Quick answer: Whether you fund the tool is not a question about the invoice. It turns on three things: can the tool leave with you, will volume reach its cycle life, and who decides when the drawing changes. A 124,000 yuan 718 two-cavity tool costs 2.07 yuan a case over 60,000 pieces and 62 over 2,000.
Table of contents
- Who Actually Pays for the Tool: Three Clauses
- P20 or 718: What the Steel Premium Buys
- One to Four Cavities, T1 and Rework Rounds
- 300,000 Cycles, Amortised Cost and Moving the Tool
- FAQ
1. Who Actually Pays for the Tool: Three Clauses
A supplier offering the tool free is usually not discounting: free normally means the title stays with the plant, so the tool stays behind when the order moves. The first question in plastic case mold development is not price but ownership: whoever holds title decides where the tool goes, whether the drawing can change, and who pays when a cavity cracks.
In plastic case mold development, three clauses carry three exposures.
| Clause | How it reads | What the buyer holds | Where the risk sits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outright purchase | Tool paid with the first order, title to buyer | Title, nameplate, drawings | Storage and upkeep are yours |
| Amortised rebate | Charged per unit, 60 percent returned at 30,000 pieces | Lighter early cash | Rebate slips if the trigger is vague |
| Plant-owned | Tool waived, title stays with plant | A low unit price | Tool cannot move at transfer |
The rebate clause causes most disputes: a contract saying volume earns a refund says nothing. It needs a trigger, a refund share, and cash or credit.
2. P20 or 718: What the Steel Premium Buys
Same drawing, two quotes: 86,000 yuan in P20, 124,000 in 718, a gap of 38,000. The gap does not buy hardness. It buys cycles. P20 arrives at 28 to 32 HRC and rounds at the cavity edge past 100,000 to 150,000 shots; 718 at 30 to 36 HRC runs 300,000 to 500,000 on the same schedule.
| Steel | Pre-hardened | Texture work | Typical cycles | Two-cavity tool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P20 | 28 to 32 HRC | Shallow grain, deep grain tears | 100,000 to 150,000 | 86,000 yuan |
| 718 | 30 to 36 HRC | Deep grain, polishing margin | 300,000 to 500,000 | 124,000 yuan |
| S136 | 48 to 52 HRC | Mirror finish, heat treated | Over 1,000,000 | 210,000 yuan |
Run the plastic case mold development sum in cycles, not pieces. At 300,000 cycles it covers 600,000 cases; selling 40,000 a year, it lasts fifteen, and the 38,000 gap costs 2,500 a year, below one changeover.
For a single season, P20 is enough.
3. One to Four Cavities, T1 and Rework Rounds
Cavity count falls out of annual volume and press tonnage, not a supplier saying four is cheaper.
- One cavity: highest unit cost, cheapest to modify, right for a trial run.
- Two cavities: mainstream, best value below 600,000 cases.
- Four cavities: a press above 650 tonnes, a tool over 6 tonnes, different lifting gear.
- T1 checks four things: short shots, flash, warpage and colour, each photographed and filed.
- Two free rework rounds in the contract; from the third, 120 to 180 yuan an hour, 5 to 7 days a round.
- Trial resin starts at 30 kg a shot and must match the production grade, or the T1 colour panel is void.
More cavities only means a cheaper case if the press stays busy. A tool opening three days a month loses the saving to changeover, so judge plastic case mold development on opening days, not unit price.
4. 300,000 Cycles, Amortised Cost and Moving the Tool
Write cycle life into the contract, never years. At 300,000 cycles and 400 shots a day that is 750 working days, with vent slots cleaned every 50,000 shots.
| Cumulative order | Tooling per case | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2,000 | 62 yuan | Trial order, tooling near the goods value |
| 10,000 | 12.4 yuan | Normal small repeat |
| 60,000 | 2.07 yuan | Half the 300,000-cycle life |
Moving a tool is the other gate in plastic case mold development. It weighs 1.2 tonnes, crates at 1.6 × 1.1 × 0.9 m, needs a 2-tonne hoist, and costs about 1,800 yuan over 800 km, with proof of title, a nameplate photo and the last maintenance record.
A plant offering copies only deserves a second look: if the nameplate misses the annex, the tool may be pledged.
Conclusion
Whether you fund the tool comes down to one division: tool cost over planned volume. Above 20 yuan a case, negotiate a rebate or drop a cavity; below 3 yuan, buy it and record ownership. Put title, steel grade, cavity count and cycle life in one annex, and plastic case mold development stops being a guessing game in year three.
This article discusses only the container (case body) side of specifications and design intent, and does not cover any handling, loading or use of the contents.
Related Reading
- Choosing a rotationally moulded case
- Selection criteria for injection moulded cases
- What rotational moulding actually solves
Related Products
- 8 Series — Gun Cases; Military Equipment Cases; Camera Equipment Cases; Drone Cases; Watch Cases; Knife Cases; First Aid Cases; Electronics Equipment Cases
- WL8-2812 PP Gun Case — model WL8-2812
- All protective cases and toolboxes: 7 series, 158 models