Tooling Manufacturing Services — Precision & Excellence

In manufacturing, 'tooling' refers to the molds, fixtures, and dies used to shape, trim, and form parts during production. At Hill Plastics, tooling includes the master patterns, aluminum casting molds, CNC trim fixtures, and drill fixtures used to produce thermoformed and fabricated plastic components to exact drawing specifications, run after run.

Production tooling refers to the final, durable molds and fixtures built for high-volume manufacturing — as opposed to low-cost prototype tooling. At Hill Plastics, production molds are aluminum castings machined for long-term durability and dimensional precision. They are used on our thermoforming machines to consistently produce finished plastic parts that meet appearance standards and print specifications at scale.

Hill Plastics uses a range of tooling materials depending on the stage and volume. Prototype and pre-production tooling uses CNC-milled wood (Perfect Plank or Mahogany), polyurethane, or Renshape tooling board for low cost and fast turnaround. Production tooling uses aluminum castings for durability, precision surface finish, and long production run capability.

A wood master pattern can typically be machined and ready for prototype forming within a few weeks, depending on part complexity. Once the pattern is mounted on a mold base, initial prototypes follow shortly after. This rapid timeline allows design teams to review fit and function quickly before committing to aluminum production tooling.

After prototypes are reviewed and approved, the wood master pattern is used in an aluminum casting process to create the production mold. Any design changes identified during prototype review are made to the wood pattern before the aluminum cast is taken, ensuring the final production mold reflects the approved design without costly rework.

Hill Plastics serves a broad range of industries including aerospace and aviation, telecommunications, medical devices and healthcare, industrial equipment and OEM manufacturers, defense and military, marine, electronics, oil and gas, transportation, and point-of-purchase retail display. Their tooling and thermoforming capabilities are adapted to the specific dimensional and material requirements of each sector.

Yes. The sales and engineering team — Brad Hill and Cody Hill — provides product design assistance and material selection guidance before any tooling is fabricated. They help evaluate cost, impact requirements, durability, tensile strength, chemical resistance, and environmental conditions to recommend the right material and tooling design for your specific application from the start.

Yes. Hill Plastics' tooling and production capabilities scale from single prototypes and short runs to high-volume production of thousands of parts. Their 4'x7' rotary thermoforming machine operates at 2.5 times the cycle speed of standard single-station machines, and their 20,000+ sq ft Lewisville facility is equipped to fulfill large orders efficiently with consistent quality control throughout.