Time to read: 5 min
During Fictiv’s expert webinar Inside the Digital Tool Bench: How to Engineer for Mold Success From Day One, hosted by PlasticsToday, audience members asked our panelists a wide range of practical questions on injection molding, digital DFM tools, and manufacturing best practices.
Our panel included:
- Paul Lunn, Product Line Director, Injection Molding
- Ashish Nayak, Global Solution Engineering Director
- Robbie Long, Manufacturing Solutions Expert
Here are some of the top audience questions and answers from the session.
Q: Is Fictiv a manufacturer or a supply chain company?
A: Fictiv is a digital manufacturing and supply chain company with a distributed global network of vetted suppliers. In practice, this means we can produce your parts through trusted partners with whom we have strong contractual relationships. The advantage of this model is that Fictiv can offer far more than a traditional manufacturer—for example, an injection molder may only provide molding, but through Fictiv you also gain access to capabilities like CNC machining, rapid prototyping, finishing, assembly, and more. Our team guides you in selecting the best-fit manufacturer for your program, while Fictiv remains the manufacturer of record, fully responsible for quality, delivery, and customer support.
Q: Are there companies that can act as a “One Stop Shop”: 1) Make the mold, 2) Produce the parts, 3) Assemble parts, 4) Package parts, 5) Label with address, and have them ready for shipping?
A: Yes. Fictiv can deliver all of these services. We handle mold-making, part production, secondary operations (assembly, inserts, overmolding), packaging, labeling, and shipping.
Q: Can you discuss the price range of a beginner-level injection molding (IM) setup for in-house production? I’m looking at small parts, small runs in the 100s/1000s. I already have CNC equipment, i.e., mold-making capability.
A: Entry-level presses may look affordable, but the real cost is much higher than just the machine. You’ll need auxiliary equipment, process control expertise, and trained operators. For low-volume runs in the hundreds or thousands, outsourcing is typically more cost-effective than building an internal injection molding capability.
Q: I am based in the UK, and I’m unsure how current or future tariffs might affect my all-plastic item (with two small stainless steel springs) when importing into the USA if it is manufactured in the UK (even if by a US-based company operating there). The product has full US patents granted. The material is not yet decided, but may be polypropylene. The total weight of two items, sold as a pair, is 322g boxed.
A: Tariffs are a moving target and may apply even if parts are produced in the UK by a US-based company. Fictiv addresses this risk with transfer tooling and other tariff mitigation strategies, so molds can be relocated across regions (US, China, Mexico, etc.) if tariff or logistics conditions change. Sometimes offshore production is still cheaper despite tariffs, depending on labor and material costs.
Q: Do you support the selection of a country of origin for manufacturing?
A: Yes. Fictiv allows customers to select preferred manufacturing regions (US, Mexico, China, etc.), which is helpful for tariff management, logistics, and compliance needs.
Q: My product will be used by all, including children (not babies). I would need testing for children’s toy standards. Can Fictiv manage this part of the process?
A: Yes. Fictiv can facilitate compliance testing to standards like ASTM F963 and EN71 through our vetted partner network. This ensures your injection-molded parts meet required toy safety certifications.
Q: Among the CAD tools shown, are any stronger/weaker than the others as far as accurate DFM feedback and simulations?
A: Major CAD tools (SolidWorks, Fusion 360, Onshape, CATIA) all provide draft, thickness, and undercut analysis. Differences exist, but Fictiv’s instant and advanced DFM checks go further, offering production-oriented feedback that supplements CAD analysis.
Q: Do we get design recommendations based on Fictiv’s mold flow analysis?
A: Yes. Fictiv provides actionable recommendations such as optimizing gate size and location, identifying weak weld-line areas, and suggesting design changes to improve filling and cooling.
Q: Is mold flow analysis most advantageous when pushing the traditional boundaries of plastic injection molding?
A: Correct. Mold flow analysis is most valuable when pushing design limits (e.g., thin walls, high fill ratios, critical cosmetic surfaces). Fictiv’s mold flow analysis predicts warp, sink, weld lines, and filling issues so you can refine designs before tooling.
Q: I’m about to move from 3D printing to injection molding. But I have no idea of the many materials you list on your IM platform. How can I get an idea on which material is best for my product?
A: Fictiv supports material selection through our platform and engineering team. You can easily compare properties like toughness, UV resistance, weight, chemical resistance, and certifications using our tool Materials.AI. Our engineers can also provide expert guidance on which material best matches your product requirements.
Q: Can the inclusion of high quality mineral reinforcements to the polymer matrix during the design process help in boosting the thermal conductivity of the system and provide more consistent shrinkage? And can you model the effect of mineral reinforcements and utilize that modeling in the design criteria?
A: Yes. Fictiv’s advanced mold flow analysis can model mineral- or glass-filled polymers. Mineral reinforcements can improve thermal conductivity, reduce shrinkage variability, and increase dimensional stability—though they may trade off impact toughness. This modeling helps optimize design and material choices.
Q: What’s the typical lead time for tool design with Fictiv (for a simple or complex part)?
A: Simple part/tool: ~2–3 weeks for design and build. Complex tool (multi-cavity, side actions, high polish, overmolds): ~4–6+ weeks.
Q: Does Fictiv support overmold/double-shot tooling design ?
A: Yes. Fictiv supports overmolding and double-shot tooling. Designs must account for bonding surfaces, material compatibility, and sequencing, and our engineers can help guide these considerations.
Q: What was a project that piqued your interest in injection molding?
Robbie Long: I find injection molding projects fascinating in general. Luckily, in custom manufacturing I may see 100 new projects a month and help produce 30 or 40 of them. I’ve always loved getting the story behind the design, and especially the “why”. On a recent project, we helped with a dispenser that reduces plastic waste in food containers. Here’s a write-up. I got to spend a lot of time with the owners on design concerns and making this product market-ready, which was a blast.
Paul Lunn: I was working on two distinct projects involving multi-layer injection molding. The first project focused on incorporating as much post-consumer recycled (PCR) material as possible to reduce costs. The second aimed to precisely place a high-cost barrier material only where needed, by coring it between two layers. Achieving this required advanced hot runner technology developed by Husky Injection Molding, capable of metering and placing material with remarkable speed, precision, and repeatability. It was fascinating to see such technology in action.
Q: Can you share the link to the Fictiv quoting page?
A: Yes. You can request tooling or production quotes here.
These questions reflect the real challenges engineers face when moving from design to production. With the right digital tools, expertise, and trusted partners, Fictiv helps teams achieve mold success from day one.
Want the full discussion? Watch the on-demand webinar to learn more from our injection molding experts.
