Time to read: 4 min
Injection molding is already a complex process without the added stress of complicated ordering procedures. Engineers and sourcing managers today face increasing demands and simply don’t have time for the extra headache of chasing down supplier quotes. With so many things that can go wrong in the molding process that require careful design and planning to avoid, it’s unfair—and unnecessary—for the ordering process to be a source of frustration as well.
Fictiv has taken that to heart and spent the last two years building and tweaking our online customer experience to make every step of the process as easy and user-friendly as possible. From your initial file to the very last part order off your injection mold, we’ve addressed the everyday pain points engineers and sourcing professionals face, making your work smoother and more efficient.
Our state-of-the-art system is a free service with features to help you get through the ordering process quickly and efficiently:
1. Ease of Quote
In today’s digital age, it’s easy to order lunch, a ride, or anything for your home with just a few clicks. Getting custom parts should be just as simple—and with our system, it is.
With Fictiv’s digital platform, you can easily upload CAD and drawing files in a matter of seconds. Our system guides you through capturing all the details of your project. Whether you need a prototype tool for 500 parts or a production tool for hundreds of thousands, you can easily tell us exactly what you’re looking for.
Once you request an injection molding quote, our team will review your details and reach out if they have any questions.
2. Speed of Information
Fictiv provides feedback immediately after you tell us the details of your parts. Once you fill out the material, finish, and quantity information on the platform, we provide the fastest possible design for manufacturing (DFM) feedback in the industry, instantly! Find out about draft, thickness, and undercut/parting as soon as you set up your part details.
3. Speed of Quote
At this point, our team member will typically give you a call to discuss your project and provide pricing information if it’s available. If input is needed from our engineering team, we turn your quote around within hours to 1 day.
4. Clear Feedback
When you get your formal quote, you will also receive further DFM feedback. Our team of engineers reviews the project, how the tooling will be made, and all of your 2D print details to make sure we are all set. This feedback is provided in an online portal so you can easily review your feedback in 3D with the ability to spin and manipulate the model to better see the area of concern.
Our online system also provides a great place to communicate with our team. You can either accept DFM feedback or provide annotated feedback, which is tracked in our platform.
We’ve recently added features and functions to make our DFM even more impactful.
Now, you’re able to visualize your ejection for your designed part.
This simulation is a great way to visualize the flow of material into your mold cavity. It is not a full analysis that will provide shrink, warp, or other feedback. However, it does provide great insight into material flow in the mold. It also gives you important information about the end of fill to help understand areas that might have filling concerns or gas traps, as well as weld line locations.
All of this information is provided before we receive your order. Many companies want to delay DFM until after the PO, but we feel having these conversations early is the key to speeding things up after the PO and providing you with one of the quickest tool turnaround times available anywhere.
5. World-Class Communication After the Order
Some companies go silent after you have placed your order, leaving you to wonder what is going on with your project. Fictiv wants you to be informed throughout the process and provides resources to accommodate this level of transparency.
First, we have a team of engineers in all of our global hubs to manage your program locally and make sure your project is progressing. We have project managers that focus on providing feedback and communicating with you directly, as well as project managers inside each of the facilities who make sure things are going as expected. We also have a logistics and quality assurance team who ensures the optimal shipping that meets your strict requirements.
To give you even more visibility into your projects, we’ve added a Mold Update Tab to your mold library. For each of your molds, the team now has a system to provide you with real-time updates on the progress of your tools through the shop. We provide updates on the progress of the mold and can also provide a form for the approval of your T1 sample shots.
Through our digital system you now can keep an even closer eye on the progress of your injection mold tool orders.
6. Ease of Reorder
Also, our Mold Library makes it easy to reorder parts for any tools that you have approved the T1 samples on. With this interface you can create reorder requests very quickly and easily. You also have the ability to request changes to your mold or molding preferences for your project to get quick feedback on needed tool changes.
Fictiv offers the toolkit for success in injection molding, and we’re excited to help customers achieve a seamless, hassle-free experience with their next injection molding project.
