General Equipment For Manufacturing Rapid Tooling

Tooling which called mould, mold, tool, die as well, is the physical item that can be used to achieve the goal products by changing the shape of the material, especially if the item is not consumed in the process. Generally, it includes fixtures or jigs, rapid tooling for low volume manufacturing to medium production, and hard tools for mass production.

How To Manufacture Rapid Tooling

A tooling always consists of various components. These components can be machined separately then assembled together to be a final tool. Typically, there are two types of the machining equipment. One is called ordinary processing, includes lathes, milling machines, grinding machines, drilling, etc.; another is for special processing, such as wire cutting, EDM, CNC, etc. TEAM Rapid specializes in manufacturing Rapid Tooling for many years. Herein, we will present some basic equipment for manufacturing rapid tooling in our factory. Of course, these machines can be used for making kinds of tools as well, including fixtures and mass production tool. First, we will talk some common rapid manufacturing processing machines.

Step-by-Step Manufacturing Workflow

1. Design & DFM Analysis
• Create CAD model with proper draft angles, parting lines, ejector pin locations, and cooling channels.
• Run mold flow/thermal simulation (e.g., Moldflow, Simufact) to predict filling, cooling, warpage, and gate placement.
2. Select Tooling Strategy
• Match method to expected production volume, resin/metal type, tolerance, and budget.
• Decide if you need full mold, insert-only, or hybrid (AM core + CNC base).
3. Fabrication
• Direct: 3D print or CNC machine cavities/cores. Use supports strategically; orient to minimize stair-stepping on sealing surfaces.
• Indirect: Print master → apply mold release → cast tooling material → cure under controlled conditions.
4. Post-Processing
• CNC finish critical surfaces (parting lines, sealing areas, ejector holes)
• Heat treatment (stress relief, hardening for steels)
• Surface finishing: polishing, texturing, PVD/DLC coating, nickel plating
• Integrate standard components (sprue bushings, ejector pins, cooling fittings)
5. Validation & Testing
• Pressure/leak test cooling lines
• Dry-run assembly
• Trial shots with production-equivalent material
• Measure first-article parts for dimensional stability and surface quality
6. Production Integration
• Mount in press/molding machine
• Implement process monitoring (temperature, cycle time, ejection force)
• Schedule preventive maintenance based on tool class and material abrasiveness

Equipment To Manufacture Rapid Tooling

1. Milling machine

It has a wide range of machining capacity, can almost be found in every tooling factory. It uses for rough and fine milling the planes and slots. The flat milling cutter, ball end cutter and R cutter are the most popular cutters. The defect is it cannot machine an inside right angle.

2. Drilling Machine

It’s a small size machine used for drilling the holes. Generally, the drilling holes are less than 16mm. It always uses for machining the holes without high quality or fine precision. But the operation is very easy, and the machining speed is very fast.

3. Radial drilling machine

it is a branch of the drilling machine, with an arm that can be rotated around the main axel. It’s most used for the higher workpiece which is out of the common drilling machine’s capacity or drilling the deep holes.

4. Lathe

It’s the most common machining equipment, which uses for machining the rotary parts, such as the round inserts, support pillars, location rings, etc.

5. Big Water Grinding Machine

It’s the necessary equipment for precise cuts the larger workpieces, such as the datum planes, sliders, block datum for large tooling plates.

6. Grinding machine

It’s a very common machining equipment which used for processing the small size tooling parts. It’s a high precision machine which can be up to±0.002μm. But the cutter path is only straight, so it’s not good for curved face milling.

TEAM Rapid - Rapid Tooling & Injection Molding Supplier

Is the information above helpful for you? Please keep following us at TEAM Rapid, we will talk some more special processing machines next time. For more information, contact us today!