Injection Mold Makers, Tool Rooms & Tooling Engineers
For Injection Mold Makers, Tool Rooms & Tooling Engineers
The OEM CAD is gone. The mold has 600,000 cycles on it and the cavity steel is worn beyond the tolerance band. The mold is transferring and nobody has documented what it actually looks like. Whatever the situation — if you need exact geometry of what's in the steel — that's what we do.
We scan cavities, cores, parting lines, mold bases, inserts, and production molded parts. We understand draft angles, parting geometry, shut-off surfaces, and EDM electrode design. We're not a survey crew reading a drawing — we're engineers who can talk to your toolmakers. Equipment fits in carry-in cases, operates from battery, and is set up in your tool room in 20 minutes. Deliverables typically within 5 business days.
Service Listings
Worn Cavity & Core — Reverse Engineering & Geometry Reconstruction
When a mold has run past its design life and the OEM CAD is unavailable, a standard scan of the worn steel produces a copy of the wear — not what you need. We perform interpretative geometry reconstruction: analyze the surviving cavity and core geometry, identify the original design intent — drafted surfaces, radii families, parting geometry, shut-off angles — and mathematically rebuild the nominal dimensions. The toolmaker receives geometry they can regrind, EDM, or machine a replacement insert from. Common on commodity molds, tooling from closed shops, and transferred tools with no documentation history.
From $1,800
Est. — contact for quote
EDM Electrode Geometry Scan
Cavity pocket, rib, boss, and detail surface geometry captured for EDM electrode design. The electrode designer works from the actual steel surface — not a nominal drawing that may not reflect hand-fitting, previous burns, or as-machined variation. Deliverable is a full-resolution mesh in OBJ or STL compatible with Mastercam, EdgeCAM, SolidWorks CAM, and most electrode CAM platforms. Parametric SolidWorks model available as a quoted add-on.
From $850
Est. per feature set
Molded Part Shrinkage & Warp Analysis
Production molded parts scanned against nominal CAD to quantify shrinkage, warp, and sink. Color-mapped deviation report shows exactly where the part moved, in which direction, and by how much — the objective basis for a steel correction decision. Tells the toolmaker which side of the cavity needs to come in, where a core needs to move, where a wall is pulling. Used for new tool qualification, material change qualification, and troubleshooting recurring dimensional non-conformances in production molding.
From $950
Est. per part
Mold Transfer Documentation — Full As-Built Scan
Complete mold geometry captured before a tool transfers between shops, presses, or customer facilities. Documents the actual condition of cavities, cores, parting lines, shut-off surfaces, insert positions, and hot runner component locations at the moment of transfer. Protects the sending shop from post-transfer damage claims and gives the receiving shop an objective baseline of what they received. Used on tooling transfers between mold shops, from molders back to OEMs, and from domestic to overseas production facilities.
From $1,600
Est. — contact for quote
Insert, Lifter & Slider Fit Verification
Replacement inserts, lifters, sliders, and core pins scanned and compared against the mold pocket geometry before installation. Clearance, interference, and mating surface match verified digitally first — before the part goes in the press, before a mismatched clearance damages the pocket, and before hand-fitting time that wasn't in the budget. Particularly useful when a replacement insert comes from a different shop than the original, or when pocket geometry has drifted from the nominal drawing through previous repairs.
From $750
Est. per component
Parting Line & Shut-Off Surface Documentation
Hand-fitted and hand-stoned parting line and shut-off surface geometry captured before rework or repair begins. The as-fitted condition is preserved as a reference — what worked before is documented so the toolmaker knows what to return to after the repair. Also used when a parting line has been modified over multiple repair cycles and the current geometry no longer matches any drawing in the shop's records.
From $950
Est. — contact for quote
Legacy Mold Base & Hot Runner Documentation — No OEM CAD
Mold base, hot runner manifold, drop locations, and component geometry captured for legacy tools where the original design package no longer exists. Used before modification, repair, or transfer to a new press where the receiving press or controller needs verified component geometry. Also used when a hot runner system has been field-modified and the current configuration no longer matches the supplier's documentation.
From $1,200
Est. — contact for quote
On-Site — We Come to Your Tool Room
We come to your shop, press floor, or tool room. Equipment fits in carry-in cases and operates from battery — no shore power required. We work with the mold on the bench, on the press, or in whatever position access allows. Within 50 miles of Nashville is included in all base prices. All pricing is estimated — contact us with your mold type and access conditions for a project-specific quote.
| Within 50 miles of Nashville 37206 | Included |
| 51–150 miles | +$180 |
| 151–300 miles | +$295 |
| 300+ miles / Multi-day | Quoted individually |
| National travel | Contact for quote |
When Toolmakers Call Us
Scenario — Worn cavity, no OEM CAD
The mold has half a million cycles. The OEM supplier is out of business. The cavity needs regrinding and there are no drawings.
A commodity mold — the supplier closed five years ago and no CAD was ever provided to the molder. The cavities are worn past the tolerance band. A standard scan of the worn steel produces a copy of the wear, not the specification. We scan the cavities, analyze the surviving geometry, identify the original nominal design intent, and deliver a reconstructed model the toolmaker can regrind or EDM back to spec — without guessing at what the original dimensions were supposed to be.
Scenario — EDM electrode design
A rib geometry has been hand-modified over three repair cycles. The drawing no longer reflects the steel.
After three rounds of repair and re-burn, the cavity rib geometry no longer matches the original drawing. The electrode designer needs to know what's actually in the steel — not what the drawing says was there in 2018. We scan the cavity feature and give the electrode designer a mesh of the current steel geometry to design from. The next electrode burns to what's actually there, not to a dimension that's been through three repair cycles.
Scenario — Shrinkage troubleshooting
The part is consistently out of spec on one dimension. Nobody agrees on where the correction should go.
A wall thickness dimension is consistently under tolerance. The toolmaker says the cavity is correct. The molder says the steel is off. The customer says the material is wrong. We scan production parts against nominal CAD and produce a deviation map showing exactly where the material moved and by how much. The color map shows warp pulling one wall in — not shrinkage from nominal, but directional movement from gating. The toolmaker knows exactly where to add steel, and has the data to support the correction decision.
Scenario — Mold transfer
The mold is transferring to an overseas facility. The OEM wants documentation of condition before it leaves.
A production tool transferring from a domestic molder to an offshore facility. The OEM wants a complete geometric record of the mold at transfer — cavity condition, core geometry, parting line fit, all component positions — before the tool leaves the dock. We scan the full mold and deliver a complete as-built record. If something changes in transit or during the offshore setup, there's an objective baseline to compare against. The transfer is documented, not assumed.
Scenario — Replacement insert verification
A replacement cavity insert came back from the shop. Before it goes in the press, the toolmaker wants to verify the fit.
A replacement insert machined at a different shop than the original. The mold pocket has been repaired and may not match the drawing exactly. Before anyone puts it in the press, we scan both the pocket and the insert and compare geometry digitally. Clearances are verified, mating surfaces are confirmed, and any interference or misalignment is identified before installation. The insert goes in right the first time — or the shop knows exactly what hand-fitting is required before it does.
Scenario — Parting line repair
The parting line needs to be re-stoned after flash damage. The toolmaker wants to document what the fit looked like before touching it.
Flash damage on a critical parting line shut-off. The toolmaker has to re-stone the surface — but before any material is removed, the current as-fitted condition needs to be captured. We scan the parting line geometry before rework begins. The toolmaker has a reference for what worked, what contact pattern existed, and where the shut-off surfaces were fitting. After repair, a second scan confirms return to the target geometry.
Questions from Toolmakers & Mold Makers
Can you reverse engineer a worn mold cavity when the original CAD doesn't exist?
Yes — and this is one of the most common situations we work in. A standard scan of worn steel gives you a copy of the wear, which isn't useful for regrinding or EDM. Our process is interpretative geometry reconstruction: we analyze the surviving cavity and core geometry, identify the original design intent from planes of symmetry, drafted surface families, radii relationships, and parting geometry, and mathematically rebuild the nominal dimensions. The result is geometry the toolmaker can cut steel from — not a scan of the damage.
How do you handle highly polished mold steel surfaces?
The HandyScan Black Elite uses structured blue-wavelength laser patterns with specific contrast filtering designed to handle most polished metal surfaces without scanning spray. A2 and SPI B finishes are typically fine. Extremely high-gloss A1 mirror finishes may require a light application of dry scanning spray — fully residue-free and removable with compressed air — for complete surface capture. We discuss surface finish requirements before the site visit so we arrive prepared for your specific steel.
Can your scan data go directly into our CAM software for electrode design?
Yes. We deliver a full-resolution mesh in OBJ and STL format compatible with Mastercam, EdgeCAM, SolidWorks CAM, PowerMill, and most platforms used for electrode design and toolpath generation. If your shop uses a specific platform with format requirements, let us know. Parametric SolidWorks models are available as a quoted add-on for shops that prefer feature-based design over mesh-based toolpaths.
Can you scan a mold while it's on the bench between runs?
Yes. The mold on the bench, open to the cavities and cores, is the ideal scanning configuration. We typically scan with the mold split open — cavity half and core half separately — for full surface access. Hot runner manifolds, drop locations, and mold base geometry can be captured with the mold in various states of assembly. We work around your production schedule and tool room availability.
How do you help identify where shrinkage or warp correction should go?
We scan production parts against your nominal CAD and produce a color-mapped deviation report showing every point on the part's surface — where it's within tolerance, where it's out, in which direction it moved, and by how much. The toolmaker uses this map to make specific steel correction decisions: which face of the cavity needs to come in, where a core pin needs to move, where a rib is pulling a wall. The report replaces the trial-and-error cycle of making a correction, running more parts, and hoping the measurement agrees.
Can you document a hot runner system that's been modified from the original supplier configuration?
Yes. We scan manifold geometry, drop tip locations, gate positions, and all mating surfaces as they currently exist — not as the supplier's documentation says they should exist. Field modifications, replacement drops, and aftermarket tip conversions are all captured as-built. The documentation is useful before any press change, controller swap, or system repair that requires knowing the actual installed configuration.
How accurate is your scanning for tool room dimensional work?
The HandyScan Black Elite captures geometry at a measurement accuracy of 0.025mm (0.001 inch). For cavity geometry, electrode design, parting line documentation, and molded part analysis, this is appropriate. For very tight clearance applications — precision core pin fits, thin-wall shut-off clearances — we'll discuss whether scanning or a contact measurement method is better suited to your specific tolerance requirement before finalizing scope.
Ready to discuss your tooling project?
Tell us what the mold is, what condition it's in, and what you need the geometry for. We'll respond within one business day.