Tooling
Design Processes
The moulds, dies, jigs and fixtures a factory needs to make your part.
In practice
Tooling is the custom manufacturing equipment made specifically for a product — injection moulds, stamping dies, casting patterns, assembly jigs. It is the largest upfront cost in taking a physical product to market, it takes weeks or months to make, and once cut it constrains what the design can be. 'Tooling' as a milestone means the design is frozen and the money is committed.
Questions
What is Tooling?
Tooling is the set of dedicated moulds, dies, jigs and fixtures fabricated to produce and assemble a specific product at volume.
Why do you use Tooling?
It is what turns a design into thousands of identical parts, and it is why volume manufacturing is cheap per unit and expensive to start.
How do you use/apply Tooling?
Finalise DFM, choose tool material and cavitation for your volume, commission from a toolmaker, review T1 samples, iterate the tool, and approve.
When do you use Tooling?
Only when the design is truly frozen. Every change after tooling costs real money and weeks.
Who uses Tooling?
Mechanical engineers, industrial designers and manufacturing partners.
