Tooling Question

I watched the videos - in terms of tooling costs, what is the most expensive tooling and what is the least expensive?

What is the difference between a tool and a mold?

Ted

"What is the most expensive tooling and what is the least expensive?"

It depends, of course. A general rule is that injection molds are the most expensive.

The factors to consider are:

• Part tolerances-how precise do the parts need to be. Injection molding is good for this.
  
  
• Volume of parts to manufacture-if you are running high volume, an expensive tool that makes multiple parts at one time will give you a lower piece part cost. You need to calculate your break even point to see if it makes economic sense.
  
  
• Part geometry-some processes are not suited to make what you need. A hollow part is a good candidate for roto-molding. A detergent bottle is suited for blow molding. A "clamshell" package used to package a retail product is a good candidate for vacuum forming. A housing for an electric drill most often is injection molded.

"What is the difference between a tool and a mold?"

Molds are a type of tool. Not all tools are molds. There are all kinds of tooling required to manufacture a product depending on the material used and the process used t make it.