Custom silicone, six domains, one factory

OEM and ODM change what the first message should contain

Both modes can apply inside the same product family — a masking kit by your thread list is OEM, a matrix plug with your logo is ODM. That is why each domain below splits the two instead of pretending one word fits both.

Six domains, each with its manual attached

Each row is one domain of the product matrix: what we understand about it, the sub-families it contains, and what OEM and ODM mean for that domain specifically. Read the middle column for the process position, the right column for how the two modes differ here.

• You have an OEM part numberDomains 02, 04 and 06 — the cross-reference answers within 24 hours, or tells you it cannot.
• You have a photo or a sampleDomains 01, 02 and 05 — send the object itself; we reverse the geometry from it.
• You have a drawing or a 3D fileAll six — DFM in 48 hours, a fixed quote in writing, T1 samples in 30 days.

Dissimilar-material composites, substrate by substrate

The domain most overmolding quotes get wrong. Each row is a working answer — preparation, bond route, process and the watch-out that decides the batch.

Peel acceptance is cohesive failure, not adhesive — typical 3.5–8 N/mm (ASTM D429) depending on substrate and geometry. The PP/PE row is printed on purpose: a quote that hides it is a quote you pay for twice.

Four levels of input, four speeds of answer

There is no minimum entry ticket. You can arrive with just an idea and still get a real answer in 24 hours. But every level up removes one email round from the schedule — the ladder is cumulative.

The five things that add a week to every project

None of these are your fault — they are the default habits of every sourcing inbox. They are listed here because each one is fixable in the time it takes to write the email.

• 01 Tolerances left blankWe quote safe: looser than you need and pricier than necessary. Write the two numbers that matter — we will challenge them in DFM if the physics disagrees.
• 02 Application kept secretTemperature, media, surface, load. A compound is chosen against environment, and “general purpose” is not one.
• 03 No volumes on the tableWithout an annual or per-batch number there is no volume band — so every price you receive is a placeholder, not a quote.
• 04 Branding asked after the POLogo, packaging and colour raised post-order are a re-quote, not an add-on. Put them in the first email — light custom is +3 days when it is known up front.
• 05 “Urgent” without a first-article planVulcanization has a floor no purchase order can move. An urgent order with agreed acceptance samples moves faster than an urgent order without them.