online plastic part quote tool

Mar 21, 2005 5 Replies

Once a plastic part is designed in SW, is there an online utility/tool that would provide a ballpart cost for the part? I doubt it, but was just curious. Thanks in advance.



It has been my experience that every designer makes up his own spreadsheet with his own common materials and can then plug in machine $/hr rate, # of cavities, cycle time, part weight, runner weight and out pops a reasonable estimate for the molding and material cost.

Tooling cost is another world.

Bo

Thanks, Bo. That is what I assumed.

SW got it pretty much upto modeling the process using MoldFlow Express. I wondered if anybody was planning to go past that to costing.

Tooling, yes, that is another -scary- world.

Thanks again.

Arif

As someone who builds and quotes tooling I agree. But there are some simple cost drivers: Side actions Lifters Surface finish Complex parting lines (contoured surfaces crossing the parting line, this includes side actions that require surface matching) Tolerances Tool class feature size/detail (smaller is harder) .... these are the big ones that come to mind.

I expect to see an automatic quoting tool for injection molds right after they find the automatic mold design button. -:)

jk

Try Quickparts.

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I have logged on and played around with it a bit. It may give you the ball parking number you are looking for.

Jon

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