Technologies · In-House Mold Shop
The first link in the chain: our in-house mold shop
The tooling sets both the timeline and the risk of a plastics program. For us, tooling is not a purchased service: it is the work of KAMAS, our group mold shop since 1996. Tool, process and serial production start and end in the same chain of accountability.
A technical reply, not a sales one.
The problem
Why tooling is the riskiest line item
In contract plastics programs, the most volatile item on the schedule is the tool: build time, corrections after the first trial, and revisions during serial production. When the toolmaker is a separate company, that risk sits outside your supply chain; the molder waits on the toolmaker, and you manage both. When something goes wrong, the first conversation is not about the fix but about who is accountable.
In-house tooling
Three concrete benefits of in-house tooling
Shorter lead time
Tool design, manufacturability analysis and toolmaking run in parallel under one roof; your tool does not queue at a vendor. Trial presses are in the same group, so moving from build to first trial is an in-plant step, not a shipment.
Faster revisions
When a tool revision is needed during serial production, the tool is not shipped out. The engineering decision, the rework and the re-trial run in the same accountability chain, on the same campus; the conversation is about lost hours, not lost weeks.
Single point of accountability
The "is it the tool or the process?" debate never reaches you. The group that builds the tool also molds the part and assembles the component; you have one counterpart and no handover of responsibility.
Capabilities
The KAMAS capability set
KAMAS has been the group's toolmaking company since 1996. Tool design runs in a CAD-CAM environment and manufacturing is planned through ERP. The capability set covers surface modeling, rapid prototyping, mold filling, flow and cooling analysis, CMM inspection and 3D laser scanning. Tool types built: plastic injection molds, blow molds, progressive metal stamping dies and automation fixtures. Flow analysis happens before the tool becomes steel; filling and warpage issues are solved on screen, not in rework.
Process
The tooling process
01
Design
Manufacturability review (DFM) of your 3D data and specification, cavity count and steel decisions, tool design, filling and cooling simulation.
02
Build
CAD-CAM programmed, ERP tracked toolmaking; dimensional verification by CMM.
03
Trial
T1 samples molded on our own presses; a first article inspection report (ISIR) is issued, and corrections are closed in the T2 loop.
04
Commissioning
Customer approval, with a PPAP package on automotive programs; no serial production without sign-off. The tool is commissioned together with its production parameters.
Lifecycle
Tool maintenance, revisions and tool transfer
Every commissioned tool goes onto a maintenance plan; maintenance and revision history is recorded per tool. When your product changes, the revision happens under the same roof. Running an existing tool at another supplier? Tool transfer is a scenario we work with: the tool is inspected, measured, refurbished as needed and commissioned on our presses. Tool ownership is contractually clear: the tool you paid for is yours.
Single accountability chain
Where this sits in the chain
Tooling is the first link in the single accountability chain: mold (KAMAS) → injection, extrusion or blow molding → assembly and in-line testing → shipment. Because the first link is inside the group, every downstream link runs with a known tool and known parameters. See the Technologies page for the full process and the Capabilities page for capacity data.
Send us your tooling project. New tool, revision or tool transfer: upload your 3D data and target volumes, and our engineering team will assess the tool concept and roadmap with an engineering eye.