Machine fit · pitch / nest / sheet
Depositor-compatible gummy molds
A depositor-compatible gummy mold is a tray whose nozzle rows, pitch, first-cavity datum, nest, and half- or full-sheet envelope match the machine you already run. If those five lines are missing, a pretty cavity map still misses the head.
WYD (Room 201, Building N, Licheng Technology Industrial Park Phase III, Xinhe Avenue, Shajing, Baoan District, Shenzhen, since 2006): DFM review is free. CAD modification about $50 when the model needs lock — not a fee on every PO. Prototype 3-7 business days after CAD lock, soft-tray MOQ about 20, FOB Shenzhen. Soft platinum sheet first; steel or depositor follow-on from the same archive when volume requires it. We do not freeze pitch from a photo of someone else's head.
What compatible actually means
Pitch is center-to-center. You usually need more than one number:
- Nozzle-to-nozzle pitch (one bank)
- Cavity-to-cavity pitch in that row
- Row-to-row pitch
- Edge-to-first-cavity-center (the datum catalog drawings often hide)
- Indexing distance if the head fills a row in two passes
- Nest / locating pins vs a floppy silicone edge
- Z: nozzle-to-cavity when the tray is loaded
Two trays can share 25 mm cavity pitch and still be 6 mm off if the first cavity starts farther from the locating edge. A useful RFQ sounds like: 12-nozzle bank, 25 mm nozzle pitch, two index positions per row, envelope 400 x 300 mm class half-sheet, nest plate with two pins, 4.2 g pectin. Not: "48-cavity depositor mold like the one in this photo."
Half-sheet, full-sheet, and nest
Shops talk half-sheet and full-sheet as envelope classes, not as a frozen OEM standard. Caption the millimetres as typical shop values, not your machine.
| Envelope class | Typical shop conversation | What we still need from you |
|---|---|---|
| Half-sheet | Often ~400 x 300 mm class | Your nest L x W x H and rail/pin datum |
| Full-sheet | Often ~600 x 400 mm class | Same - plus loaded mass and support |
| Nozzle banks | Commonly 8 / 12 / 16 / 24 | Your count, not a catalog average |
| Pitch talk | 25-50 mm class comes up in quotes | Freeze from your drawing or measured bank |
| Nest | Aluminum or stainless plate, locating pins | Pin diameter and positions; do not locate on a soft edge |
| Sheet thickness | Often 8-12 mm class for supported food trays | Demold vs Z stability trade |
Typical shop values - we would not freeze these millimetres onto a nameplate we have not measured on your line.
Common mix-up: same pitch, wrong datum
Existing tray: 20 cavities per row, 25 mm centers, four rows. New tray: also 25 mm centers, but first cavity 6 mm farther from the locating edge. Every following cavity is correctly spaced, and the whole row sits 6 mm under the depositor. Specify pitch plus datum, not pitch alone.
Failure: nozzles on the bridge, outer rows light
Symptom: Product lands between cavities; center fills, outer rows miss; every new tray needs a new machine teach; Z strings on one edge.
Confirm: Dry-align nozzles to first, center, and last cavity. Measure first-cavity datum from the nest feature, not from a floppy silicone lip. Weigh a position map. Check loaded Z with the tray in the real nest.
Fix: Do not recut cavity mL to hide a datum error. Do not raise Shore A first to hide sag - add the nest or shorten the span. See /food-tray-flatness-depositor-rfq/.
Illustrative scenario: 12-nozzle, 25 mm, half-sheet
Hypothetical path - not a named customer file
A brand sends a 12-nozzle bank drawing (25 mm), a 400 x 300 mm class nest with two pins, and a 4.2 g pectin target. We would charge ~$50 CAD to lock the first-cavity datum to the pin, prototype the real half-sheet span in 3-7 days after CAD lock, dry-align, then dump pectin and map center vs outer row. MOQ 20 would follow. We would not freeze that pitch from a website photo of a different depositor.
Typical shop values for machine-fit trays
Typical shop values - not a lot measured on your PO
| Item | Typical shop value |
|---|---|
| Soft-tray MOQ | 20 pcs/design after approval |
| CAD modeling or modification | ~$50 when that scope applies |
| Prototype | 3-7 days after CAD lock |
| Loaded-tray edge sag, unsupported | About 0.5-1.5 mm |
| Outer-row vs center grams if the sheet sags | Often 3-6% heavy |
| Platinum shrink (soft prototype mold) | About 0.1-0.3% |
| Food-contact | 21 CFR 177.2600 extraction on the article, not an FDA-approved factory |
RFQ: machine-to-tray pack
- Depositor make/model or a dimensioned bank drawing (not a phone photo of someone else's line)
- Nozzle count, nozzle pitch, row pitch (mm)
- First-cavity center from locating edge / pins
- Indexing distance and method
- Half-sheet or full-sheet envelope; nest L x W x H; pin diameter and positions
- Target grams, formula, deposit temperature if known
- Cavity shape / logo / artwork
- Soft qty (MOQ 20 after approval) and whether steel follow-on is in view
- Docs: 177.2600 / LFGB / market
- Destination and Incoterm
Send nozzle count, pitch, first-cavity datum, nest, and grams to /contact/ - info@wydsilicone.com · +86 180 3814 7782. We will mark what the 3-7 day prototype must prove on your machine.
Depositor RFQs we will not accept as-is
A photo of someone else's head is not a pitch drawing. We will not freeze production from that photo, lock steel before a real deposit on the nest, locate a production tray on an uncontrolled silicone edge, or raise Shore A first to hide loaded sag.
When this machine-fit page is the wrong route
- You flood-and-scrape by hand: pitch is the wrong CTQ - /flood-and-scrape-gummy-molds/
- The depositor is a copacker's: /copacker-depositor-gummy-molds/
- Who should tool the gummy line: /custom-gummy-mold-manufacturer/
- What the 3-7 day sample must prove: /gummy-mold-prototype-sample/
- Deep RFQs already on site: steel depositor, cavity map, flatness
- RTV master / box as a casting tool: send CAD here
- Cost / RFQ / contact: /silicone-mold-cost/ · /custom-silicone-mold-quote/ · /contact/
Machine-fit FAQ
- Can you copy the pitch from a competitor tray photo?
- We can guess a conversation band. We will not freeze production from that photo. Measure your bank or send a tray that already runs.
- Do you stock half-sheet depositor trays like US shops?
- No catalog wall and no 3-day US dispatch. Custom from Bao'an. If you need a warehouse SKU tomorrow, that is a different object.
- Is 25 mm pitch a WYD standard?
- No. 25-50 mm is a typical shop conversation. Your drawing wins.
- Soft now, steel later?
- Yes - lock pitch and grams on the soft tray first. Same Bao'an archive. Do not cut steel on an open logo.
- What is MOQ and prototype time?
- Soft-tray MOQ about 20 per design after approval. DFM review is free. CAD modification is about $50 when the model needs lock — not a fee on every PO. Prototype commonly 3-7 business days after CAD lock.
Send nozzle count, pitch, datum, nest, and grams
We will mark what the 3-7 day prototype must prove on your machine - not on a catalog photo.