What is the DFM & RFQ checklist?

A free 5-page PDF from Nordmould covering everything an engineer or buyer should prepare before requesting an injection-moulding quote: part data, DFM geometry checks, material and tooling decisions, quality requirements, logistics, and the seven most common RFQ mistakes. Each item has a checkbox so the document doubles as a working sign-off sheet.

What should I prepare before sending an injection moulding RFQ?

At minimum: a STEP file per part, a 2D drawing with tolerances and cosmetic faces marked, the material or its required properties, annual and lifetime volumes, and your target dates. The checklist breaks each of these down and adds the items most RFQs miss — filler content, colour reference, compliance needs, cavity and tool-life expectations, and critical dimensions.

Do I need to complete every item before requesting a quote?

No. Tick what you can and note what you cannot — an honest gap list is far more useful to a moulder than silence. Nordmould's free DFM review closes geometry questions, and open points such as colour matching or PPAP level are settled during quoting. The checklist simply makes the gaps explicit instead of discovered late.

Why do injection moulding RFQs stall?

Missing drawings, material requirements, volumes or target dates can delay an RFQ or leave assumptions unresolved. Send the available information and list open questions. Nordmould confirms the quotation schedule after reviewing the scope; a complete checklist does not guarantee a fixed response time.

Is the checklist really free?

Yes. The PDF is a direct download with no registration form, and it may be shared internally with your team. It is the same preparation logic Nordmould applies in its own quoting process, published because complete RFQs are faster and cheaper to quote for both sides.

Free DFM & RFQ Checklist for Injection Moulding [PDF]

A complete RFQ helps a moulder price the right scope. Missing inputs can require clarification and delay the quotation. This printable checklist helps you prepare part data, material requirements, volumes and target dates; Nordmould confirms the response schedule for each enquiry.

Download the DFM & RFQ Checklist (PDF, free)

No registration, no email gate. Print it, tick the boxes, attach it to your next RFQ.

What does the checklist cover?

Seven sections, each with checkbox items and a one-line explanation of why the item moves the price:

1. Part data. The files and numbers every quote starts from: STEP model, 2D drawing with tolerances, material spec, annual and lifetime volumes, target price, and assembly context.

2. DFM readiness. Geometry checks to run in CAD before you send the file — wall-thickness uniformity, draft angles, radii, ribs and bosses, undercuts, gate-location preference, and A/B/C cosmetic-surface definition. These are the same checks covered in the 14 DFM rules guide, condensed into a yes/no format.

3. Material decisions. Resin and grade (or the properties a grade must meet), filler percentage, colour by RAL/Pantone or masterbatch, regulatory needs such as food contact, UL94 or medical, and the regrind policy. The materials selection guide helps if the resin is still open.

4. Tooling decisions. Cavity count, tool-life target, steel preference, runner system, ownership terms and the T1 sampling milestone — the decisions that determine whether you compare quotes on like-for-like tooling. Background reading: tooling cost guide.

5. Quality. Critical dimensions (CTQs), FAI/PPAP level, inspection frequency and the sample-approval process — what "good" means before the tool is cut. See the FAI and PPAP guide for documentation levels.

6. Logistics. Packaging, Incoterms, call-off schedules, traceability and target dates — the details that stall production rather than quoting.

7. The seven most common RFQ mistakes. From "STEP file only, no drawing" to comparing unit prices without the whole-life view — short, blunt, and drawn from real quoting patterns.

Why do RFQs stall without this preparation?

A moulder prices from files and numbers, not descriptions. When an input is missing, one of three things happens: the quote waits for a clarification email, the quote arrives with an assumption you did not agree to, or the quote arrives padded with contingency. All three cost time; the second two cost money later.

The habitual gaps are always the same five: no 2D drawing (so tolerances and cosmetic faces are undefined), no lifetime volume (so cavitation and tool class are undecidable), no named compliance need (so the material shortlist is wrong), no tool-ownership position (so terms are negotiated after the fact), and no target date (so the tooling route cannot be planned backwards). The RFQ checklist guide explains the quoting side of each item; the PDF turns it into a working document your whole team can sign off.

Two of the checklist sections also pay off before you ever send the RFQ. Running the DFM checks in CAD is the cheapest moment to fix geometry — a design change before tool design costs an engineer's time, while the same change after trial shots costs re-machining. And marking CTQs on the drawing is what lets a moulder quote standard moulding tolerances on everything else, instead of pricing blanket precision you do not need.

If you want a ballpark before any RFQ goes out, the mould cost estimator gives a first-pass tooling range from part size and complexity, and pairs naturally with the checklist's tooling section.

How to use it

Download and print the PDF — one copy per part or per project.
Tick what is settled, and write "open" beside what is not. An honest gap list is more useful than silence.
Attach it to your RFQ together with the STEP file and drawing. Any competent moulder can quote from that package without a clarification round.
Reuse it internally as a design-review or handover document — the DFM section works as a pre-release checklist for new part designs.

Ready when you are: request a quote with your checklist attached, and Nordmould returns an itemised quote — tooling and unit price separately, with cavitation and material grade stated — plus a free written DFM review. Quotation timing is confirmed after the project scope is reviewed. Use 100 pieces and €3,000 tooling only as illustrative planning references; the written quotation confirms the actual minimum quantity, tool specification and prices.