Group service · get it right before the tool is cut
Design for manufacture, across five moulding routes.
A part designed for one process doesn't necessarily suit another. Our DFM review covers all five moulding routes we run — hand-made, cast, vacuum-cast, compression, injection — so we can flag what needs to change before we build anything.
When it's right
Four situations where this service earns its keep.
A design done in isolation from moulding
The industrial designer never had to think about draft, gates or parting lines. We add those in without redoing the aesthetic.
A part specified for the wrong process
It was drawn for injection but the volumes only justify compression. Different draft, different vents. We recut the drawing.
Undercuts and split lines
Where the tool has to split, and how the part comes out, is often what makes or breaks the design. We work it through with you.
Multi-cavity thinking
If you're going to run more than one part per shot, the layout, feeding and cooling all change. Better to design for it early.
How it flows
Four stages, in the usual order.
- 01
Drawing review
Line by line. Marked-up copy back to you quickly for straightforward parts.
- 02
Suggested changes
Framed as 'this will help', 'this will hurt', 'this makes no difference' — so you know which to fight.
- 03
Iteration
One or two rounds is normal. Nothing gets built until you're happy.
- 04
Frozen design
Signed drawing before tool cut. Any later changes get flagged as change orders so nothing is lost.
What we need from you
To scope it properly.
A 3D file if you have one. STEP, IGES, native CAD, or STL for a start. We can work from a 2D drawing too.
The intended process. If you already know it. If you don't, that's the first thing we'll resolve.
Any constraints we can't change. Assembly interfaces, mating parts, branding features — flag them so we don't suggest changing them.
Go deeper
3 ways this service is usually put to work.
Each has its own page with the detail: what's involved, when it fits, and when it doesn't.
Where the tool splits, and how the part comes out.
Draft and parting lines decide whether a part releases cleanly, where the witness line shows and how long the tool lasts. We review them for the…
Undercuts, internal features and inserts, worked out before tooling.
Flexible moulds let us release undercuts that rigid tools can't. Steel tools need cores, side actions or a redesign. The review works out which your…
How many cavities, and how to make them all fill the same.
More cavities per shot lowers unit cost — if every cavity fills, cures and releases the same. The layout review sets cavity count, feeding and…
At a glance
The ideas in pictures.
Five brands, one team
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One enquiry, the right team
- 01One enquiryTell us what you need
- 02Right divisionWe bring in the specialists
- 03One quoteCovering every part of the job
- 04Named contactOne person keeps it moving
- 05DeliveredMoulds, parts or both
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FAQs
Common questions.
Do you charge for DFM?
For a first-pass review on a job we're likely to quote, no. For deeper design work we scope it and price it separately.
What CAD do you use?
We're not brand-loyal. STEP and IGES cover most of what comes in. We'll ask if we need something specific.
Can you redraw a legacy part?
Yes. Reverse engineering from an existing part into a clean CAD model is something we do regularly.
Related
Where to read next.
An engineering conversation before you commit to a route.
You have a part in mind. You're not sure whether it wants silicone or polyurethane, cast or compression, prototype or…
We run four materials. We're not paid to push one over another.
Platinum-cure silicone, tin-cure silicone, polyurethane, and various rubbers pass through our workshop every week. That…
Same engineer, prototype through to production.
You started with one hand-cast mould. The part is signed off. You're ready for a hundred a week. The engineer who built…
The group
This service sits at the group level
TCI Group is the umbrella brand. The specialists behind this service work across all four divisions.
Get in touch
Not sure which division? Tell us what you're making.
Send us a sketch, a photograph, or a paragraph. We'll come back with the right division, the right route, and an honest sense of what it will take.
Real people, a real workshop
You deal with the people who make it.
No call centre and no middlemen. When you contact TCI Group, you speak to the team who design, build and check your mould.
- A real Warwickshire workshopUnit 15, Waterloo Park, Bidford-on-Avon, Alcester B50 4JG.
- Real people on the phoneCall the team on 01789 224228, Monday to Friday.
- The same team on every jobDesign, production and aftercare come from the people you see here.
- Five brands, one teamMoulds, culinary, construction and contract products, all run from Bidford-on-Avon. See the divisions.
Thomas LaneManaging Director
George PrestonDesign & Project Manager
Kelly BallingerHead of Partnerships
Jim AndertonProduction Manager
TheodoreEmployee Welfare