Successful injection molding programs don't begin when the mold is built. They begin during engineering. Many of the decisions that determine tooling complexity, cycle time, part quality, automation potential, and long-term manufacturing cost are made before the first piece of steel is ever cut. ...

Once tooling is released, design flexibility quickly disappears. While changes are still possible, even relatively minor revisions can require additional machining, tooling modifications, schedule delays, and unnecessary cost. That's why the most successful injection molding projects don't begin ...