When choosing a rubber extrusion and injection molding company, one factor to consider is whether the company offers in-house tooling. In-house tooling refers to on-site production capabilities for shaping, cutting, and forming the materials used to create rubber components and parts, including extrusion tooling and injection molds. Rubber product manufacturers without in-house tooling outsource their tool building to overseas providers.
In-house tooling has many benefits, from decreased lead times to improved customer communication.
Decreased Lead Times
In-house tooling eliminates time spent waiting for outsourced parts or materials to arrive from overseas tooling providers. With in-house tooling, production begins earlier and customers receive their finished molded rubber components sooner. Decreased lead times can be a tremendous advantage in fast-paced industries, providing a competitive advantage by allowing companies to go to market faster.
Enhanced Quality Control
When tooling is outsourced, tooling quality is entirely dependent on the diligence of a third party. Quality issues or production mistakes may go undetected until the tooling arrives at the manufacturer, and solving the problem, whether that’s a single do-over or multiple rounds of troubleshooting, can lead to significant delays.
In-house tooling allows project leads at rubber injection molding companies to oversee the tool building process directly. As a result, they can catch and address potential quality issues immediately, with minimal delays. Additionally, the risk of incompatibility between tooling and molding is much lower when toolmaking and manufacturing facilities are co-located.
Reduced Costs
Depending on the situation, outsourcing tooling can come with additional costs. Overseas shipping can be very expensive, and tariffs can add up quickly. Choosing a rubber injection molding company with in-house tooling means fewer extra—or unexpected—expenses related to shipping or customs.
Improved Communication & Flexibility
In-house tooling eliminates the challenges of communicating across time zones and language barriers. When tooling and manufacturing are co-located at a domestic facility, customers can simply pick up the phone to ask questions and check in on their projects—or schedule an in-person visit and observe the toolmaking process themselves without the costs and hassle of international travel.
Additionally, easy communications also allow for more flexible project timelines, since rubber injection molding companies have more control over the process and can make adjustments without having to coordinate with a third party. In-house tooling gives companies more control over the prioritization of time-sensitive projects.
Expertise in Specialized Tooling
Rubber injection molding companies that offer in-house tooling have the hands-on experience to become true tooling experts. They can give advice and project guidance based on real-world observations from past projects, which can result in greater efficiency and precision.
Partner With UP&R for Custom Polymer Solutions
Universal Polymer & Rubber (UP&R) is a custom rubber parts manufacturer and rubber injection molding company that is proud to offer in-house tooling. We support our customers from the early stages of design and prototyping through mass production of their final products. Because we host the entire process in-house, we have eyes on every stage and can deliver unparalleled quality assurance. We also offer greater flexibility when it comes to timeline and project scheduling, which is a tremendous advantage when our customers need their products on a tight turnaround.
UP&R’s in-house tooling team has over 30 years of experience in tool building for rubber manufacturing. Additionally, we have invested in a wire EDM machine to produce high-quality tooling for rubber extrusion and other rubber manufacturing services.
Ready to see the UP&R difference? Start a conversation and talk to a member of our team about your next project >