Tooling in manufacturing, also known as machine tooling, is the process of designing, cutting, shaping, and forming materials that will be used to produce parts and components. Tooling is an essential part of the manufacturing process, and it is crucial in developing quality parts within tight tolerances. Tooling can impact the quality of the product, and if the tooling isn’t produced and used correctly, it will produce suboptimal, useless parts. Properly designed and engineered tooling leads to a product that functions as needed. Tooling also influences the manufacturing process, and every mass-produced part is created using tooling, and well-made tooling can make manufacturing processes faster and more economical.

There are two main types of tooling: soft tooling and hard tooling. Soft tooling is a cost-effective method of tooling, popular for use with cast urethane molding, that allows manufacturers to produce medium to low volumes of parts at speed. Hard tooling is a method of tooling often used for injection molding. Hard tools are made of durable metals such as steel or nickel alloys that can withstand multiple production cycles, allowing manufacturers to quickly produce high volumes of parts.

In summary, tooling is an essential and critical part of the manufacturing process, providing a wide range of industries with the necessary equipment for a particular project. It is the process of designing, cutting, shaping, and forming materials that will be used to produce parts and components. Tooling can impact the quality of the product, and well-made tooling can make manufacturing processes faster and more economical.