Thermoforming Tool Transfer & Service Parts
Move your thermoforming tool to Shirley K’s and keep parts coming, including service parts for models you no longer build in volume.
- Your tool reviewed first
- First articles for approval
- Runs of dozens to hundreds
- Made in Zanesville, Ohio
If your thermoformer is closing, won’t take small orders anymore, or keeps missing delivery dates, your existing tool may be transferable, depending on its condition and fit with our equipment. Send us the tool details. We review it, plan the move with you and your current supplier, run first articles for your approval, and then produce parts in the quantities you need, down to a few dozen.
Custom thermoformed parts
Why companies transfer thermoforming tools
- The current supplier is closing or leaving the market
- Orders are too small for the current supplier to run
- Delivery or quality problems at the current supplier
- A second source or a domestic supplier for supply-chain resilience
- Consolidating several parts with one manufacturer
How a tool transfer works
- Inquiry. Send the part description, current material and production volume.
- Tool review. We check the tool’s condition and whether it fits our equipment.
- Logistics. We coordinate the move with you and your current supplier.
- First articles. We run first parts from the transferred tool for your approval.
- Production. Production resumes at Shirley K’s.
Specific steps are confirmed during your project review. More detail: the tool transfer process.
Thermoforming transfer tooling for legacy and discontinued parts
When a product leaves full production you still need parts for repairs, warranty claims and field service, often only a few dozen or a hundred a year. We run shorter runs than many thermoformers will, dozens to hundreds of parts per order, and we offer finished-goods inventory programs so you don’t have to carry a large minimum-order buy. Ask how one would work for your parts.
- If you have the tool, move it here and keep the part in production.
- If you only have a part, we reverse engineer a new tool from it. See reverse engineering.
- If you need parts urgently, ask about an emergency short run on our short-run equipment.
What to bring to the conversation
- Tool dimensions (approximate is fine to start)
- The material the tool runs
- Current volume and order frequency
- Any known tool condition issues
- Current supplier name and location, for logistics
- Photos of the tool and a recent sample part
- Any trim fixtures that go with the tool
We transfer thermoforming tools
We take over thermoforming and vacuum forming tools, not injection molds. If you are moving an injection mold, the part may still be a candidate for thermoforming at low volumes. See thermoforming vs injection molding.
Common Questions About Tool Transfer and Service Parts
What is a tool transfer?
A tool transfer moves existing production tooling from one manufacturer to another so the same part keeps being made without designing and building a new tool.
Who owns the thermoforming tool?
Ownership depends on your purchase agreement. Check it for ownership and release rights before you plan a move.
Can you hold inventory for us?
We offer finished-goods inventory programs. Ask how one would work for your parts.
What if our tool is worn or damaged?
We review the tool’s condition before production and tell you what we find. If it cannot be used, we can build a new tool from a drawing or a sample part.
Can you make parts for a discontinued model without the original tool?
Yes. We can reverse engineer a new tool from an existing part and run short-run production.
Send us the tool details
We’ll review the tool and plan the move with you.
Call: (740) 868-8140 · Email: orders@shirleyks.com · 1150 Newark Road, Zanesville, OH 43701