Q: Why is there a mold cost at all? A: Rubber and silicone parts take their final shape from a steel mold; unless your part happens to match an existing tool, one must be cut. Mold cost reflects part size, cavity count and complexity — not an arbitrary fee.
Q: Can we avoid a new mold? A: Sometimes. Standard O-ring and tubing sizes, and our existing product families, need no new tooling. Sending your drawing lets us check our tool library first.
Q: What does MOQ depend on? A: Mainly on the material batch size and molding economics — a compound lot has a minimum mixing size, and setup is amortized over the run. Silicone O-rings might start from a few thousand pieces; large bellows might start from 100.
Q: How does fee refund work? A: At Rubbrother, mold and sampling fees are refunded when the bulk order reaches the agreed amount — stated in the quotation before you commit.
Q: Who owns the mold? A: You do, once paid. Molds are stored and maintained by us and reserved exclusively for your orders — transferable on request.
Q: Is moldless production possible? A: For extruded profiles cut to length, die-cut parts from sheet, and lathe-cut items — yes. These routes trade some geometry freedom for near-zero tooling.