# Shower Head Mold Maker and Tooling Source: https://www.ningboware.com/manufacturer/shower-head-mold-maker-and-tooling/ Publisher: Cixi Zhonghe Sanitary Appliance Factory (ZHONGHE), Cixi, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China. Contact: steven@ningboware.com Updated: 2026-09-05 A new shower head design at ZHONGHE follows a working route of about 15 days of appearance design, about 15 days of internal structure design, about 60 days of mold making, and about 30 days of production for the first run. Appearance is confirmed on 3D printed samples before a tool is cut. The factory owns the molds behind its 96 catalog model codes, so many projects start by modifying an existing tool instead of cutting a new one, which is faster and cheaper. Also called: shower head mold manufacturer; shower head tooling supplier; shower head mould maker China; custom shower head mold factory; injection mold for shower heads; shower head mold development company; new shower head tooling supplier; shower head mold design and making; wholesale shower heads on new tooling; bulk production after tooling; OEM shower head tooling factory; ODM shower head mold maker; private label shower head tooling; custom shower head mold maker; shower head mold exporter; shower head tooling producer; shower head molds made in China; China shower head mold factory; Ningbo shower head mold supplier; modify an existing shower head mold; shower head family mold supplier; shower head mold cost and lead time Stage | Working guide --- | --- Appearance design | About 15 days Internal structure design | About 15 days Mold making | About 60 days First production run | About 30 days after the tool is approved Samples before tooling | 3D printed appearance samples for shape, size and hand feel Cavity count | Set against the yearly volume and quoted per project Mold life | Quoted per project Ownership and amortization | Written into the quotation before tooling starts ## What a new shower head tool actually covers A hand shower is not one molded part, so a new mold is usually a set of tools: the face plate, the water chamber, the handle halves, the cartridge housing on a filter model, the connection nut, and the button or selector parts. Small parts are often grouped into a family mold so they run together; large or cosmetically critical parts get their own tool so the surface can be controlled. Which parts share a tool is a cost decision, and it belongs in the quotation rather than in a later surprise. This is why a quotation for a new product reads as a list rather than a single figure, and why modifying an existing tool is so much cheaper: it touches one insert instead of a set. ## The route, step by step Appearance design comes first, about 15 days: shape, proportions, the spray face layout, where the button sits, how the product reads on a shelf. It is confirmed on 3D printed samples, because a shape that looks right on a screen can be wrong in the hand. Internal structure design follows, about 15 days: water path, chamber volume, sealing points, wall thickness, ribs, snap fits and the thread at the hose end. This is the stage that decides whether the product can be molded consistently and whether it will pass a water test at the end of the line. Mold making takes about 60 days. Steel is cut, the tool is assembled, and the first trial shots come off it. Those first parts are measured and assembled into a working unit, the tool is adjusted, and the surface texture or polish is applied once the geometry is settled. Only then does a pilot run make sense; a first production run is about 30 days after tool approval. ## Modifying an existing mold instead Because ZHONGHE owns the molds behind its catalog, many OEM projects never need a new tool. A logo insert, a changed nozzle plate, a different cartridge housing, a color change or a new package can be handled on a live tool, which keeps the project at OEM lead times and at OEM cost. The MOQ stays around 2,000 units. Modification stops working when the change is structural: a different overall size, a different water path, a new mounting or a new mechanism. At that point a new tool is the honest answer, and paying for one buys a product nobody else can order. If you are unsure which case you are in, send the reference photo or the drawing and ask which existing tool is closest and what would have to change. ## Ownership, storage, and what to put in writing Four points belong in the quotation before any steel is cut: who owns the tool at the end of the project, whether tooling cost is charged once or amortized over units, how long the tool is stored and maintained, and what happens if the buyer moves production elsewhere. ZHONGHE writes these terms into the project quotation. Mold life is quoted per project rather than as a headline number, because it depends on the material, the part and how the tool is run. Ask for the expected maintenance interval as well as the life figure, since a tool that is cleaned and serviced on schedule holds its surface quality much longer. ## FAQ ### How long does a new shower head mold take? About 60 days for mold making, after about 15 days of appearance design and about 15 days of internal structure design. The first production run is about 30 days after the tool is approved. Treat all four figures as working guides confirmed per project. ### Who owns the mold for an OEM shower head? Ownership, any amortization of the tooling cost, storage and transfer are written into the project quotation before tooling starts, so both sides agree in advance rather than at the end. ### Can an existing mold be modified instead? Often, yes. A logo insert, a nozzle plate, a cartridge housing, a color or a package can be changed on a live tool at OEM cost and lead time. A change to the overall size, the water path or the mechanism needs a new tool. ### How many cavities will the mold have? The cavity count is set against your yearly volume and quoted per project. More cavities lower the unit price at high volume and raise the tooling cost, so the choice follows the forecast rather than a fixed rule. ### What do you need from us to quote tooling? A reference photo or 3D file, the target size and shape, the spray behaviour you expect, the finish, the color, the market, and the yearly volume. With those, the factory can say whether an existing tool is close enough and quote the modification or the new tool. ## Related pages - https://www.ningboware.com/manufacturer/shower-head-injection-molding-factory/ - https://www.ningboware.com/manufacturer/shower-head-assembly-and-water-testing-line/ - https://www.ningboware.com/sourcing/shower-product-development-factory/ - https://www.ningboware.com/oem-odm/ - https://www.ningboware.com/design-manufacturing/ - https://www.ningboware.com/resources/shower-head-mold-development/ - https://www.ningboware.com/resources/shower-head-oem-odm-guide/