Save Money: Have Molds Made Overseas
Designed to be Shipped to the U.S. for Part Production
Quick Build & High Quality
Export injection molds are custom-built plastic injection mold tools manufactured by Fathom and specifically designed and built to U.S. standards. We will ship your mold directly to your location, or to your designated production facility. You own the tool.
Our export molds are engineered to your specifications, with optimized features such as cooling lines for your equipment. Unlike competing tools, Fathom export tools are fabricated from hardened steel, not aluminum.
Export injection molds let customers take ownership of custom tooling built by Fathom to their specifications, so they can run the mold on their own machines or at a facility of their choice – instead of using Fathom for overseas production. Built to Western standards and optimized for the customer’s equipment, these molds provide greater control and flexibility over the cost of injection molding.
This approach provides you with the best of both worlds: You save money on tool production and have complete control over part production at a domestic facility of your choice.
Export molds are manufactured at Fathom’s cost-efficient facilities (often in China), which are less expensive than mold builders.
Molds are designed and built precisely to your specifications and are optimized for your press setup.
Even though the molds are made overseas, they are constructed to U.S. standards with U.S. quality assurance oversight to ensure they meet your requirements.
You take physical possession of the export mold, giving you full control to run parts on your presses or at a production facility of your choice.
Fathom offers online quoting and project management that simplifies and speeds up the quoting and tooling workflow for export molds.
Since the mold must be exported to the domestic facility of your choice, there are shipping, customs, and logistics considerations to keep in mind in addition to the tool price. All of this is included in your quote from Fathom.
When the mold stays in Fathom’s facility and we use it for your part production, we offer maintenance, repair and replacement of it. That lifetime guarantee does not apply once you take possession and control.
You must handle your own production runs, including machine setup and mold maintenance, which require specialized expertise and resources.
Partner with Experts Who Get It Right the First Time
Every project is reviewed by a seasoned manufacturing engineer to optimize part design, material selection, and tooling strategy — ensuring smarter decisions before steel is cut and production begins.
Export injection molds are used to make everyday plastic consumer goods, from housings and components for electronics to household items. They enable our customers to produce more affordable products for retail and consumer markets.
Many plastic parts in vehicles, such as interior trim, clips, fasteners and under-hood components, are injection molded. Export molds enable automotive suppliers to produce these parts in-house or at chosen molding facilities.
Plastic parts for industrial machinery, tools and equipment enclosures can be made using export molds. This helps manufacturers control quality and integrate parts produced in affordable export molds into larger assemblies.
Injection-molded components used in medical devices, diagnostic tools or healthcare products can be produced from export molds that meet specific design and precision requirements.
Plastic packaging components, closures, caps and container parts are commonly produced via injection molding. Export molds allow customers to run these packaging parts locally for faster turnaround while saving money on tooling costs.
Injection Molding Done with Expertise — Not Just Automation
Fast quoting is just the beginning. At Fathom, you get real engineering insight, proactive DFM guidance, and a streamlined path from prototype to full production — all backed by hands-on manufacturing experience.
An export injection mold is a custom plastic injection mold that Fathom designs and builds in its facility (typically in China) and then ships to the customer so they can run parts on their own machines or at a facility of their choice.
Export molds are designed and built to U.S./Western standards and optimized for the customer’s injection molding machine, including details like cooling and gating.
Typical steel types used for export molds include high-grade steels such as 718/718H, S136/S136H, NK80, or other customer-specified steel types.
The process includes: uploading a 3D CAD file for a quote, order confirmation, receiving and approving the 3D mold design, mold construction, sample approval/pilot production and final tooling delivery.
Yes. Once the mold is complete, pilot and short production runs are available to help bridge production tooling gaps or validate the mold before full use.
Fathom’s export molds are manufactured at our wholly-owned facility in China under quality assurance oversight, ensuring they meet customer specifications.
Yes. Once it’s shipped to you, you can run parts in your own facility or at another production facility you designate.
Export molds are built to your specifications, at lower cost, with quick build times and high quality, and the tooling is shipped directly to your facility for independent use.
If Fathom runs the mold for you at our facility, you get a lifetime guarantee on maintenance, repair, and even replacement, at our expense.
Partner with Experts Who Get It Right the First Time
Every project is reviewed by a seasoned manufacturing engineer to optimize part design, material selection, and tooling strategy — ensuring smarter decisions before steel is cut and production begins.
