What are tool costs?
Tool costs refer to the investment costs for the production or procurement of tools, usually for moulding processes such as casting moulds, Injection moulds, pressing tools or Extrusion matrices. The level of tool costs depends on the manufacturing process, component geometry and complexity, Nest number and quantity requirements.
What counts as tool costs?
Tooling costs usually include
- Construction and CAD modelling
- Toolmaking (milling, eroding, grinding etc.)
- Material costs of the tool (e.g. tool steel or Aluminium)
- Testing and customisation costs (e.g. sampling, correction loops)
The costs are usually shown separately, but can also be allocated to the component prices.
Factors influencing tool costs
- Part geometry and accuracy requirements
- Number of Nests in the mould (single vs. multi-cavity mould)
- Demoulding mechanisms
- Replacement and wear parts in the mould
- Surface requirements (e.g. polish, structure)
- Planned number of units and service life