We engineer your mold around the part — not around a generic injection template. DFM review, gating analysis, mold flow simulation, steel selection and full tooling build — all delivered by one engineering team accountable from drawing to T1 sample.
PEEK injection molds are expensive. Mold steel for filled PEEK is more expensive still. The single biggest factor in whether your tooling pays back over its life is whether the part was designed to be molded — not designed and then handed to a moldmaker to "figure out."
Our DFM review happens before quoting. We flag draft, wall thickness, gate location, shrinkage and shutoff issues while changes are still free — not at T1 trial when steel has already been cut. That's why every project we quote for tooling starts with a drawing review, not a price.
Every PEEK molding project goes through these three reviews — bundled into a written report you keep, regardless of whether you order the tool from us.
The part-level review. Can this geometry actually be molded — and if not, what's the smallest change that fixes it?
The process-level review. Where does the melt enter the cavity, how does it fill, and what does that mean for warpage and cosmetics?
The lifecycle review. The right resin for the application, and the right mold steel to survive that resin in production.
Real issues we routinely flag during DFM review. Catching these before tooling saves weeks of rework and tens of thousands in mold modifications.
| Design Element | Problem (As Designed) | DFM Fix (As Recommended) |
|---|---|---|
| Draft Angle | Risk 0.5° draft on textured walls — part will scuff or jam in the mold during ejection. | Fix Increase to 1.5–2° on textured surfaces, 0.5–1° on polished. Add ejector strategy where draft can't increase. |
| Wall Thickness | Risk Variable wall thickness from 1.2 to 4 mm — thick sections sink, thin sections short-shot. | Fix Even out to 2 – 2.5 mm with ribbing. Where thick is unavoidable, core out and add gussets. |
| Gate Location | Risk Edge gate near a critical sealing surface — weld lines and gate vestige in the wrong place. | Fix Submarine or hot-tip gate relocated away from critical surfaces. Confirm with mold flow. |
| Boss / Rib Ratio | Risk Bosses at 100% of nominal wall — sink marks visible on the opposite face. | Fix Reduce boss / rib to 50–60% of nominal wall. Add coring to maintain stiffness. |
| Shutoff Angle | Risk Sub-3° shutoff between core and cavity — flash and rapid mold steel wear. | Fix Increase shutoff to 5° minimum. Specify hardened insert at the shutoff for filled PEEK. |
| Mold Steel | Risk P20 steel chosen for a 30% glass-filled PEEK part at 200k+ shots/year — premature wear. | Fix Step up to S136 hardened, with surface coating on high-wear areas. Pays back over tool life. |
Not every PEEK project needs a full multi-cavity production tool on day one. We size the mold to where your project actually is.
Single-cavity, soft-steel tooling for design validation and pre-production trials. Ideal when the part design is not fully locked.
Mid-life tooling for projects ramping toward production — proves out the part at moderate volume before full multi-cavity investment.
Hardened multi-cavity tools designed for the long haul. Built for filled PEEK abrasion, with hot runners and balanced cavity layouts.
STEP, IGES or annotated PDF with quantity and application context.
Day 0Geometry, gating and material review. Written report delivered.
Day 2–3Mold design, steel, cavity count, lead time and unit pricing.
Day 4–5Steel machining, polishing, assembly per approved design.
Wk 1–6First mold trial with sample report for your approval.
Wk 6–7Process locked, FAI signed off, ready for production.
Wk 7–8Faster turnaround starts with the right inputs. Here's exactly what makes DFM accurate, and what you actually receive back.
Don't have everything? Send what you have — we'll tell you what else we need.
The DFM report is yours regardless of whether you order tooling from us. No strings attached.
Yes. We don't charge for DFM because we'd rather catch issues now than rework a tool later. The written report is yours regardless of whether you order from us.
Yes — for parts where gate location, weld lines or warpage is critical. Simulation isn't always needed, but for high-criticality PEEK parts it pays for itself.
You do. Once tooling is paid for, the mold is your property. We hold it at our facility for production runs, but it's transferable on request.
The decision is always yours. We send recommendations with reasoning — you can accept, push back, or ask us to quote your design as-is. We'd rather flag risk than ignore it.
Yes. We modify, repair and refurbish existing molds — including molds we didn't build. Send the mold drawings and we'll quote the change.
Yes. We mold from customer-owned tooling, including molds built elsewhere. We'll inspect the mold and recommend any maintenance needed before first production run.
Written report, design recommendations and a tooling quote — no upfront commitment required.