How Part Quantity Impacts Tooling

Order quantity and expected part life cycle have a profound impact on tooling decisions.

Orders of 5-500 parts may be processed by using prototype tooling and manual methods of feeding and actuation.

Quantities of 500 to a few thousand may require stage tooling allowing for manual feeding but automated actuation.

Once larger quantities are reached it may be best to process the parts in a progressive tool which allows for automated feeding and actuation.
Using a progressive tool also improves consistency among the parts produced.

This highlights the importance of estimating your part quantities as precise as possible.

Please note that the provided numbers are estimates and vary from case to case.
It is obvious that more automation increases cost of the tooling but reduces price per part.