PET Preform Mold RFQ Checklist What to Send Suppliers

A PET preform mold RFQ should give every supplier the same product drawings, production targets, machine data, utility conditions and acceptance requirements. It should also ask suppliers to identify what their price includes, what it excludes and which assumptions remain unresolved. That shared baseline makes quotations easier to compare before you commit to tooling.

For purchasing managers and packaging engineers, the practical goal is a quotation tied to a defined production job. Use the following checklist to prepare the request and review the responses.

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Start with a complete RFQ package

Create one controlled folder containing the documents below. Give each file a revision number and ask suppliers to reference those revisions in their quotations.

Mark missing information as “to be confirmed” and assign someone to obtain it. Ask suppliers to distinguish a preliminary budget quotation from an offer based on approved engineering data.

Control drawings before asking for price

A bottle sample is useful, but it cannot define every preform dimension or tolerance. Supply the preform drawing alongside the bottle drawing whenever both exist. If preform development is part of the project, request it as a separate scope with an approval step before mold manufacture.

Specify the complete neck-finish reference and its drawing revision. A nominal diameter alone does not define the thread, sealing surface or tamper-evident features. Include the intended closure reference when available.

Separate essential acceptance dimensions from general reference dimensions. For each critical feature, state the tolerance and proposed measurement method. Avoid adding tight tolerances indiscriminately; ask the supplier to flag features that require clarification.

When requesting a multi-cavity PET preform mold, identify whether the cavity count is mandatory or whether alternative configurations may be proposed against the same output requirement.

Document the machine and utility interfaces

Send the machine datasheet and installation drawings, including any modifications made after delivery. Machine brand and clamping tonnage alone are insufficient identifiers for an interface review.

The RFQ should request written confirmation of mechanical fit, injection capability, ejection, take-out access and control connections. HEYAN TECHNOLOGY’s guide to matching a preform mold with an injection molding machine explains these technical checks in more detail.

For quotation purposes, record who will provide each missing interface drawing and who pays for any required adaptation. Include available cooling-water temperature, flow and pressure at the intended machine connection. If these values are estimates, label them accordingly. Ask the supplier to state the utility conditions on which its cycle-time proposal depends.

Ask for an itemized scope of supply

Require a line-by-line response using “included,” “optional,” “buyer supplied” or “excluded.” This prevents two apparently similar quotations from covering different projects.

Check the following items explicitly:

• Mold assembly, specified materials, hot-runner system and valve-gate components.

• Temperature controller, cables, connectors and interface adapters.

• Preform take-out equipment and any post-mold cooling equipment required for the proposed cycle.

• Initial spare parts, quantities, part numbers and replacement instructions.

• Trial resin, sample shipment, inspection reports and agreed repeat trials.

• Export packing, freight, installation, commissioning and operator training.

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HEYAN TECHNOLOGY’s injection molding system solutions cover equipment, process applications, automation and auxiliaries. For a project involving several of these elements, ask for a responsibility matrix identifying the supplier of each component and the party responsible for connecting it.

Request warranty coverage and exclusions in writing, including the treatment of wear parts, replacement labor and shipping. A general service-life statement should not substitute for defined warranty terms.

Put acceptance conditions in the quotation

A quoted cycle time needs an agreed test basis. Ask the supplier to identify the preform revision, resin, machine, cooling conditions, take-out configuration and number of active cavities used for the proposal.

Distinguish target performance from contractually committed acceptance criteria. Before ordering, agree on the following:

1. Product checks: Weight, neck dimensions, critical wall sections, gate appearance and other drawing requirements.

2. Sampling plan: Samples identified by cavity and collected at agreed points during the trial.

3. Run conditions: Trial duration, operating settings, allowable interruptions and the method for recording acceptable output and rejects.

4. Closure procedure: Responsibility for corrective work, repeat testing and approval of unresolved items.

If bottle blowing or closure testing is required, specify the test equipment, samples and responsible party separately. Preform dimensional approval does not by itself demonstrate every finished-bottle requirement.

Keep the resulting acceptance schedule with the quotation so price, technical scope and approval obligations remain connected.

Compare complete project costs

Place all quotations in one comparison sheet and resolve exclusions before ranking them by price. Record the currency, delivery term and named place, payment milestones and quotation validity. Distinguish readiness for shipment from arrival or installation dates.

Consider this illustrative example, unrelated to HEYAN pricing: Supplier A quotes USD 40,000 for the mold, with USD 3,000 for a controller, USD 2,000 for spares and USD 4,000 for an agreed installation package. Its comparable subtotal is USD 49,000. Supplier B quotes USD 47,000 including those same items.

Supplier B has the lower subtotal only if specifications and included services match. Freight, duties and other exclusions still need reconciliation. Evaluate unresolved technical assumptions separately; an unverified cycle-time claim is not an established operating-cost saving.

Send your PET preform mold RFQ to HEYAN

Prepare the drawings, machine information and checklist as one revision-controlled package. Highlight missing data and request an itemized quotation that identifies assumptions, exclusions and acceptance conditions.

To discuss tooling or an integrated injection molding project, send your RFQ to HEYAN TECHNOLOGY with the required output and delivery destination. Ask for any proposed alternatives to be listed separately so the original specification remains the basis for comparison.