Frequently Asked Questions

A 3D model (STEP is ideal), a 2D print with the genuinely critical tolerances called out, your material requirement or the functional need behind it, and both annual and initial order quantities. Existing tooling status and any required documentation help too. The full list is on our DFM Resources page.

It depends on complexity and how complete the RFQ package is. A single molded part with a clean model and print moves quickly; a multi-part assembly with secondary operations and documentation requirements takes longer because more people touch it. If your timing is tight, say so on the RFQ and we'll tell you honestly whether we can meet it.

Both. Tell us your real volume expectations — including when they're uncertain — and we'll recommend a tooling approach to match, whether that's a single-cavity prototype tool or a multi-cavity production tool. Overbuilding tooling for volume that never materializes wastes your capital; underbuilding it costs more over a long program. The honest conversation is worth having before you commit.

Included. It's how we produce an accurate quote in the first place — we can't price tooling responsibly without understanding whether the part will mold or cast cleanly.

You can request a mutual NDA directly on the RFQ form before providing further detail. Regardless, uploaded files go to private encrypted storage that is never publicly accessible — see our Data & CAD File Security notice.

Standard practice is customer ownership of tooling the customer paid for, documented in your quote. Confirm the specific terms with your Wrex contact before ordering — it should never be ambiguous.

Yes, regularly. We inspect the incoming tool (cavity/core condition, cooling lines, ejection system, wear points), run trial shots, and measure first articles against your print — not against the previous supplier's parts — before releasing it to production. See Tool Transfer, Repair & Modification.

Yes. Our tool room handles mold and die repair and engineering changes in-house, including EDM and wire EDM work. Send the tool for inspection and we'll scope the repair before quoting it.

It varies with tool class, cavitation, and complexity — a simple single-cavity tool and a multi-cavity production tool with slides are very different projects. We'll give you a specific lead time with your quote rather than a generic number.

Yes, and it's the main reason customers consolidate work here: plastic injection molding and cold chamber aluminum/zinc die casting, plus tooling, CNC machining, powder coating, finishing, hot stamping, pad printing, and assembly on the same floor. A part can go from raw material to packaged finished good without leaving the building or changing suppliers.

Four vertical machining centers: a Haas VF-3ss with a 4th axis and an automatic pallet changer for longer unattended runs, a Haas VF-1, a Fadal VMC 4020, and a Fadal VMC 6030. The VF-3ss 4th axis runs both indexed and simultaneous. We do NOT run 5-axis machining — if your part requires it, tell us at RFQ and we'll be straight about whether we're the right shop.

Medical device assembly, gaming industry assembly, and ESD-controlled assembly for static-sensitive components, plus general mechanical and electromechanical assembly. Hot stamping and pad printing are both in-house, so decoration and marking don't leave the building.

Aluminum when strength-to-weight, thermal conductivity, or outdoor corrosion resistance matter most. Zinc when fine detail, thin walls, tight as-cast tolerances, or a premium plated finish matter most. Our aluminum vs. zinc article walks through the tradeoffs in depth.

No — material selection stays with you, and that's deliberate. Choosing a material is a product-liability decision that belongs with the party who owns the product and knows its end use. What we do is confirm how the resin or alloy you specify will actually process, and flag design features that will be difficult to produce in it. If you need help getting to a decision, we can arrange plastic material analysis through an independent laboratory or introduce you to a design engineer we've worked with for years — but you remain responsible for verifying any recommendation against your product's fit, form, function, assembly, and application. See Engineering Support.

We process nearly all thermoplastics, in nearly any color. We do not process thermoset materials, rigid (hard) PVC, or liquid silicone rubber (LSR). On the metal side we run cold chamber die casting in aluminum and zinc alloys.

Three routes, usually chosen on cost: color concentrate blended in-house at Wrex (typically cheapest and most flexible), pre-colored resin from a coloring house (best shot-to-shot consistency), or a standard base resin color where one suits your part. We can match to standard color charts — send a physical standard whenever appearance really matters.

RoHS certificates can be provided on request — flag it at RFQ. We do not monitor ECHA (REACH) compliance updates. Customers have total ownership and responsibility for identifying and specifying the components on their BOM to meet European Union or other regulatory requirements. We'd rather state that plainly than imply coverage we don't provide.

Insert molding places a pre-formed component — usually metal — into the mold before injecting plastic around it. Overmolding bonds a second material, often a soft-touch elastomer, over an already-molded substrate. Different processes, different design considerations; both are covered on their own capability pages.

Yes. Send prints and sample parts for secondary machining, powder coating, or finishing quotes regardless of where the part was originally made.

Currently 8–10 weeks after first-article acceptance. That does not cover unforeseen events that delay raw material delivery from our vendors. Full commercial terms are on our Quoting & Terms page.

Net 30 days with an approved credit application, or cash in advance. Tooling is separate: 50% down before DFM begins, and 50% at approval of first-article samples from China, before the tool ships.

The clock starts when we have your final engineering drawing, the approved DFM, the purchase order, and the deposit. Before it starts, allow about a week for quoting and 1–2 weeks for DFM review and final CAD — plus however long your PO and down payment take, which is entirely on your side. Engineering changes after the clock starts can affect it, and lead time is negotiable subject to the tool shop's schedule when the PO is accepted. The important thing to understand: the quoted tooling lead time covers mold design and construction through the T0 trial in China only — add about 1 week for plastic molds and 2 weeks for die cast molds for that trial. It is not the time until you have production parts. After T0 there is sample verification at Wrex (2–3 weeks), your review of those samples (~1 week), ocean freight of the tool from China (5–8 weeks), and cleaning plus in-house sampling in Chico (1–2 weeks) before final production sign-off — roughly 10 to 16 weeks beyond the build, depending on approval turnaround. See the full stage-by-stage timeline on the Quoting & Terms page.

By default, tooling is quoted as built in China — by partner shops we trained and have used for 20+ years — with sampling, sea freight, and tariff to Wrex included in the price. That is a cost and lead-time choice, not the only option: we can also build some less-complex tools in our own tool shop, or use a US tooling partner when a program needs a domestic tool, both at higher cost and lead time. Whichever route, production, inspection, and secondary operations happen here in Chico. (Note: Wrex is not ITAR registered.)

The tool is your property and remains your asset. We maintain and store it in-house at no cost while the project is in active production — meaning it hasn't sat idle for more than a year and is still within its quoted shot count. Wrex does not accept liability for customer tooling while it is stored here.

30 days, based on quantities taken within a 90-day period. We can't hold raw material prices or lead times — material is custom quoted each time a PO comes in and can change without notice. Tool pricing is also effective 30 days, with freight an estimate and pricing subject to tariff changes.

If a special material or color — or the project itself — becomes obsolete, you purchase the remaining material inventory from Wrex within 60 days. Worth knowing before committing to a custom color on a program with uncertain volume.

Tooling and production parts are treated differently. Tooling is a capital asset, so molds, trim dies, and fixtures are generally subject to sales tax (California, or other) or use tax depending on your state — in most cases tax will apply on tools. Production parts can be sold tax-exempt when you are buying for resale and have a valid resale certificate on file. The important catch: a resale certificate covering production parts does not exempt the tooling; exempting a tool requires a certificate that specifically covers the tool itself. Tax may not appear on the quotation but will be added to the invoice. We are not tax advisors — confirm your situation with your own advisor.

Die cast parts are produced to NADCA standards; plastic parts to SPI standards, including SPI mold surface finish classifications — unless your print specifies otherwise.

Two things without exception: the exact material clearly identified, and the surface finish requirement for the part's core and cavity surfaces called out per SPI standards. A tool is cut to a specific finish and a specific material's shrink rate — leaving either open means guessing, and guesses become first-article disputes.

Yes, though most tooling currently running here is cold runner. If you want a hot runner tool, say so at RFQ so it's designed and quoted in from the start rather than retrofitted later.

No. We use chilled water, or water heated below boiling with a mold temperature controller. We do not run hot oil in tooling. If your resin needs mold temperatures beyond what water-based control reaches, tell us at RFQ — it may make the part a poor fit here, and that's much cheaper to learn now.

We check maximum part size, mold/die size and shut height, part and shot weight, projected area versus clamp tonnage, cavitation, runner type, required mold temperature, and secondary operations. The full checklist with machine capacities is on our Quoting & Terms page.

ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 13485:2016 certificates, an FDA device establishment registration, and a California Medical Device Manufacturing License. Exact certificate numbers, scope, registrar, and current dates are published on our Quality & Certifications page rather than summarized here, so you're always reading the real document details.

No, and we're careful about this distinction. Registering a facility and listing devices with the FDA does not constitute FDA approval of the facility or its devices. We describe our status as FDA-registered, never FDA-approved.

First-article inspection against your print is standard on new tooling and new part numbers, with in-process checks at defined intervals and final inspection before shipment. Material certifications, lot traceability, and expanded documentation packages are available where a program requires them — specify at RFQ so it's planned into the process.

Wrex does not have a certified cleanroom. We do have a portable, mobile cleanroom, but it is not certified to a cleanroom class. If your part genuinely requires a certified, classified environment, that is not something we can offer today — better you hear it now than after a quote. If what you actually need is contamination control rather than a certified class, the mobile cleanroom may be a good fit; tell us the requirement at RFQ and we'll be straight with you about whether it works.

Request them via the contact form or note it on your RFQ and we'll send current copies.