We procure it, specify it for our machines and maintain it. You own it.

Tooling

Dies are procured through our preferred toolmakers, gated for our machines and maintained continuously. The customer owns the tool.

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Tooling

The die is yours

The die is the single largest investment in a casting project, and the ownership is clean: you pay for it, you own it, and you can move it.

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The basics

What a die is, and why it costs what it costs

A die is a mould in high-alloy tool steel, split into two halves, with runners for the melt, cooling channels to control solidification, and ejector pins to get the part back out. If the part has undercuts, slides are added — mechanisms that retract before the die opens.

Cost is driven by three things: how many cavities the die has, how many slides it needs, and how much steel has to be milled, spark-eroded and polished. Undercuts are the single most expensive factor. That is why the review looks for them before anyone orders anything.

We do not make dies ourselves. We buy them through toolmakers we have used for a long time, and we take part in the design: the die has to be gated and dimensioned for our machines and for our experience of how this particular kind of part behaves in the melt.

After that it is our job to keep it running. A steel die is gradually broken down by thermal shock — it is a wear part, not a permanent asset. Without maintenance the flash comes first, then more manual finishing, then parts you cannot use.

Cost drivers

Four things you control in the tooling cost

The tooling price is set by the toolmaker, not by us. But it is determined by your drawing — and all four points below are decisions made at the design stage, not at the purchasing stage.

Undercuts

The single most expensive factor. Every undercut needs a slide — a mechanism that has to be designed, made, actuated and maintained. It also lengthens the cycle and adds one more place for flash.

Number of cavities

More cavities in one die means more parts per shot and a lower part price, but a more expensive tool. At high volume it pays quickly. At low volume it does not. Your volume figure decides.

Part size

A bigger part means more steel, a larger bolster and a machine with higher clamping force. Size feeds into both the tooling cost and the choice of machine.

Surface requirement

If the part needs polished, visible faces, the steel has to be polished to match — and polishing hours are expensive hours. If the part is hidden in the product, say so: there is money in it.

Datablad

Specifications — tooling

Three of seven fields we can document. The other four — cost, lead time and die life — are what buyers ask about most, and they are coming.

Machine park

Processes in house: Pressure die casting (aluminium and zinc), gravity die casting, CNC turning, CNC milling, boring, heat treatment, blasting
Processes we do not have: Sand casting, toolmaking, anodising, powder coating
CAM software: Autodesk Fusion 360
Number of die casting machines: Available on request
Clamping force: Available on request
Hot or cold chamber: Available on request
Maximum shot weight: Available on request
Platen size and maximum die height: Available on request
Gravity casting stations: Available on request
Maximum mould size, gravity: Available on request
Melting furnaces and melting capacity: Available on request
CNC lathes: Available on request
Maximum turning diameter and length: Available on request
CNC mills: Available on request
Milling work envelope: Available on request
Boring machine: Available on request
Heat treatment furnace: Available on request
Blasting equipment: Available on request
Automation: Available on request
Machining operations: CNC turning, CNC milling, boring, tapping, sawing, grinding
Machining experience: More than 30 years år
Number of axes, milling: Available on request
Heat treatment applies to: Gravity die cast aluminium parts
Heat treatment — effect: Higher tensile strength and higher ultimate strength
Tempers we run: Available on request
Blasting: In house
Anodising: Via subcontractor — aluminium only, zinc cannot be anodised
Powder coating: Via subcontractor
Finishing subcontractors: Available on request
Die ownership: The customer owns the tool. We procure it, specify it for our machines and maintain it.
Typical tooling cost: Available on request
Die life, aluminium: Available on request
Die life, zinc: Available on request
Storage and insurance of customer-owned dies: Available on request
Shift pattern: Available on request

Series and lead time

Response to an enquiry: Within 24 hours timer
Formal quotation with final files: Within 24 hours timer
Indicative minimum series, pressure die casting: A few thousand parts per year or per order
Indicative minimum series, gravity: A fifth to a tenth of the pressure die casting volume
Typical series size in production: Available on request
Lead time from tool order to first sample: Available on request
Time from sample to approved series start: Available on request
Lead time in running series: Available on request
Annual capacity: Available on request
Available capacity: Available on request
Call-off and stock holding: Available on request
Added lead time for external finishing: Available on request
Prototypes and pre-series: Available on request

Questions and answers

Tooling — common questions

Yes. You own it. Be aware that the die is gated and dimensioned for our machines, so a move normally requires modification and a fresh run-in elsewhere. The lock-in between us is practical, not contractual — and we think that is how it should be.

A steel die is a wear part. It is broken down by thermal shock, and the first signs are flash on the parting line and more manual finishing. We track it as we go and give you warning well before it affects the parts. Individual inserts can be replaced; eventually the die has to be rebuilt or replaced.

Available on request.

Wondering what the tool will cost?

Send the drawing with an estimate of annual volume and you get both a tooling price and a part price. We will also tell you how many parts the tool has to make before it pays for itself.

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Henger sammen med

Design review

Positive product criticism — you get a technical review, not just a price.

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Vi ser på godstykkelse, slipp, radier og delelinje før vi gir pris. Svar innen 24 timer på virkedager.

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