Plastics tooling has come of age and has proved itself in prototype and short run production. Plastics tooling has been used successfully by the sheet metal and foundry industries to reduce tooling time, cost, and weight. Plastic prototype parts can be produced easily to simulate production parts for design evaluation, and plastic tools and dies can be used for initially producing actual parts. New plastic formulations and new fabrication techniques insure an optimistic future for the use of plastics in tooling.
