Injection Mold Development Cycle

     Mold development time is the key concern of customers, which directly affects product project launch, mass production schedule and project cost. According to product structural difficulty, injection molds are divided into three types: simple, medium and high-precision complex molds. The whole process includes four stages: mold design, steel processing, assembly debugging, mold testing and revision

Standard Lead Time for 3 Types of Molds

1. Simple mold (single cavity, no complex undercut, normal surface): 20–30 days

2. Medium precision mold (slide, lifter, multi-cavity, texture and polishing): 30–45 days

3. High-end complex mold (thin deep cavity, multiple core-pulling, mirror transparent surface, hot runner): 45–70 days

Time Cost of Each Production Stage

1. Mold Design (2–7 days)

Including product analysis, DFM evaluation, 3D & 2D drawing design and customer confirmation. Complex structures and repeated drawing changes will extend the design time. Simple products take 2–3 days, and high-precision complex products take 5–7 days.

2. Steel Processing (10–45 days, longest stage)

Including mold base preparation, CNC machining, EDM, wire cutting, heat treatment, surface polishing and texture. Simple molds with ordinary steel take 10–15 days. Medium molds with precision processing take 15–30 days. High-end molds with S136 / STAVAX steel, vacuum quenching and hot runner system take 30–45 days.

3. Mold Assembly & Debugging (3–8 days)

Including core assembly, slide & lifter fitting, ejection system adjustment, hot runner and temperature control calibration. Simple molds take 3–4 days, multi-structure molds take 4–6 days, and hot runner molds take 6–8 days.

4. Mold Testing, Revision & Delivery (3–10 days)

Including first trial, sample inspection, mold modification and final confirmation. Simple molds pass testing at the first time (3–5 days). Most standard molds need minor adjustments (5–7 days). Complex & high-appearance molds need multiple revisions (7–10 days). Product structure changes will delay the delivery time.

Expedited Production

We can shorten the cycle by parallel processing and overtime arrangement:

• Expedited medium mold: 20–30 days

Summary 

Mold lead time depends on product structure, surface requirement, steel grade, hot runner configuration and customer drawing confirmation speed. Confirming the mold type in advance can accurately confirm the development cycle and arrange mass production reasonably.

Tina

Taizhou Hongmei Mould Plastic Co.,Ltd

Whatsapp/Wechat +86 18958657197

https://www.hongmeimold.com/

https://hongmeimould.en.made-in-china.com/

Email: tina@hmmouldplast.com