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Before you commit

Expert eyes on it — before you cut steel or move a mold.

A 40-year mold maker reviews your new part, or your existing / incoming China-built mold, and hands you a ranked list of risks and fixes — independent, in English, from the China side but on your side.

From$99

Our lowest-cost, lowest-risk service. A free DFM Mini quick check is also available.

Get a quote What you get

No card for a quote. Fixed price before any work starts. NDA on request.

Annotated mold audit red flags
Unsure about terms or units? Prepare your brief ↗
40 years of judgment New part or existing mold Independent — on your side English ranked report
NDA on requestSigned before you send full files
IndependentWe don't invent problems to upsell
UTC+8, fixed overlapPDF report, plain English
Confidence-gradedYou know how sure we are
What this is

One cheap audit, two ways to use it

The most expensive mistakes in tooling are the ones you find late — after you've cut steel, or after you've shipped a mold that won't run at the new plant. A DFM & Mold Audit puts a 40-year eye on it first, for the price of a rounding error, and tells you straight what's wrong and what to do.

New part → moldability

Before you tool it: wall thickness, draft, undercuts, gate, cooling, warpage and weld-line risk — ranked, with fixes.

Existing / transfer mold → risk read

Before you move or inherit it: export-readiness, documentation gaps, and a straight "worth moving or re-cut?" call.

Independent, China-side

Same language as your supplier, but on your side. We don't invent problems to sell you steel.

Service scope

What the audit covers — and what it doesn't

This is a remote expert review and a written report. Being clear on that is how we keep it honest.

In scope

  • New-part moldability review (DFM)
  • Existing / incoming mold risk read from photos & docs
  • Export-readiness: metric vs. imperial, HASCO/DME vs. domestic standard
  • Documentation-gap / missing-doc checklist
  • "Worth moving or re-cut?" call on an existing mold
  • Ranked issues & fixes, graded by confidence

Not included / next step

  • Full 3D mold design (that's Mold Design)
  • Diagnosing a running defect (that's Production Rescue)
  • Physically inspecting, moving or repairing a mold
  • Certifying hidden internal wear without the mold in hand
  • MIM, die-cast or non-injection tooling (ask us)
What you get

Your audit report

One clear, English, ranked report — delivered as a PDF. Most-critical issue first.

  • Ranked risk list — the issues that matter, most-critical first, not a wall of text
  • New part: moldability — wall, draft, undercut, gate, cooling, warpage & weld-line risk + fixes
  • Existing mold: export-readiness — units & standards (metric/imperial, HASCO/DME/domestic)
  • Documentation gaps — what's missing and exactly what to demand from the current molder
  • Move-or-re-cut call — a straight recommendation on an existing mold
  • Confidence-graded, English — every finding labeled by how sure we are
Independent by design. We call it straight — we don't invent problems to upsell a redesign or a build. If the fix is a bigger job (a new mold, a rescue, a build), that's your choice as a next step, never baked into the audit.
Audit report sample Export-readiness check
How it works

From a file or a photo to a straight answer

You send it

A STEP file for a new part, or photos and any docs for an existing mold. NDA first if you want.

We review it

AI runs the geometry and Moldflow; the Shifu reads what software can't — moldability or transfer risk.

We rank the risks

A short, ranked report — most-critical first, each finding graded by how sure we are.

You decide

Fix it yourself, or step up to Rescue, Design or a build. Your call — no pressure baked in.

Where we're honest

We tell you how sure we are

Reviewing from files and photos has limits. So we never hand you one confident-sounding verdict — every finding is tagged by how it was verified.

See how we label each finding
LabelMeansWhere we use it
MeasuredChecked against real geometry / samplesDimensions, wall thickness, units & standards
SimulatedFrom a Moldflow runFill, warpage, weld lines, gate
AI-DraftAutomated first pass — needs confirmingDraft, likely risk ranking
Engineer-ReviewedThe Shifu looked at it directlyUndercuts, mechanisms, steel & wear
Straight talk: without the mold in hand we can't certify internal wear or hidden damage — those are informed flags for you to verify, not a metallurgical verdict. An audit reduces your risk; it isn't a guarantee. But at this price it's the cheapest way to catch the expensive mistakes early. Full terms are on our policies page.
Straight answers

Questions before you commit

Tap a question to read the answer.

What is a DFM & Mold Audit?
An independent, China-side expert audit — of a new part before you tool it, or of an existing or incoming China-built mold before you move, inherit or run it. You get a ranked list of risks and fixes in English, graded by how sure we are. The cheapest way to catch a costly mistake before you commit.
How much does it cost?
From $99 — our lowest-cost, lowest-risk service. A free DFM Mini quick check is also available, no obligation. You get a fixed quote before any work starts.
Is it for a new part or an existing mold?
Both. For a new part we review moldability — wall, draft, undercuts, gate, cooling, warpage and weld-line risk — before you cut steel. For an existing or incoming mold we do an independent risk read: export-readiness, documentation gaps, and whether it's worth moving or re-cutting.
What do I need to send you?
For a new part, a 3D file (STEP is best) and the target material. For an existing mold, clear photos, any drawings or CAD, and the resin and part info. The more you send, the more we can verify rather than flag by likelihood.
For an existing or transfer mold, what do you check?
Export-readiness — whether it's metric or imperial and built to HASCO/DME or a domestic standard your overseas shop may not match — plus documentation gaps and exactly what to demand from the current molder, and a straight call on whether the mold is worth moving or better re-cut. Independent, from the China side, on your side.
Can you tell if an existing mold is worn out?
Only partly without the mold in hand. From photos, drawings and sample parts we flag likely wear and risks, graded by confidence, and tell you what to re-check on arrival. Hidden internal wear is an informed flag for verification, not a certified verdict.
How is this different from Production Rescue or Mold Design?
The Audit is a low-cost review that flags risks before you commit. Production Rescue diagnoses and fixes a mold already making bad parts. Mold Design builds you a new mold. Many customers start with the Audit and move up only if they need to.
Is my data safe? Do you sign an NDA?
Yes. We sign an NDA on request before you send full files, your data is never reused on another project, and before an NDA is in place we can review appearance photos only.
DFM Brief Assistant

Make your requirements easier to understand.

Paste English or Chinese notes. Get plain-language terms, unit conversions and a list of details to confirm before engineering review.

Your notes are processed in this page and are not sent by the assistant. Copy the brief into your intake notes, or email the TXT with your engineering files when you are ready. The tool prepares text; it does not inspect CAD geometry or approve a mold.

1. Explain the brief

2. Check a measurement

Standard editions stay explicit. For example, ISO 20457:2026 is the current catalog edition checked for this tool; a drawing specifying 2018 remains 2018 until an agreed engineering change. The assistant identifies public standard scopes, not licensed tolerance tables or interchangeable part numbers.
NIST length reference ↗NIST unit conversion reference ↗
Start here

Send it over, get a quote

Upload a part file or mold photos. A free DFM check comes with every quote — we tell you what we see before you commit.

What to send

  • New part: a 3D file (STEP best) + the target material
  • Existing mold: clear photos + any drawings or CAD
  • Resin & part info — material, part name, annual volume
  • Where it'll run — the receiving press/plant, if known
Open the upload form

Have defect photos, a requirements TXT or other supporting files? You can also email your engineering brief and attachments. Request an NDA before sharing confidential files.

After review, we send a written quote with the agreed deliverables, price and payment milestones. Preview engineering payment milestones →

Catch it early, for $99.

Send a part file or mold photos for a fixed quote and a free DFM check.

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