Tel
+852-61343425
Plastic Mold Inspection
We send an engineer to your factory in China or Asia to check your injection-molded parts before they ship. Appearance, dimensions, function and packing, checked against your drawing and your approved sample. Problems get caught at the factory, not at your customer's door.
Prefer to talk first? Call +86 135 6036 2484 and describe the part.
CNAS ISO/IEC 17020Accredited inspection body, certificate CNAS IB0642
ISO 9001:2015Certified quality management system
Fully independentWe sell inspections, not production or trading
Full-time engineersUniversity-educated staff, no freelancers
The molding defects that ship when nobody checks
Molding drifts. Resin gets swapped, cavities wear out, cooling goes off balance. These are the defects we photograph, count and classify in every report.
Flash and burrs
Excess plastic left at the parting line after demolding. Sharp edges, assembly gaps, returns.
Short shots
The cavity never filled completely. Missing features and bosses that crack on first use.
Sink marks
Uneven cooling pulls the surface inward. Visible dents on the faces your customer sees.
Warpage
Parts bend as they cool. Lids that will not close and panels that rock on a flat table.
Weld lines and flow marks
Where melt fronts meet inside the cavity. Weak lines that snap under load.
Burn marks and black specks
Degraded resin or contamination in the barrel. Cosmetic rejects across a whole batch.
Color and gloss drift
Batch-to-batch variation against your master sample. Mixed shades inside one carton.
Dimensional drift
Tool wear moves critical dimensions out of tolerance. Parts that no longer fit your assembly.
Things our engineers have caught on molding lines
Real findings from real inspections, taken from our quality control checklist notes. Names removed, numbers kept.
8 / 200
Screw bosses out of tolerance
Out of 200 smart-speaker bases pulled from a 10,000-piece lot, eight had screw boss inner diameters over the drawing tolerance. The whole batch went back to the injection workshop.
125 mm
A burn test that kept burning
A UL94 burn bar failed to self-extinguish and burned past the 125 mm mark. Three tons of raw material, priced at 25,000 RMB per ton, were rejected and returned.
50 kg
Flow marks on a load-bearing buckle
A strap buckle showed flow marks from a poor injection setup. It still held a 50-kilogram pull, but the finding went into the report and the factory corrected the process.
One bad cavity can turn a profitable order into a claim.
Tell us the part, the material and the factory city. We come back with scope and price before you commit to anything.
Get an Inspection QuoteWhat a plastic parts inspection covers
Five checkpoints. Your drawing and your approved sample sit on the table next to every part we check.
Appearance
- Surface compared with your approved sample
- Flash, sink, weld lines, gate and flow marks
- Color and gloss checked under 1,000-lux lighting
Dimensions
- Critical measurements against your drawing
- Calipers and gauges, never tape measures on plastic
- Controlled grip force so soft parts are not deformed while measuring
Function and assembly
- Snap fits, living hinges, threads and mating parts
- Assembly trial with the components it ships with
- On-site tests per your specification
Material
- Resin checked against the specified grade
- Flame-rating documents for housings, UL94 V-0 or V-1
- Regrind and recycled-content questions raised on site
Packing
- Carton condition, markings and barcodes
- Polybag thickness and suffocation warnings where required
- Quantity verified against the purchase order
The plastic products we inspect
If it comes out of an injection mold, we have probably stood in front of it.
Toys and children's products
Small parts, sharp edges and material safety get extra attention here.
View toy testing
Electronic housings and enclosures
Flame rating, wall thickness and assembly fit, checked against your spec.
Why electronics need QC
Caps, closures and containers
Threads, seals and food-contact material questions answered on site.
Material screening
Buckles, fittings and small parts
Flow marks, flash and pull strength on the parts that hold your product together.
When AQL is not enoughWhen this inspection pays for itself
Five moments when buyers book us. If one of them sounds familiar, it is probably time.
First article off a new mold
The mold is dialed in and the first parts come off. Verify dimensions and appearance now, before the cavity runs ten thousand pieces. Our first article inspection approach records every critical measurement against your drawing.
First mass production run
Process drift shows up in the opening hours of a run. An engineer at the line catches parameter problems while they are still cheap to fix.
Repeat order after a quality slip
The last shipment had issues and the factory says it is fixed. An independent check confirms it before the goods leave.
Before the balance payment
Use the inspection result as your payment trigger. Pass releases the balance, fail starts the rework conversation with evidence in hand.
Before the container leaves
The lot is finished and packed. A final random inspection confirms quantity, quality and packing before the doors close.
What happens on inspection day
From your first email to the finished report, this is the whole process. No surprises anywhere in it.
You send the booking
Purchase order, drawing, sample photos and your defect list. We confirm scope and price before the visit.
The engineer arrives
A full-time UTS engineer checks in at the factory with GPS confirmation of the location.
Samples get pulled
Pieces are drawn per ANSI/ASQC Z1.4 from cartons across the whole lot. The factory picks nothing.
The checks run
Appearance, dimensions, function, material and packing, with your sample beside every part.
Findings get reviewed
The factory hears the result before we leave. No surprises when the report arrives.
You get the verdict
A PDF report lands in your inbox within 24 hours with photos, measurements and a pass, fail or hold result.
Send the drawing and your defect list. We handle the factory side.
Booking takes one email. The engineer, the sampling plan and the report are on us.
Book an Inspection2006Inspecting for importers since 2006
13provincesCoverage across China's manufacturing regions
13countriesInspection network across Asia
7checkpointsOrder, appearance, dimensions, labeling, function, safety, compliance
Sampling that follows the standard, not the factory's suggestion
Every lot is sampled to ANSI/ASQC Z1.4 (ISO 2859-1), General Level II by default. On a 10,000-piece lot that means 200 pieces pulled from cartons across the warehouse. Your specification can tighten any level. See the AQL sampling tables and how we grade critical, major and minor defects.
0
Critical
Anything unsafe or non-compliant stops the lot. No acceptance allowance.
2.5
Major
Defects your customer would notice: out-of-tolerance dimensions, visible surface damage, failed function.
4.0
Minor
Small cosmetic deviations from the approved sample that do not affect use.
Material checks that catch silent substitutions
The most expensive plastic defects are invisible. The part looks right until it warps in the sun, cracks in the box or fails a lab test at customs.
Resin verification
The specified grade is checked against what is actually in the hopper. In one documented case, a downgraded casing material dropped the melting point from 260°C to 105°C. Nothing on the surface warned anyone.
Flame-rating documents
Housings and enclosures are checked for the UL94 V-0 or V-1 rating your market requires, with supplier declarations reviewed line by line.
Regrind and recycled content
Too much regrind makes parts brittle. We raise the question on site and record what the factory actually runs.
RoHS and REACH screening
Phthalates and restricted substances are screened by GC-MS through our laboratory testing service, with reports your customs broker and retailers accept.
Coverage where plastic production actually happens
Our engineers are based near the major molding hubs, so booking to on-site takes 48 hours in most cases. No travel fees and no weekend surcharges, wherever the factory sits.
What to send us before we quote
Four things. The more complete they are, the faster and tighter your quote.
Your drawing
With the critical dimensions marked. No drawing yet? Photos of the part next to a ruler work too. We have started with less.
Your approved sample
Or clear photos of it. This is what "good" looks like, and it sits on the table next to every part we check.
Your defect list
What you cannot accept and why. Flash on a visible face? A lid that must click? Tell us and it becomes a checkpoint.
The logistics
Factory city, lot size and your deadline. That is all we need to confirm the schedule and the exact price.
What it costs
No published price list, because no two molds and no two factories are the same. Here is exactly how we build your number.
Priced per man-day
One rate covers the engineer's time, sampling, on-site tests and the report. Simple products near a hub cost less than complex assemblies far from one.
Nothing hidden
No travel fees. No weekend or holiday surcharges. The quote you approve is the invoice you get.
Approved before booking
You see the scope and the exact figure first. Nothing is scheduled until you sign off.
Fast quote
Send the product, lot size and factory city to inquiry@utsinspection.com and we come back with a number.
Book before the balance payment goes out.
A pass releases your money with confidence. A fail starts the rework conversation with photographs and measurements, not arguments.
Request an InspectionA report you can act on the same day
Everything the engineer saw, written so you can forward it straight to the factory or your own team.
Every defect documented
Photographed, counted and classified critical, major or minor against the AQL you agreed.
Real measurements
Critical dimensions recorded against your drawing, value by value, not approximations.
A clear verdict
The AQL result and a pass, fail or hold decision on the lot, stated on the first page.
The factory's response
What the factory said on site about each finding, noted before we left.
Why buyers trust UTS with their plastic orders
We have inspected products for importers since 2006. The credentials below are verifiable, not marketing copy.
Accredited, not self-declared
UTS is a CNAS-accredited inspection body against ISO/IEC 17020, certificate CNAS IB0642, and operates an ISO 9001:2015 certified quality management system.
Full-time engineers only
Every inspection is carried out by a university-educated UTS employee. No freelancers, no subcontracted strangers at your supplier's factory.
Independent by business model
We sell inspections and testing. We do not manufacture, trade or take commissions from factories, so the verdict is never negotiated.
Nearly two decades of parts
Housings, enclosures, toys, containers and consumer products across 13 Chinese provinces and 13 Asian countries since 2006.
Services plastic buyers also book
Same engineers, same reporting standard, different points in your production cycle.
Initial Production Inspection
First articles off the mold checked against your drawing before mass production commits.
View service
Final Random Inspection
The finished, packed lot sampled to AQL before the container doors close.
View service
Sample Evaluation
A pre-production sample measured and tested against your spec before you approve it.
View service
Container Loading Supervision
Quantity, carton condition and loading method watched as your goods go in.
View serviceQuestions buyers ask before booking
Straight answers on cost, sampling, failures and scope.
How much does a plastic mold inspection cost?
Pricing is per man-day and depends on the factory location, product complexity and sample size. One rate covers the engineer, sampling, on-site tests and the report. There are no travel fees and no weekend surcharges, and you approve the exact quote before anything is booked.
What sample size do you inspect?
We sample to ANSI/ASQC Z1.4 (ISO 2859-1), General Level II by default. On a 10,000-piece lot that means 200 pieces pulled from cartons across the warehouse. Acceptance levels are Critical 0, Major 2.5 and Minor 4.0 unless your specification sets tighter limits.
Can you check first articles from a new mold?
Yes. Book an Initial Production Inspection when the mold is dialed in. We record dimensions against your drawing and appearance against your approved sample, so tooling problems are caught before the cavity produces thousands of parts.
What happens if the lot fails?
You receive a fail or hold report with photos, measurements and defect counts. The factory reworks or sorts the lot under the findings, and we come back for a re-inspection once rework is complete.
How fast can you be on site?
Within 48 hours of booking across the major manufacturing regions of China and Asia. The PDF report reaches your inbox within 24 hours after the inspection.
Do you inspect or repair the mold itself?
We inspect what the mold produces: dimensions, appearance, function and packing of the parts. Mold maintenance and tooling adjustments stay with the toolmaker. Our report tells you whether the parts meet your specification, which is the evidence you need to push for tooling corrections.
Which plastics and products do you cover?
Injection-molded thermoplastics such as ABS, PP, PE, PC, nylon, POM and PVC: housings, enclosures, toys, containers and consumer parts. Blow-molded and extruded items can be scoped on request, and RoHS or REACH screening is available through our laboratory testing service.
What do we receive after the inspection?
A detailed PDF report within 24 hours. Every defect is photographed, counted and classified as critical, major or minor. Measurements are recorded against your drawing, the AQL result is shown, and the lot gets a clear pass, fail or hold verdict.
Worth reading before your next plastic order
Practical guides from our inspection team, written from real factory floors.
First Article Inspection Before Mass Production: BOM Audit, Process, Defect PreventionRead article
Quality Control Inspection Checklist: What Do Experts CheckRead article
AQL Sampling Tables for Product InspectionRead article
How Inspectors Classify Critical, Major and Minor DefectsRead article
Electronics Inspection: Why Do You Need Third-Party QCRead article
Container Loading Supervision vs. Pre-Shipment InspectionRead article
Book your plastic mold inspection
Send the part drawing, your approved sample photos and the factory city. We reply with scope and an exact quote, and an engineer can be on site within 48 hours.
