When it comes to finding the right manufacturer, there’s nothing more important than the relationship you establish with your silicone injection molding manufacturer. A good relationship with your manufacturer can be the making or breaking of your silicone product but what can you do to make sure you’re on the same page as your silicone injection molder from the very start?
Here are three things to make sure of before you commit to any one injection molding partner.
The right silicone manufacturer is going to communicate with you clearly and consistently, constantly touching base during the entire process to ensure the product they create is exactly what you had in mind. This should start from day-one with an evaluation of your proposed product and an estimation of cost. A red flag for anyone looking to create a new product is a manufacturer who does not offer further advice based on your design files, discussing the various options you have to improve or refine upon these.
The best way to ensure there are no misunderstandings and you can feel confident with your manufacturer is to find a facility located within your time zone, so your manufacturer is awake when you’re awake. An additional advantage of this is the possibility to visit and talk to your partners in person.
At Extreme Molding we welcome visits to our factory floor. Most recently the family and team from Baby Toon visited our facilities in Albany, N.Y. to talk about their new product.
Look for a manufacturer who asks for design files first and offers to sign an NDA. You should always have your pre-prepared CAD files, detailing your silicone product part, available for any new manufacturer. These don’t need to be perfect — indeed each manufacturer should be able to give you their thoughts on the various options you have to properly manufacture the part — but approaching any new manufacturer with complete CAD drawings indicates to them that you are serious about taking this step forward towards production.
Injection molding is an incredibly low waste and fast process, but the initial set-up of molds can be a large investment from your manufacturer. Seeing that you are serious about the process allows your manufacturer to feel comfortable diving into your project with the passion and enthusiasm they approach every partner.
When it comes to injection molding alignment of machines isn’t the only aligning you need to check — injection molding your product is no small feat, and this process is made much easier, smoother, and faster when your manufacturer understands and aligns with your values.
At Extreme Molding, among other things, we value transparency as can be seen in our processes. Our dedication to this, safety, quality, and customer service is engrained into everything we do and, as a result, we seek out partners who uphold the same values. If you regard quality and honesty highly we’re a perfect fit for manufacturing your silicone injection molded product.
As is typical in America, our priority is creating the highest quality products manufacturer as a price point that suits your consumers. American silicone manufacturers are ideally suited in values for those who desire the highest quality goods (be that for specific industries like baby care or out of principle) and a more sustainable way of manufacturing. By manufacturing in the USA you’re making a statement to the world about made-in-the-USA items and your dedication to supporting local industry while lowering your carbon-footprint through reduced shipping requirements.