Moulds and small machines
Before a mould or a machine leaves the maker's factory, MSC witnesses the acceptance for you: we follow your protocol, watch the trial run, log it hour by hour, film it and send a report within 24 hours. Our Ningbo team covers the mould makers of Zhejiang (Ningbo, Yuyao, Ninghai, Beilun, Huangyan); our partner in Dongguan, who has long experience with moulds, covers Guangdong (Dongguan Chang'an, Shenzhen). $240 per inspector-day, all inclusive.
Once a mould (mold) or a machine is crated and shipped, every correction becomes slow and expensive: a cooling circuit that leaks, a slide that sticks or a cycle time that is too long is found in your plant, weeks later. An acceptance at the maker's factory lets the maker fix it before shipment, while you still hold the balance payment.
| Area | What the inspector checks and records |
|---|---|
| Exterior and structure | Overall dimensions; lifting threads, locating ring, clamp slots and mould locks; ejector holes and guide bushes; venting against the drawing; insulation plates; hot runner make, model and connectors when fitted; marking of interchangeable inserts. |
| Cooling | Number of circuits; IN/OUT marking on each; seals; pressure test for leaks; free flow on every circuit, compared in and out; quick couplings fitted. |
| Movements | Opening and closing; slides, lifters and ejector plate moving smoothly. |
| Steel | Hardness at the points shown on your drawing, measured with the mould maker's tester while we witness, read and photograph it; steel grade against the drawing; certificates for nitriding or coatings. |
| Trial run | Continuous run on the injection machine for the time you set, often 4 hours. Every hour we log mould temperatures (fixed and moving half), nozzle temperature, pressure, cycle time, shot count and any stops with their cause. Short shots at 80, 90 and 95% fill; gate position and number; parts and runners ejecting and separating on their own; no flash, warpage or short shots; cycle time against your target; no sticking or abnormal noise. Video of 10 cycles; process parameter sheet requested. |
| Before shipment | Sample parts kept and labelled to travel with the mould; nameplate as you require, for example your asset plate; rust protection; interchangeable inserts checked; overall assessment. |
For benchtop and small machines such as screwdriving, dispensing or labelling machines, we witness the factory acceptance test against your protocol:
We do not certify CE conformity and we do not carry out electrical safety tests. We do not use a coordinate measuring machine: when precise measurement is needed, the maker provides its inspection report and we witness and check it, or parts go to a third-party laboratory. We take on moulds and small machines; complex production lines are outside our scope.
Your protocol, drawings and results stay with you. We sign an NDA before the first job if you wish.
$240 per inspector-day, all inclusive, travel included. A mould acceptance with a 4-hour trial run usually takes one day. For a first job, you pay after you receive the report, by PayPal or bank transfer.
Tell us what you need. We typically reply within one business day.
