Processes

Over 20 Years of Experience in Manufacturing

Blue shield icon inside a light blue circle, representing cybersecurity or protection.

Engineering
Analysis

Color-coded 3D model of a mechanical component with a height scale ranging from 0 to 3, featuring concentric circular ridges and a large central hole.

Design for Manufacturability

Thorough review of designs before production ensures parts are ready for injection molding.

3D technical exploded view of a complex mechanical or electronic device with multiple colorful components and housing parts separated.

Efficient Mold Design

An efficient mold design reduces the complexity, and in turn lowers both lead time and cost.

A clock icon with a blue outline on a light blue circular background

Project
Management

A Gantt chart titled 'Injection Mold Build Schedule (Reversed)'. It displays tasks and their timelines from 2025 to 2029, including design kickoff, mold design, approval, steel ordering, rough machining, EDM, mold assembly, T1 trial, T2 adjustments, final polishing, and shipment, each represented by colored bars.

Short Development Time

Launching in time can be the difference between market viability and market failure, and quick time to value is key.

A collage of three images with yellow annotations showing a step-by-step process of modifying a small white plastic mechanical part. The first image shows the part on an orange fabric with the note "Filling slowly." The second image shows a digital 3D model of the part with a side gate being added to balance the filling, with the note "Add side gate on cavity side, same as core side." The third image shows a close-up of a sealed area on a model with the note "The gate vestiges will be bigger after adding side gate on cavity side. It probably needs to trim the vestiges by hands." Additional notes include "problem: filling unbalanced. Action: add side gate on cavity side same as core side gate" and "1.0mm" indicating measurements on the model.

Rapid Response

Projects can require informed decisions and quick changes to stay agile, making rapid responses critical to project timeline.

Logo of 365 Molding featuring a circle design with blue and gray arcs and the text '365 Molding' inside.

Low Cost Molds

Low cost is the focus of each project, as it can make or break the resource allocations for other key areas of a product.

Icon of two people, one slightly behind the other, on a light blue circular background.

Production
Management

A scientist or technician working with a large optical or laser measurement device in a laboratory. She is seated at a desk with a computer and appears to be analyzing a color-coded object on the screen.

Quality Control

Customers expect high quality parts to come from your project, and ensuring quality is essential for your reputation.

Metal mold with green inserts and two black adjustable mounting brackets with screws.

Support and Maintenance

Molds require maintenance to keep their performance at optimal levels and keep ongoing cost low.

Blue checkmark icon with a white checkmark inside a blue circle

Low Cost Molds

Logo for 365 Molding featuring a circular design with blue and gray curves and the text '365 Molding'.

Why It Matters

Low-volume molds typically have higher per-part costs than high-volume molds. 365 Molding is specialized in ensuring these costs are minimized by optimizing mold design and understanding common challenges in keeping production costs controlled.

How We Succeed

Blue circle with a white check mark inside
Blue circular icon with a white checkmark in the center.

Review the part design before tooling begins to avoid unnecessary modications.

Offer modular mold designs that reduce tooling complexity and cost, especially for customers who need multiple parts.

Suggest cost-saving options (e.g., optimizing part design, using cost-effective materials) to help control the overall investment.

Short Development Time

Gantt chart titled 'Injection Mold Build Schedule (Reversed)'. It shows a schedule with tasks such as design kickoff, mold design, approval, steel ordering, machining, EDM, assembly, testing, adjustments, final texture, and shipping, with colored bars indicating the timeline from 2025 to 2029.

Why It Matters

In low-volume production, project owners need parts quickly, especially for prototype testing, marketing evaluation, or new product launches. The viability of a product may still be in the early stages and short lead time is critical to staying competitive.

How We Succeed

Blue circle with a white checkmark inside
White checkmark inside a blue circle
A blue circle with a white check mark inside.

Use rapid prototyping (3D printing or CNC machining) to shorten development time for concept models/prototypes.

Streamline parallel processes, like designing and sourcing materials simultaneously, to reduce total project time.

Optimize and expedite the process from the start to maintain efficiency in mold fabrication while ensuring quality.

Efficient Mold Designs

Isometric diagram of a mechanical assembly with multiple colored components, including a brown rectangular part, green and gray plates, and internal green, purple, and yellow structures.
Blue circle with a white checkmark inside

Why It Matters

Efficient mold designs reduce production costs and lead times while offering flexibility for small or multiple part variations. This is key for low-volume production, where project owners need flexibility without increasing costs.

How We Succeed

Blue circle with white check mark in the center.
Blue circular icon with a white checkmark in the center
Blue circle with a white check mark inside

Family Molds: Use of family tooling to mold multiple parts in one mold, often simultaneously, reduces the need for multiple molds and lowering the overall cost.

Interchangeable Inserts: Design molds with interchangeable inserts quickly adapt to different part derivatives without creating an entirely new mold.

Modular Mold Frames: Allow for quick mold changes with universal frames, which minimizes tooling and setup costs.

Rapid Response to Inquiries

A collage of three images with annotations in yellow boxes showing a dental prosthesis manufacturing process. The first image on the left shows white dental components on an orange background, with a note indicating to fill slowly. The second image on the top right displays a close-up of a dental mold with a side gate added to the cavity, with dimensions noted as 1.0mm and instructions to add the side gate similar to the core side. The third image at the bottom right shows a close-up of a dental feature with a highlighted vent and notes that the vents will become larger after adding the side gate, and may need trimming by hand.

Why It Matters

Low-volume injection molding projects often require fast decisions and frequent changes. A rapid, responsive communication strategy is required to ensure that projects stay on track and on schedule without leaving the project owner in the dark.

How We Succeed

Blue circle with a white checkmark inside
A blue circle with a white checkmark in the center.

Respond quickly to customer inquiries, providing clear answers within one business day.

Offer weekly progress updates to keep project owners informed, from mold design through production, with full explanation and engagement throughout the process.

Design for Manufacturability

Colorful 3D render of a mechanical part with a height map scale on the side.

Why It Matters

A thorough design for manufacturability review comes with all projects ensures that the parts can be molded efficiently and at a low cost, minimizes costly revisions and delays during production.

How We Succeed

Blue circle with a white checkmark inside.
Blue circle with a white check mark inside
A blue circular icon with a white check mark in the center.

Implement a DFM checklist to ensure all parts meet manufacturability standards before moving forward with mold design.

Suggest modications to simplify part geometry, reduce cycle time, or enhance material flow, reducing overall time and cost.

Focus on standardization in part designs, which makes them easier and cheaper to manufacture.

Support And Maintenance

Metal mold with two cavities, used for manufacturing parts, with green glow from lighting or reflection.
Two black skateboard trucks with the logo dunkin.com engraved on them, placed on a plain background.

Why It Matters

Molds used in low-volume production still require maintenance, modifications, and repairs. Providing ongoing support and maintenance ensures the longevity of the mold and helps avoid costly downtime during production.

How We Succeed

Blue circular icon with a white checkmark
Blue circle with a white checkmark inside

Provide lifetime mold maintenance to ensure tools remain in optimal condition, giving customers peace of mind.

Offer modications for molds that require adjustments after the initial production run, whether due to part design changes or cycle time reduction.

Quality Control

A scientist in a laboratory working with a large laser measurement machine and a computer.

Why It Matters

Even though low-volume production requires fewer units, the quality of each part remains critical. Customers expect high-quality, precise parts even at small quantities. Any defects or inconsistencies can erode customer trust and satisfaction.

How We Succeed

Blue circle with a white checkmark in the center.
Blue circle with a white check mark inside.
Blue circle with a white checkmark inside

Implement rigorous quality control (QC) processes to ensure that all parts meet design specications and tolerances.

Conduct regular inspections and provide test samples to verify part quality before full production begins.

Offer documentation such as inspection reports or first article inspection (FAI) documentation to assure project owners that parts meet the expectations.