Straight answers to the questions we hear most.

API engineers and designers work closely with customers to design a part for manufacturability, and often recommend improvements to the part or to the process for an existing part. Mold-flow simulation confirms the mold will produce the part exactly as expected. Once the final part design is approved, API builds the mold in-house and moves to sampling and production.

Use the request-a-quote form or call 516-333-7577. Part prints, CAD files (STEP, IGES, SLDPRT), or a sample part streamline the process but are not required. An API engineer evaluates the request and contacts you with timing and any questions.

API works best when a design already exists. If you have a CAD model, a print, a sample part, or an existing tool, request a quote and an API engineer will review it. API focuses on production programs rather than concept-stage product development; bring the design to us once it is ready for tooling.

Prototyping at API is offered within production programs rather than as a standalone service — in-house FDM printing for fit and function checks, and aluminum or pre-hardened bridge tooling when molded prototypes in the production resin are needed.

Yes. API works with resin suppliers on pre-colored compounds, or uses liquid or powder colorant at the press for a precise color match. The coloring method is chosen per project.

No. API is a custom injection molder; every tool is designed for a specific customer part. Depending on the agreement, API can build and hold safety stock for you.

No. Those products suit other processes — blow molding, extrusion, rotational molding, or thermoforming. API specializes in plastic injection molding and the metal fabrication and assembly that go with it.

Plastic resin is melted and injected under high pressure into a mold, where it cools into the part geometry. Molding produces parts consistently and to tight tolerances, and usually offers the lowest cost per part at volume. A wide range of resins and additives is available; API specializes in engineering and high-performance grades for added strength, heat, and chemical resistance.

The mold is the tool that forms the part. It is custom designed for a specific geometry, size, cooling scheme, and injection pressure. Molds can be single-cavity, multi-cavity, or family tools, and are built from aluminum, steel, or hardened steel depending on the life required. API builds hardened production tooling designed to last in a high-production manufacturing environment.

The mold is clamped in the press and molten resin is injected. Each cycle consists of mold close, injection, cooling, and ejection. In multi-cavity tools the parts are connected by a runner system; API removes runners automatically or manually depending on the program.

Part size, geometry, quantity, and tooling budget are the deciding factors. Some geometries affect manufacturability. API engineers can guide you through product design and mold design to find the right path.

There is no true minimum, but the mold, setup, and material represent an up-front investment that is spread across the run. The larger the run, the smaller that overhead per part. API supports everything from bridge tooling for low volumes to high-cavitation hardened tools running three shifts.

Material selection is specific to the application. API partners with multiple resin suppliers and specializes in difficult-to-process and high-performance resins. We select and sample candidates with you; the customer always has final approval. Start with the Basic Resin Guide.

Everything happens at API’s 100,000 sq ft facility at 1150 Motor Parkway, Central Islip, NY — mold design and construction, prototyping, molding, metal fabrication, assembly, packaging, and distribution.

The tool room runs Okuma CNC machining centers, Roku-Roku five-axis high-speed mills, and wire and sinker EDM, so molds are built, modified, and repaired on site.

Yes. API manufactures products and components for companies that sell them under their own brand, including complete assemblies combining molded plastic, fabricated metal, and electronics.

Yes. API molds environmentally friendly, recyclable thermoplastics.

Not typically — customer requirements in specialized fields usually prohibit it. API can process recycled material when it is acceptable; where regrind is allowed, API adheres to the UL 746D limits for polymeric materials in fabricated parts.

Yes. API can process and manufacture parts in biodegradable plastics.

Yes. API molds certified and compliant materials including FDA, REACH, NSF, RoHS, and UL-recognized grades, as the application requires.

Yes. API engineers facilitate the move of the mold from its current location, qualify it, and make repairs if necessary to reach the quality standard you need. Call 516-333-7577 to talk to an engineer.

Typical lead time for re-orders is 3–5 weeks. Lead time for new tooling depends on part and mold complexity: simple molds in a few weeks; complex, high-cavitation, hardened-steel, or multi-action tools can take a few months. API builds molds to last in a high-production environment and works within customer time and budget constraints.

After manufacturing, packaging, and assembly inspection, API’s warehousing team arranges shipping per the customer agreement — full truckload, LTL, courier pickup, UPS, or FedEx.

Domestically and internationally, per your requirements. Customers can arrange their own pickup or use their own carrier accounts; with established credit terms API can ship and add freight to the invoice. If no preference is given, API chooses the method based on shipment size, delivery window, and cost.

API’s customer service team is available Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm ET at 516-333-7577 or sales@apisolution.com.