Custom Tooling Solutions by Hill Plastics

Custom tooling refers to the design and fabrication of molds, fixtures, and cutting tools specifically engineered for a particular product or production process. Unlike off-the-shelf tooling, custom tools are built to exact dimensional specifications, ensuring precise part geometry, repeatable production quality, and compatibility with the specific plastic material and forming process being used — such as thermoforming or vacuum forming.

Hill Plastics produces molds from several materials depending on the production stage. Prototype and pre-production tooling typically uses CNC-milled wood (Perfect Plank or Mahogany), polyurethane, or Renshape tooling board for low-cost, fast turnaround. Production molds are made from aluminum castings, which provide the durability and surface quality required for high-volume thermoforming runs.

A wood master pattern for prototype tooling can generally be completed within a few weeks, depending on the complexity of the design. After prototype approval, the master pattern is used in the aluminum casting process to create the production mold. Lead times vary based on part geometry and volume requirements, but Hill Plastics prioritizes quick turnaround to keep your project on schedule.

Prototype tooling, typically made from wood or polyurethane, is designed for low-cost, fast production of sample parts for design review and functional evaluation. It allows easy modifications if design changes are needed. Production tooling, made from aluminum, is engineered for durability and precision in high-volume manufacturing runs, delivering consistent surface quality and dimensional accuracy across thousands of parts.

Hill Plastics provides custom tooling solutions for a broad range of industries, including aerospace and aviation, telecommunications, medical devices and healthcare, industrial equipment and OEM manufacturing, defense and military, marine, electronics, oil and gas, point-of-purchase retail display, and transportation and logistics equipment — serving clients across the United States from their Lewisville, Texas facility.

Yes. The Hill Plastics sales and engineering team — led by Brad Hill and Cody Hill — provides product design assistance and material selection guidance from initial concept through finished part. Using SolidWorks CAD software, they evaluate your application requirements, recommend tooling design approaches, and help ensure the most cost-effective solution is developed before any machining begins.

Absolutely. Hill Plastics supports the complete manufacturing lifecycle — from low-cost prototype tooling and sample parts through short-run and high-volume production. With eight thermoforming machines and a 4'x7' rotary thermoforming machine that runs 2.5 times faster than standard equipment, the company has the capacity and equipment to scale from a handful of prototypes to thousands of production parts.

Hill Plastics uses a custom quality control system that monitors production progress at every stage — from initial tooling design through final part delivery. Production parts are inspected for appearance and conformance to print specifications. Parts are CNC-trimmed to drawing tolerances, and the company's experienced team — many with over 20 years of industry tenure — ensures consistency and accuracy across every production run.