Methodology & Limitations

Mould size from shot size: Mould block size is derived from your Shot Size (X, Y, Z) plus a side margin. That margin is looked up automatically from Hongyi's own "Mould Quality Standard & DOP Agreement" reference table (matched to the smallest documented row that covers your shot size), and can be manually overridden.

Steel weight & cost: Plate weights are computed from the mould block dimensions and each plate's material density, then priced using the steel rate you enter (or a suggested rate ratio, for grades we have real market-price evidence for). Core/Cavity and Base/Housing are costed separately since they're typically different steel families.

Steel grade recommendation: Suggested grades are ranked by a tool-life tier matched to your expected production volume and part requirements (e.g. corrosion resistance, surface finish) — this is engineering guidance, not a rigid rule; your own toolmaker's judgement should override it where they differ.

Manufacturing Cost (Quick Estimate): Calculated as Steel Cost + Slide/Lifter and Guide-Pillar hardware, multiplied by an Industry × Complexity factor. This factor table is a starting engineering-judgement estimate, not yet back-tested against a large set of historical mould costs — you can always override the factor directly once you have your own benchmark data.

Manufacturing Cost (Detailed Costing): Built up as a line-item table (EDM electrodes, trial material, checking fixtures, etc.) that you fill in directly, for cases where you already have itemised cost information.

Suggested Clamp Tonnage: Estimated from Total Projected Area (from your Mould Size) × Cavity Pressure (by material, refined by an optional Melt Flow Index input) × a 1.15 safety factor, rounded up to the next machine in a standard tonnage list (up to 5000T). This is a costing-level estimate, not a mould-flow simulation, and does not check shot capacity, plasticizing rate, injection pressure or fill time.

Machine Geometric Fit: Checks mould-base-vs-platen geometry and shot-weight ratio only. It does not validate clamp force, injection pressure, plasticizing capacity, screw size or fill time — confirm full process suitability with your process engineer.

Known limitations: The Core/Cavity vs Base/Housing weight-split assumption and the Quick Estimate industry/complexity factor table haven't yet been back-tested against a large sample of real historical moulds. Treat every result as an indicative estimate for planning — not a guaranteed figure.

Per-part cost chain: Shot Weight = Part Weight × Cavitation + Runner Weight. RM Cost/Shot = Shot Weight × your RM Rate. Moulding Cost/Shot = Machine Hourly Rate × Cycle Time, divided by Machine Efficiency%. Rejection and Profit+Overhead are then added as a percentage surcharge on (RM Cost + Moulding Cost). Total Cost/Shot ÷ Cavitation gives Cost/Part.

SKU/assembly rollup: Each part's Cost/Part is multiplied by its QPS (quantity per finished unit) and summed across every part in the assembly to give the total SKU cost — the same method used in real Hongyi commercial cost sheets.

Suggested Cycle Time: Estimated as 1.5s (fill allowance) + cooling time (K × wall-thickness², where K depends on material class — amorphous vs crystalline) + a non-cooling allowance that scales with machine tonnage. Typical uncertainty is around ±25% — always overridable with your own known cycle time.

Suggested Machine Tonnage: Same projected-area × cavity-pressure × safety-factor method as the Mould Cost Calculator, using your part's projected length/width and cavitation.

Melt Flow Index (MFI) adjustment: An optional input that refines the cavity-pressure assumption only (lower MFI/higher viscosity grades need more pressure, higher MFI/easier-flow grades need less) — it does not affect the cycle-time estimate, since cooling is governed by wall thickness and thermal diffusivity, not melt flow.

Material Datasheet: The reference K (cooling coefficient) and P (cavity pressure) values shown for ~20 common plastics are fixed engineering constants, not prices — raw material rate is deliberately never sourced from this table, since material cost fluctuates by supplier and by day. Always enter your own current RM Rate manually.

Report ID & version: Every generated report shows a unique Report ID and, where applicable, the calculation-engine version that produced it. There is no backend database in this Beta — we can only match a Report ID back to your inputs and result if you share the PDF/report itself with us.

Neither tool is a substitute for drawing review, mould-flow simulation, or your toolmaker/process engineer's sign-off before a commercial commitment.

Questions or found something off? Use the feedback form before downloading a report, or email hello@hongyijig.in.