Question 1

What is tooling design and what does it include in a manufacturing context?

Accepted Answer

Tooling design refers to the engineering of all the physical devices — jigs, fixtures, moulds, dies, checking gauges — required to manufacture and inspect a part. It bridges the gap between the product design drawing and the production floor. At MG Techworks, our tooling scope includes injection mould design (cavity, core, lifters, sliders, hot runner), stamping die design (progressive, transfer, fine blanking), welding and assembly jig design, checking fixture design for dimensional validation, and end-of-line gauge design for attribute inspection.

Question 2

What is the difference between a jig and a fixture?

Accepted Answer

A fixture locates and holds a workpiece in a fixed, repeatable position during machining or assembly operations — it constrains the part but does not guide the tool. A jig does both: it locates and holds the workpiece AND guides the cutting tool (e.g., a drill jig physically directs the drill through a hardened bushing). In automotive assembly, welding fixtures and CMM check fixtures are the most common types we design; in machining, drill jigs are used for hole patterns in structural brackets.

Question 3

What materials do you specify for injection moulds and tooling?

Accepted Answer

Material selection depends on production volume and part complexity. For high-volume automotive moulds (>500,000 cycles), we specify pre-hardened P20 steel for cavity inserts and H13 tool steel for cores subject to high wear. For prototype or low-volume tools, we often use aluminium (7075 or QC-10) to reduce cost and lead time. For checking fixtures, we use cast aluminium with hardened steel insert pads at datum surfaces. All material recommendations include corrosion protection specifications appropriate for the manufacturing environment.

Question 4

How do you incorporate Design for Manufacturability (DFM) into tooling design?

Accepted Answer

DFM is integral to our tooling process from the first design review. We flag any part geometry that creates tooling complexity — such as undercuts requiring side-actions or lifters, insufficient draft angles causing part sticking, wall sections too thin to fill reliably, and weld-line positions that would fall on Class-A visible surfaces. We provide a formal DFM report with each tooling proposal, quantifying the cost and lead-time impact of each issue and offering alternative design suggestions. This pre-tooling review routinely eliminates one full round of tool modifications.

Question 5

What is a typical tooling design timeline for an automotive injection mould?

Accepted Answer

A Class-A automotive injection mould for a medium-complexity interior part (e.g., a glove box door or console lid) typically requires 10–14 weeks from tooling design kick-off to T1 (first) samples. The timeline breaks down roughly as: tooling design 3–4 weeks, steel procurement 1–2 weeks, rough machining 2–3 weeks, EDM / finishing 2–3 weeks, mould trial and sampling 1–2 weeks. Checking fixture design runs concurrently. MG Techworks manages the complete timeline and coordinates directly with our approved tool room partners.

Question 6

What deliverables does MG Techworks provide for a tooling design project?

Accepted Answer

Our standard tooling package includes: (1) a 3D CAD model of the complete tool assembly (CATIA / NX / SolidWorks) with all moving components, cooling lines, and standard purchased components specified, (2) a full set of 2D manufacturing drawings for each custom component with GD&T, (3) a mould-flow or forming simulation report validating fill pattern, weld lines, and cooling efficiency, (4) a Bill of Materials (BOM) with part numbers and approved supplier recommendations, and (5) a design review presentation with DFM findings and recommended design changes.

Product Engineering

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Checking Fixtures

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Tooling SolutionsPrecision Tool Design & Development

Our Tooling Expertise

Jigs & Fixture Design

Mold Design

Die Design

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Our Tooling Development Process

Requirements Analysis

Design & Engineering

Prototyping & Testing

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Tooling Design — Frequently Asked Questions