What Does a Molding Setup Fee Cover?

Every molding run requires a setup fee, regardless of how much footage is ordered. Setup time is identical whether we run ten feet or five thousand feet.

What’s Included in a Setup Fee

The setup fee covers:

Knife Selection or Installation

Choosing the correct knives from inventory or installing a dedicated knife set for a custom profile.
Installing the knives in a molder head or heads
Installing the molding heads on the machine

Moulder Calibration

Adjusting the machine for:
Profile shape
Material width and thickness
Proper hold down pressure
Adjusting chip breakers to minimize tear out
Adjusting pressure elements to minimize chatter

Test Runs

Running sample pieces to confirm accuracy, sharpness, and surface quality.
We generally run poplar for tester pieces.

Adjustments and Fine Tuning

Ensuring the finished molding meets the profile specifications before full production.

Cleanup and Reset

Preparing the machine for the next job after your run is completed.

Why Setup Fees Are Necessary

Setup labor is fixed. Whether we run one foot or one thousand feet, the machine setup, test cuts, and calibration require the same amount of time.  Other companies bury their set up fees in their lineal footage price.  They then require a minimum order of 100 to 250 lineal feet to recoup their set up fee.  Our customers find it better to pay a small set up fee and get the amount of molding needed than to end up with 15 extra pieces of molding that they have no use for.

Summary

The setup fee makes short-run moldings possible by covering the preparation required for any custom profile.