Five Questions We Ask Before Quoting a Material

A customer sends a drawing and asks for a price. We usually reply with five questions before we reply with a number.

That is not a way of being difficult. It is that the same grade, used by two different customers, does not perform the same way. Before we quote, we need to know what the part actually has to do.

Five questions decide whether a grade is right.

Question 1: what is the part, and where does it end up

A housing for a power adapter and a bracket inside the same enclosure are not the same application, even if the material family matches.

We need the end use and the end market. Automotive interiors, appliance housings and electrical equipment carry different requirements on odour, weathering, flame performance and documentation. Knowing the destination tells us which of those matter for this part.

We also want to know whether the part is visible. Appearance-grade and hidden structural parts do not need the same surface finish, and paying for it is a real cost on a high-volume order.

Question 2: what are the numbers that cannot be missed

Every part has two or three properties that decide whether it works, and the buyer usually knows exactly which ones those are.

For an electrical enclosure that is usually UL94 V-0 at a stated wall thickness, or IEC 62368-1 compliance. For a structural automotive bracket it is flexural modulus and notched impact. For a garden product it is UV stability over a stated number of hours.

The key is the wall thickness and the test method. "Flame retardant" on its own is not a requirement we can quote against.

Question 3: what is the volume

Volume changes the answer more often than buyers expect.

Below about 500 kg, an existing grade is the sensible starting point because development time costs more than the material saves. Above one tonne, formulating to a specific target becomes worth it, because every property adjustment pays back across the whole volume.

We need the annual and monthly volume, and the expected first order size, because the two point at different things.

Question 4: what is the tool like

The tool determines what the material has to survive in production.

Wall thickness, flow path length, hot spots, the number of cavities and the gating layout all affect how the material behaves in the tool. A thin long flow path with a 0.8 mm wall asks something completely different of a compound than a short thick one.

We ask for the drawing, or at least the wall thickness distribution and the flow path length. It changes what we recommend.

Question 5: what does the part need to prove

If the part goes into an automotive programme, there is a document trail to satisfy: PPAP under our IATF 16949 system, and the ability to trace a production batch back to its test report.

If it ships into the EU, the buyer will ask about RoHS and REACH declarations, and in some cases about whether the material is covered by a specific certification route.

It costs nothing to raise this at the quotation stage and it costs a great deal to raise it after the tool is cut.

If you would rather start with the catalogue, reply with the grade name and we will send the complete list.

Qingdao Yunsu Polymer Material Technology Co., Ltd.