Production plastic parts, made to repeat
High-volume, high-repeatability plastic components moulded from production-grade tooling. This is best for finished design processes once your design is proven and volume is real.
What it is
A mould, then thousands of identical shots. Injection moulding forces molten thermoplastic into a precision-machined steel or aluminium mould under high pressure. Once the mould exists, each part costs very little to reproduce — the economics only work once you're past the prototype stage and volume justifies the tooling spend.
Tooling
A mould is machined to your part geometry — aluminium for shorter runs, hardened steel for high-volume production.
Sampling
First-shot samples (T1) are produced and checked against your drawing before full production is approved.
Production run
The mould runs your confirmed quantity, with consistent dimensions and material properties shot to shot.
What's possible, within reason
Moulding rewards consistent, simple geometry. Here's what actually drives cost and risk.
Uniform wall thickness is the golden rule. Varying thickness causes sink marks, warping, and uneven cooling. Aim for consistent walls across the whole part.
Every wall needs a draft angle. Vertical walls without a 1–2° taper get stuck in the mould on ejection. Draft isn't optional — it's built into the tool.
Undercuts mean side-actions. Features that hook back on themselves need sliding mould inserts, which add real cost and complexity to the tool.
Tooling cost dominates below volume. Below a few hundred units, the mould cost per part is high — 3D printing or CNC usually make more sense until volume justifies it.
Ribs beat solid bosses. Thick solid sections cool unevenly and sink. Hollow, ribbed structures hold strength without the defect risk.
Tolerances loosen with part size. Shrinkage scales with material and geometry — a 200mm part won't hold the same absolute tolerance as a 20mm one.
Resins
Finishes
From design freeze to production run
Design & DFM review. Submit your CAD, material, colour, and target volume. The supplier flags any geometry that won't mould cleanly before tooling starts.
Tool build. The mould is machined — this is the longest single step and the main driver of your quoted lead time.
Confirm & sample. Review first-off samples against your drawing before full production is greenlit.
Production run. Confirmed quantity is moulded and packed. This step scales in cost per unit, not lead time, once the tool is built.
Inspect & confirm receipt. Check parts on arrival and confirm receipt.
Walls — Hold wall thickness within 10% variation across the part wherever possible — this is the single biggest defect driver.
Draft — Add at least 1° of draft to every vertical face, more for textured surfaces, from the start of the design — not as an afterthought.
Undercuts — Redesign around undercuts where possible. Where you can't, group them to minimise the number of side-actions the tool needs.
Prototyping first — Validate form and fit with CNC or 3D printed prototypes before committing to a mould — changes after tooling are expensive.
A note on the numbers above: volume ranges, tooling lead times, and minimum run figures are typical industry reference points for injection moulding, not a guarantee from a specific Kutenga supplier. Actual minimums and lead times depend on part complexity, tooling type, and which shop takes your order. Kutenga verifies supplier capability during onboarding but does not perform its own quality control on parts — confirm tooling and volume specifics directly on your RFQ.
Ready to move to production?
Get matched with vetted moulders across Africa and beyond, from tooling through to production run.