Simpler, cheaper moulds, starting from the part design.
We review the 3D model of your plastic part before the mould is built. We find the geometry that forces slides, lifters or other mechanisms, and tell you what to change to avoid them.
- Service
- Design review before mould manufacture (DFM)
- For
- Companies that design their own plastic products and pay for the mould
- File
- STEP
- Deliverable
- DFM report in PDF · Ejection analysis
- First review
- Free, within 48 working hours
An undercut nobody checked becomes a slide.
When an area of the part cannot be released in the mould opening direction, the toolmaker solves it with a mechanism: a slide, a lifter or another moving component. It works, but it adds cost, lead time and maintenance to the mould, and one more thing that can fail in production.
Many of those areas can be avoided with a small design change: opening a window towards the ejection direction, adding draft to a wall or relocating a clip. The cheap moment to make that change is before the mould is ordered. After that, it becomes a mould modification.
What we check
- Side undercuts
- Clips and snap fits
- Side windows and holes
- Walls without draft
Three steps, no commitment until the third.
-
Step 1
Send
Send us the STEP file of the part by email or through your usual file transfer service. If you need one, we sign your NDA first.
-
Step 2
Free review
Within 48 working hours we send you an annotated screenshot showing the areas that would require mechanisms. If the part is particularly complex, we tell you the lead time before we start.
-
Step 3
DFM report
If you want the solutions, we prepare the full report: a proposed change for each area, the mechanisms avoided and the estimated saving on the mould. We go through it with you on a call. The price depends on the part; we quote it together with the free review.
YOUR TEAM MAKES THE CHANGES IN ITS OWN CAD: WE TELL YOU WHAT TO CHANGE, WHERE AND WHY.
What a report looks like.
Each area has its number, the problem, the proposed change and its effect on the mould. The saving is calculated for each part.
- 01Cover · Summary: areas reviewed, avoidable mechanisms and estimated saving
- 02Ejection direction and parting line
- 03Results by area · Problem, proposal and effect on the mould
- 04Annotated 3D screenshots of each area
- 05Estimated saving on the mould
Extract · DFM report IM-002 · Sample report
Verdict
Today the part cannot be made in a straight-pull mould: draft angles are missing and the side tabs require 2 slides.
- Issues found
- 3
- Mechanisms required
- 2
- Avoidable mechanisms
- 2
- Estimated mould saving
- €7,200–10,800
Finding 02 · Severity high
Undercut on the side tabs
- Area
- Side tabs
- Cause
- Undercut relative to the main ejection direction (Z)
- Consequence
- Requires 2 side slides, one per tab
- Proposal
- Open holes in the flange under the tabs so the whole area releases in Z
- Mechanisms
- 2 slides → 0
| Item | Current | Proposed | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mould base and plates | €6,500 | €6,000 | −€500 |
| Cavity and core | €14,000 | €13,000 | −€1,000 |
| Slides | €7,000 | €0 | −€7,000 |
| Ejection | €2,000 | €2,000 | €0 |
| Cooling | €1,800 | €1,800 | €0 |
| Assembly and tryout | €3,200 | €2,700 | −€500 |
| Total | €34,500 | €25,500 | −€9,000 |
- Material
- Unfilled ABS
- Volume
- 8,000 parts/year · single-cavity mould
- Surface
- Smooth, no texture
- Includes
- Ejection, undercuts, draft angles and mould estimate
- Excludes
- Filling simulation, warpage, structural analysis or a binding mould quotation
Sample report based on a public third-party model · Illustrative cost figures · Part screenshots omitted · Indicative values: confirm with your toolmaker
Sample report available on request
Your files are used only for your report.
- We use your files solely to prepare your review and your report. We do not share them or use them for any other purpose.
- If you ask, we sign your non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before receiving the part.
- We delete the files 30 days after delivery, or earlier on request.
- We never show customer parts. The example on this site is based on a public model, not on a customer part.
- Nothing is uploaded through this website. Files arrive by email or through the transfer service you prefer.
Send us a part. We'll show you where the mechanisms are.
The first review is free: one part per company. Within 48 working hours you receive an annotated screenshot of the areas that would require slides, lifters or other mechanisms. It is most useful for parts still in the design phase, before the mould is ordered.
| Free review | DFM report | |
|---|---|---|
| Areas that would require mechanisms | ✓ Annotated screenshot | ✓ |
| Proposed change for each area | — | ✓ |
| Mechanisms avoided and estimated mould saving | — | ✓ |
| Call to discuss it | — | ✓ |
Contact
Write to us at contacto@molviadfm.com. Attach the STEP file or a download link. If you have them, also tell us the material and the expected annual volume.
If you would rather discuss it by phone, ask in your email and we will call you.
About Molvia
Molvia is a DFM engineering service focused on the ejection of injection-moulded plastic parts. Behind it is a background in mechanical engineering and experience in the plastic parts manufacturing sector.
We review your part with the eye of someone who knows the mould: what forces a mechanism, which change avoids it, and how that change affects the part.