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Plasmasters has the expertise to assist you in all aspects of the Product Development process. We work closely with experienced designers, 3D modellers and toolmakers to ensure you receive the optimum design, price and delivery. We can also assist you in material selection and if required can obtain expert advice to make certain that the best material is chosen for the intended purpose of your product.The lifecycle of this process from initial consultation to production may take many months depending on the complexities. Once a die is commissioned it takes about 6 – 8 weeks to produce a simple mould, a more complex die will take longer.
HOW THE RIGHT DIE INFLUENCES THE COMPONENT PRICE
From the customers perspective the right die is their most important decision. This will decide how much the moulder will charge for moulding the components. Whether this die can produce many parts or only a single part will have a major bearing on the price. The cost per part is generally arrived at by taking into account how many parts can be produced in an hour, the amount of material used and the amount of labour required. Also important is how many parts are required each time the die is run. The cost of setting up the machine to run the components is factored into the price charged for each part. So a production run is costed from the time a machine is prepared for moulding. If this set up time is equal to the moulding time the price per part will be more expensive than if the set up time is only a fraction of the actual production time.
An example of the influence of the correct die is:
| COST OF DIE | EXPECTED COMPONENTS FROM DIE | PROPORTIONATE COST OF PARTS FROM DIE | MOULDING PRICE | EFFECTIVE PRICE PER PART |
| $30000 | 12,000,000 | $0.0025 | $0.10 | $0.1025 |
| $30000 | 100,000 | $0.3000 | $0.10 | $0.4000 |
1. Proportionate cost of parts from die = the cost of the die divided by the expected components to be moulded from the die.
2. Effective price per part = the Proportionate cost plus the Moulding price
Therefore it is really important to get the die right. If you need high volume moulding then we will design the die for durability, if however you only expect a low volume from the die we can design a cheaper die to do this. There is a correlation between the initial cost of the die and the end price of the parts. A more expensive die that will produce 500,000 parts per year from a 10 cavity die will cost more than a die designed to produce 5000 parts per year from a single cavity. But the cost per part from the more expensive die will be less. It is a question of balance. A good initial design and subsequent toolmaking will translate into a die with the essential functionality to produce the most cost effective parts for your needs.
2. Effective price per part = the Proportionate cost plus the Moulding price
Therefore it is really important to get the die right. If you need high volume moulding then we will design the die for durability, if however you only expect a low volume from the die we can design a cheaper die to do this. There is a correlation between the initial cost of the die and the end price of the parts. A more expensive die that will produce 500,000 parts per year from a 10 cavity die will cost more than a die designed to produce 5000 parts per year from a single cavity. But the cost per part from the more expensive die will be less. It is a question of balance. A good initial design and subsequent toolmaking will translate into a die with the essential functionality to produce the most cost effective parts for your needs.
