FAQs

Tooling delivery depends greatly on the complexity of the tool and the type of tool being produced. As a general rule our low volume prototyping tools take 3-4 weeks to produce. Our high volume production tool components can take from 8 to 12 weeks. Our high volume, complete production tool may take 12 – 18 weeks.

Typically we get the first set of qualification or prototypes out to you in 2-3 weeks after the tooling arrives. Green machining of prototypes will take slightly longer but there would not be a wait for the tooling.

Tooling designed for our low volume process is made from tool steel and can last years. Tooling designed for our high volume production process is made from high grade tool steel and will typically last hundreds of thousands of shots.

Finish or surface roughness depends on numerous factors including the materials particle size, the surface of the tool, and firing conditions. Typically we get as-fired finishes of 20-25 microinches on our high purity alumina and 10-12 microinches on our high purity zirconia.

At ATS your material options are nearly endless but we do have standard materials to chose from that are widely accepted by various industries. Some of our standard materials are listed in the Properties section of our web page but we offer dozens of standard materials depending on your application and we can make a feedstock out of almost any material. We can help you determine the best material for your application. Just send us your information. Click here for your solution

Size limitations can depend a lot on the design of your part and the dimensional requirements but there are some general rules to size limitation. Our low volume process is capable of molding parts up to 500 cubic centimeters (~1500 grams for high purity alumina) generally speaking. Our high volume production process is capable of molding parts up to 100 cubic centimeters (~300 grams for high purity alumina) generally speaking. The lower end is limited only by our ability to produce the tooling. We regularly mold parts in the .002 cubic centimeter range.

We offer a variety of packaging depending on your requirements. We offer plastic trays that keep each part separate or we can simply ship in bulk. All parts will be cleaned and debris free.

The short answer is no. We do not mold metals but we do mold materials that may be considered hybrids or composite.

Yes, ATS and our partner EverFab are capable of grinding or lapping if required. ATS’s injection molding of advanced ceramics is designed to eliminate grinding but there are times when a part requires a highly irregular feature or an extreme surface finish. Either way, we can provide the finishing necessary to provide you with a product that meets your rrequirements.

Yes, we can use your custom powder to produce your part. ATS’s proprietary mixing technology gives us the unique ability to produce mix or feedstock for injection molding from almost any raw powder. If you have a custom powder, we can produce your exclusive feedstock for molding your part.

ATS provide several options for qualification samples. First, our partner EverFab can machine your part from green stock. This option eliminates the tooling investment altogether. Second, ATS has a low volume molding process that uses low-cost prototype tooling. This option provides high quality molded prototypes with minimum tooling investment. Third, ATS can provide temporary use of in-house mold bases and insert your tool components. This option provides you with prototypes from production quality tooling without the total mold investment.