Rapid Tooling Services
Get rapid tooling solutions designed for prototype injection molding, bridge-to-production, and low-volume manufacturing. Our custom tooling services support fast turnaround, excellent surface finish, and production-grade materials.
- Supports injection molding with thermoplastics, elastomers, and silicone rubber
- Aluminum and pre-hardened steel mold tooling for short-run production
- Tools designed with optimized part geometry
- Post-machining heat treatment option
- Precision as high as +/- 0.025 mm
What Is Rapid Tooling?
Rapid tooling is a manufacturing process that uses high-speed CNC machining and EDM to fabricate mold tooling in significantly less time than traditional mold making. Rapid Tooling is primarily used to create aluminum mold tooling and pre-hardened steel tools for injection molding and short-run productions.
Applications of Rapid Tooling Services At PROLEANMFG
- Prototype tooling service
- Short-run production using injection molding materials
- Optimizing mold design to reduce cycle times
- Tools
- Prototype development
- Bridge tooling
Key Features of Rapid Tooling Manufacturing
Precision and Tolerances
All rapid tooling is manufactured using 5-axis CNC machining and EDM processes to ensure consistent cavity geometry and dimensional control.
Typical tooling tolerances are held within ±0.02–0.05 mm, depending on part geometry, material selection, and mold design requirements.
Tools are engineered to maintain uniform wall thickness, proper fit, and functional performance throughout short-run and bridge production cycles.
Aluminum and Pre-Hardened Steel Tooling
Rapid tooling molds are produced using high-grade aluminum alloys (e.g. 7075) or pre-hardened steel (P20) based on expected production volume and material abrasiveness.
- Aluminum tooling is ideal for fast turnaround, prototyping, and low-volume production.
- Pre-hardened steel tooling offers improved durability and is recommended for higher shot counts or abrasive resins.
This material flexibility allows engineers to balance cost, lead time, and tool life during early production stages.
Interchangeable Inserts
Interchangeable mold inserts are designed for high dimensional repeatability, allowing individual cavity features to be replaced or modified without rebuilding the entire tool.
This approach supports:
- Faster design iterations
- Reduced tooling cost for revisions
- Stable sealing, alignment, and cavity integrity during repeated thermal cycling
Surface Finish Quality
Rapid tooling supports a range of surface finishes to meet functional and aesthetic requirements:
- As-machined (Ra 1.6–3.2 μm)
- Bead-blasted for uniform matte appearance
- Polished surfaces for cosmetic or sealing-critical parts
Surface finish selection can directly impact part release, appearance, and downstream processing.
Tool Life
Tool life depends on mold material, part geometry, and resin selection:
- Aluminum tools typically support 100–1,000+ shots
- Pre-hardened steel tools can support several thousand shots under controlled conditions
Rapid tooling is designed to validate parts and processes before committing to full production tooling.
Heat Treatment Options
Steel tooling can undergo optional post-machining heat treatment to improve hardness, reduce wear, and extend tool life.
This is recommended for applications involving:
- Abrasive materials
- Higher shot counts
- Tighter dimensional stability requirements
Why Choose PROLEANMFG for Rapid Tooling
Certified Quality and Tool Validation
We operate under ISO 9001:2015-certified quality systems. Each tool undergoes full-dimensional inspection and validation under real-world injection molding conditions, verifying cavity accuracy, alignment, and repeatability.
Solutions for Prototyping and Production
Whether you’re building a single prototype or preparing for bridge-to-production, we offer both aluminum mold tooling for short-run flexibility and pre-hardened steel options for increased tool life.
Materials
Our team works with high-performance tooling materials such as 7075 aluminum, QC-10, P20, and NAK80 steel.
Fast Quoting and Design-for-Manufacturability Support
Upload your CAD files and receive rapid, precise quotations. Our engineers provide optional design-for-manufacturability (DFM) analysis to help you optimize part geometry, reduce cycle time, and lower overall tooling costs.
How Does Rapid Tooling Manufacturing Work?
Design Review and Material Selection
The process begins with a design-for-manufacturability (DFM) review of your CAD model. Our engineers analyze part geometry, draft angles, and moldability to optimize tool design
1
High-Speed Machining
Mold bases and precision inserts are manufactured using high-speed CNC machining and EDM. Inserts may include features like core/cavity details, cooling channels, and alignment elements. Surface finish offered at this stage is as-machined.
2
Tool Assembly
After machining, the mold is assembled and validated through short molding trials using production-grade thermoplastics or elastomers.
3
What Is PROLEANMFG’s VFF: Verified, Fit & Function?
At PROLEANMFG, every rapid tooling project goes through our VFF (Verified, Fit & Function) quality protocol.
Verified
Each tool is dimensionally inspected after CNC machining to confirm that cavity, core, and insert features meet design tolerances. Surface finish is checked against specified Ra values.
Fit
We validate that molded parts meet tight tolerances and assembly requirements. Critical dimensions, mating features, and alignment are tested to ensure proper fit.
Function
Parts are molded using production-grade thermoplastics, elastomers, or silicone rubber to simulate end-use conditions. We evaluate structural performance, ejection behavior, material flow, and surface quality.
