These are illustrative walkthroughs, not customer case studies.
They describe our real process, but they are not accounts of specific customer projects and contain no customer names, production figures, or claimed results. Named case studies are published here only once the customer has approved the content — we would rather show you an honest description of how we work than invent numbers to fill a page.
Plastic injection molding · new tool · scaling volume
A molded housing, prototype through production
The situation
A product company has a working prototype and a 3D model, needs real molded parts in the real resin, and does not yet know whether annual volume will be five thousand or fifty thousand. Committing to a high-cavitation production tool at this stage would be guessing with money.
How it runs
- 1
DFM review before anything is quoted
We review the model for wall thickness uniformity, draft, radii, rib and boss proportions, and where gate and ejector witness marks will land. Anything that will be difficult, costly, or risky gets flagged with the tradeoff. This is included in quoting, not billed separately.
- 2
Tool class matched to the volume you actually have
Rather than defaulting to a production tool, we size the tool class to the program — an SPI Class 104 or 103 tool is often the honest answer for an unproven product, with a higher class considered once demand is real.
- 3
Tool build, T0 sampling, and the full timeline
The tool is built by partner shops we trained and have worked with for over 20 years, sampled at T0 in China, then verified here before samples reach you. The published tooling timeline applies — the quoted build time is not the time to production parts.
- 4
First article, then production
First-article inspection against your print, documented, before the tool is released to production. Secondary machining, finishing, and assembly run on the same site.
What this shows
- →No minimum order quantity, so a program can start small and scale
- →Tool class chosen for the program rather than upsold
- →One point of accountability from tooling through finished part
Aluminum die casting · secondary machining · powder coating
A die cast component that needs finishing and coating
The situation
An equipment or irrigation component needs the strength and detail of a casting, machined sealing faces or threaded ports, and a coating that survives outdoors. Handled by separate vendors, this is three suppliers, three lead times, and nobody owning the result.
How it runs
- 1
Alloy and process confirmation
You specify the alloy; we confirm castability and flag geometry that will cause trouble. Conventional non-vacuum cold chamber casting means normal internal porosity, so we discuss where load-bearing and sealing features sit before tooling.
- 2
Gate strategy decided at quoting
Whether gates break off manually or need a trim die is a real tooling-cost decision, and it is settled during quoting rather than discovered at first article.
- 3
Machining where tolerance demands it
As-cast tolerances are looser than machined ones. Sealing faces and threaded ports get machining stock and are cut on our own VMCs — no shipping castings out for secondary work.
- 4
Finishing and coating in the same building
Trim, deburr, then conversion coating and powder coat, with masking and plugging for any surface that must stay bare. Film thickness, adhesion, and solvent testing before the parts ship.
What this shows
- →Die casting is quoted with finishing included — we do not sell raw castings
- →Casting, machining, and coating under one roof with one accountable team
- →Process limits stated up front, including where non-vacuum casting is not the right fit
Tool transfer · assessment · repair · production
A tool transferred in from another supplier
The situation
A program has to move — the incumbent molder is exiting, capacity has gone, or the relationship has broken down. The tool exists and has value, and the customer wants it running again without paying to re-cut steel that is perfectly serviceable.
How it runs
- 1
Assess before promising
The tool is inspected on arrival — condition, wear, shot history where known, and what it will actually need to run reliably. We would rather tell you the tool needs work than sample it and hand you a surprise.
- 2
Repair in our own tool room
Wrex started as a tool shop in 1960 and still runs one. Repairs, engineering changes, welding, and core and cavity work happen here, tracked through the Tooling Work Request system so you can see the tool's history.
- 3
Sampling and requalification
The tool is sampled on our presses and parts are measured against your print before it is released to production.
- 4
Storage and ongoing maintenance
Your tool remains your asset. Wrex maintains and stores it at no cost while the project is in active production and within its rated shot count.
What this shows
- →Tooling is where this company started, and where it is strongest
- →Transferred tools are assessed honestly rather than accepted blind
- →Documented tool history on an asset the customer owns
