Before you send files
FAQ
Find answers about design inputs, applicable order minimums, prototypes, production and project documents. Requirements depend on whether you need a casting mold or a finished silicone product.
Questions we answer before a quote
Can you make custom silicone molds or parts from my design?
The usual job is a custom RTV silicone casting mold. You pour gummy, chocolate, resin, wax, soap, plaster, or ice into the cavity. Send a drawing, photo, sample, or CAD, plus what you pour and how many molds you need. HCR/HTV compression tooling and finished silicone parts are a separate quote. LSR is reviewed only when the article itself is silicone.
Do I need to provide a 3D CAD file, or can you design it for me?
You do not need a perfect CAD file to start. STEP or STL is best for a firm quote. A drawing, sketch, measured photos, or a physical sample is enough to begin. If we build or revise the 3D, custom/simple modeling is USD $50 when that scope applies. Chargeable CAD starts only after that scope is confirmed.
How much does 3D / CAD design cost?
Custom/simple 3D modeling is USD $50 when that scope applies. DFM review is free. Chargeable CAD starts only after the scope is confirmed. Complex organic rebuilds are quoted separately. A design fee is not unrestricted CAD ownership.
Can I get a sample or prototype before ordering production?
Yes. You can approve a prototype before a production order. Pour your own material and check that sample before production starts. For applicable custom RTV casting molds, the production minimum is 20 molds per design. A one-off paid test is quoted separately. The prototype schedule is confirmed in the quotation, and shipping time is separate.
What is your minimum order quantity (MOQ)?
For applicable custom RTV casting molds, the production minimum is 20 molds per design. Prototype orders and finished silicone parts are quoted separately. Tell us the design count and quantity required for each design.
How do you quote unit prices for different quantities?
To prepare an accurate quotation, please send your design or reference images, finished dimensions, casting material, cavity requirements and order quantity. We will review the mold structure and confirm the applicable CAD, tooling, prototype, production and shipping costs. For applicable custom RTV casting molds, production starts at 20 molds per design. The number is not firm without files or confirmed specs.
How much is mold / tooling, and who owns the mold?
Tooling is quoted per project: pattern, resin production mother, RTV, and a jacket when the skin would sag. Paying a tooling fee does not automatically answer who owns the CAD, the physical master, the silicone molds, or the right to reproduce the design. Those items are written on the quotation before the first deposit.
What is the typical lead time?
Lead time depends on the manufacturing route and the design, prototype and production work required. We confirm the schedule and approval stages for your project in the quotation. Shipping time is separate.
What silicone materials and Shore hardness do you offer?
Food-contact casting molds are typically platinum-cure. Shore is confirmed for the use, geometry, and handling of that mold. There is no single Shore for every food mold or every material. HCR/HTV products and LSR parts are a separate quote.
RTV or HTV - which should I choose?
If you pour into a cavity, the usual route is an RTV casting mold. HCR/HTV compression tooling and finished silicone parts are a separate quote. See our overview: RTV vs HTV silicone molds. Tell us the quantity and what you pour.
Can you ship internationally? What about EXW / FOB / DDP?
Yes. We ship from Bao'an. Name EXW, FOB, or DDP, plus the destination, on the RFQ. Those are different commercial objects. Do not compare an EXW number with a DDP number. Freight method is confirmed with carton size.
Do you provide food-contact or other compliance documents?
Food-contact documents depend on the compound, the food, the temperature, and the destination market. 21 CFR 177.2600 is extraction of the article, not an FDA-approved factory. Ask for the papers that match your use.
Will you sign an NDA?
Yes. If the design is confidential, say so before you send the full file set. An NDA covers how we handle your CAD and artwork. It does not, by itself, decide who owns the CAD, the master, or the molds.
Do you offer OEM / private-label packaging?
Branding and packaging requirements are reviewed with the project. Send the artwork, label requirements and preferred packaging format so availability and costs can be confirmed separately. Protective shipping packaging is also agreed for the mold or product. Production RTV trays ship flat, not folded, so the cavity does not take a set.
What payment terms do you use?
Terms are stated on each proforma. Chargeable CAD starts only after the modeling scope is confirmed. Tooling and production are separate lines after you approve the 3D.
Can you work with my contract manufacturer's tray or machine specs?
Yes, when you send tray size, cavity pitch, depositor type, and how the tray demolds. We size the cavity from the finished piece, then check whether the filled tray still lines up with the nozzles.
Send the design you have
STEP or STL is best. A drawing or photos with dimensions is enough to start the review.