel negative of what you are trying to create. The liquid plastic solidifies and cools, and when it has cooled enough the mold opens and ejects the part.
What is a typical project flow for going from PO to receiving parts? (link to pop up window that has our flow chart)
Click the following link to see the start to finish work flow of a typical injection molding project.
What size machines do you have?
In house we go from 25 tons to 350 tons. The tonnage refers to the clamp force that the machine can generate. The molten plastic is injected under extremely high pressures so a lot of force is needed to keep the two halves of the mold together. A quick way to estimate tonnage needed for your part is to take the projected area in in^2 of the part in the clamp direction and multiply that number by 4 (less for high flow plastics, more for low flow plastics). So a 8 inch square part would conservatively require a 250 ton machine. We work with partner facilities that have machines that go up to 1100 tons for truly large parts.
What size parts can you make?
Between our machines and our partners machines we can handle any size part up to 3 feet in the largest dimension.
What materials can you run?
We can run all injection molding materials ranging from extremely inexpensive commodity materials like HDPE and PP, up to very expensive high heat engineering resins like PEEK and PEI. If you don’t see your resin below, that doesn’t mean we can’t run it. We can run anything that we can buy from our distributors, including any glass filled, mineral filled, FDA compliant, class IV medial, heat / UV stabilized, optical, or impact modified grades.
Can molds be transferred to your facilities from other molders?
Absolutely! We just need to take a look at the mold and make sure it can run in our machines first.
Can you produce tooling and transfer it to other molders?
Yes, we can do just tool builds and validations and send the molds wherever you like. We do need to know this during the tool design and quoting phase though, as many times we use our custom in house MUD (master unit die) base system to save on both cost and lead-time
What type of QC equipment to you have?
Our QC lab is fully equipped with CNC CMM’s, Optical measuring systems, and of course a full range of calipers, gauge pins, etc, all of which our calibrated by 3rd
What quality inspections are typically done on molded parts? What validations are done on tooling?
When a mold is first built, our basic validation consists of a full FAIR (first article inspection report). The first and the last part from each run is then measured for CTQ (critical to quality) dimensions. We can also do more intensive validations including, but not limited to, level 3 PPAP’s, gauge R&R studies, CpK studies, and full IQ / OQ / PQ validations.
What are your payment terms?
Tooling terms are 50% down, 50% on T1 sampling. Parts are billed net 30.
How do I get my quote?
Its as easy as clicking the button in the top right-hand corner of your screen labeled quote and uploading your design files!
What is a design for manufacturability (DFM) review and what does it tell me about my parts? (include link to download sample)
During the DFM stage we reviewed gate location (where the molten plastic enters the part), ejector pin / blade / sleeve locations, parting lines, tool actions, and cosmetic requirements. We also did a detailed wall thickness analysis to determine potential sink risks, and draft analysis to ensure the part will release smoothly from the tool. We used all of that information to create a full mold design. We will highlight any additional concerns such as potential no fill areas and thin steel conditions and review them with you to arrive at the most robust manufacturing design possible for the part. Curious as to what they look like? Just send in your part and we’ll provide one for you with no commitment necessary on your part!
Do you have mold flow capabilities?
Yes, in house we have basic mold flow capabilities. This provides several more analytical tools such as a fill pattern, sheer stress analysis, weld lines, and potential air pockets. Using the filling pattern we can see difficult areas of fill or possible no fill conditions, which helps us optimize the number, size, and location of gates into the part. The sheer stress analysis gives a glimpse at where areas of high molded in stress will be in the part. These are the area’s most likely to have a crack start, or could stress relieve themselves which is an indicator of potential warp. Weld lines can be visualized accurately to make sure they are not in a suboptimal location for both visual concerns, and also part strength concerns. This is especially prevalent for glass fiber filled materials as the glass will not cross the weld line, so that area of the part will only have 95% of the strength of the base unfilled resin. Finally the flow pattern will also show the areas of the parts that are last to fill. This shows us where the most venting in the tool should be placed to allow all the trapped are to escape the mold. If you need a more advanced mold flow that includes the shrink and warp studies as well as modeled in cooling lines, we can outsource that for an additional fee.
What type of information do you need to provide a quote?
To provide the most accurate quote possible, please provide both a 2D control drawing and 3D CAD file (STEP files preferred). If you only have one, that’s enough to quote with as well. Just send us what you have and we’ll put together some numbers!
How many shots is a typical tool good for?
Our typical tool is a soft P-20 steel good for 50k shots. We can also do Al tooling good for 1k shots, or true SPI 103 or 102 tools good for 500k+ shots
Can I modify the tooling (change my part design) once it’s been made?
Absolutely! One of the big advantages of using the P-20 steel for tools is its weldability. If you test out your T1 samples and decide you want to change some features, just send in updated CAD models and we’ll give you a quote for performing the necessary modifications to your tool.
Can I make multiple different parts with the same tool?
Yes, this is called family tooling. Its very useful for reducing part price when you use the parts in sets (i.e. 1 of part A, 1 of part B, and 2 of part C) and the parts are made in the same material.
What type of surface finishes (textures) do you offer for the parts?
We offer all types of finishes from mold tech textures and acid etchings, to bead blast finishes, to an as machined mold surface, to a A1 mirror polish. Our standard mold finish is an SPI B-3
Yes, depending on the resin used we can do any color you desire, even glow in the dark and metallic pigments! We can also do optical quality clear parts as well.