Packaging Prototyping: Tooling & Fixtures
For low volume, a machined prototype tool is often the cheapest path to real product.
Discuss your partWhat we build for packaging & consumer goods
Send a drawing and a target quantity. We will come back with material, process and a realistic date, or tell you what we would change first.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Typical parts | Filling nozzles and plungers · Guides and rails · Fixtures and gauges · Closure components |
| Common materials | SS 316L · POM · PEEK · Al 6061 · ABS |
| Achievable tolerance | ±0.05 mm typical, ±0.02 mm on request |
| Typical lead time | 5–10 working days |
| Industry requirements | ISO 9001 quality systems at partner factories · Food-contact material certification on request · Material certification per lot · NDA available |
What actually goes wrong in packaging & consumer goods
These are the three problems that decide whether a packaging & consumer goods prototype succeeds or gets scrapped on arrival.
Food contact requirements
A part that touches a consumable needs a surface that can be cleaned and a material that does not transfer. Stainless and specific polymers are the usual answer, and the certification has to be requested.
Wear at the contact point
A nozzle or a plunger works by wearing into its mating surface in a controlled way. That requires a defined hardness and a defined surface finish, not just a dimension.
Volume economics
A soft tool is cheaper per part above a volume threshold and much more expensive below it. We can model both and tell you where the break sits for your numbers.
Our approach on packaging & consumer goods parts
- 01 We match the material to the contact condition and the cleaning regime, and we request certification where the application needs it.
- 02 For wear parts we specify the surface finish and hardness that the controlled wear-in depends on.
- 03 We will model soft tool versus machined prototype against your volume so the decision is made on numbers.
The numbers that matter
Related pages
Where a prototype stops short
A prototype answers geometry and fit. It does not qualify a product, and we will not pretend otherwise. These are the questions that need a test programme.
- The wear-in behaviour of a production tool
- Food-contact compliance, unless the certificates were requested
- Line behaviour at production speed