What Information to share?
The process of requesting tooling quotes can often become a challenge. To receive multiple tooling quotes that are comparable to each other some basic information needs to be shared with the suppliers being requested to provide quotations. When working with your regular shops’ chances are that they have a good understanding of the tooling requirements your company has. In many cases they have helped you develop your tooling standards.
But what if you need to bring in a potential new source? How can you transfer the “Tribal” knowledge of your normal sources and internal process to a potential new source?
First Steps: Things that need to happen once.
- A logical first step is to get a Mutual Non-Disclosure Agreement in place.
- If you have a tooling standards document, please share the file or the link to find it online.
- If you have a published press list, please share it or the link to find it online.
- If data needs to be transmitted via Secure FTP site (or you need to upload to ours) let us get that setup.
The Next Step
Provide the part data, part print, and tooling specifications for your project.
- For M&M Tool and Mold to provide a quotation part data can be in Iges, Step, Parasolid, SolidWorks or Creo format. We can and do quote from part drawings as well.
- Part Drawings: Are helpful but not required. (if not provided assumptions are made on part tolerances)
- An RFQ Sheet defining how you want this tool built.
- If you do not have one feel free to download a generic RFQ form.
- Once downloaded customize it to make it yours.
- Provide full contact information (In these times of Covid-19) please provide office phone, cell phone, and contact information for a backup contact.
- Even when all this information is provided, sometimes questions come up or things will not work as requested. We would like to talk through these issues to ensure the tool will make the part you are expecting.
- When this is needed by.
- We do our best to turn quotes in 2 business days or be in contact within that time frame to advise timing.
This is part 1 of a 3 part article. Check back next week for part 2.