Wheelie bin moulds, 120 L to 360 L.
Two-part body, living hinge, snap-fit lid, steel axle — a bin looks simple until the hinge tears at the ten-thousandth cycle. We build these tools for export OEMs and municipal suppliers, and every one is trialled in HDPE before it leaves the shop.
The hinge is the whole project.
A 240-litre body is a thin-wall part with a flow length close to 1.4 m, moulded in HDPE at 0.9–1.6 mm wall. Fill has to be fast and balanced, or the base warps and the bin will not sit flat on a kerb. We design the gate position and the cooling layout together, then confirm both on flow analysis before a single block of steel is cut.
The living hinge is where most bin tools fail. It needs a precisely machined thin section — usually 0.5–0.8 mm — with the polymer oriented across the hinge line, and cavity steel polished in the direction of that orientation. We cut the hinge insert as a separate, replaceable block so it can be reworked or replaced without scrapping the whole cavity.
Lid fit, stacking height and the axle boss are the other three dimensions buyers measure. All three are set by the tool, not by the moulder, so we hold them in the tool drawing and verify them on the trial parts with a CMM report you can check against your own drawing.
How the tool is put together
We build single-cavity tools for 240–360 L bodies and 2–4 cavity tools for 120 L bins and lids. Hot runner is used where the volume justifies it; direct or fan gates where it does not.
- Cavity steel: 718H pre-hardened, or S136 ESR when the visible surface must polish to a high gloss.
- Hinge area: separate insert, hardened and polished across the fold line.
- Cooling: baffled and bubbler circuits in the core, 4–6 zones, so the base and the walls cool at the same rate.
- Ejection: air-assisted or sleeve ejection on deep draws to avoid drag marks on the taper.
- Surface: VDI 3400 texture on the body, SPI B-1 on visible panels, matt finish on the lid.
- Slides: two side slides for the axle bosses and handle recess, with wear plates on the cam.
Trial, measure, document
Every bin tool gets a trial run on your material or an agreed equivalent. We record shot weight, cycle time, hinge flex cycles on a sample, and the dimensional report for the critical features: overall height, lid gap, stack height, axle bore. Photos and the measurement file travel with the tool.
What we build to
| Typical part size | Up to 1,400 × 1,200 × 1,300 mm (240–360 L body) |
|---|---|
| Cavities | 1–2 for bodies, 1–4 for lids and 120 L bins |
| Cavity steel | 718H pre-hardened / S136 ESR for high-polish surfaces |
| Core steel | 2738 or P20, nitrided on wear faces |
| Gate | Direct, fan, or hot runner (valve gate on large bodies) |
| Cooling | Baffle and bubbler circuits, 4–6 zones |
| Cycle time | 55–85 s for a 240 L body in HDPE |
| Tool life | 500,000–1,000,000 shots |
| Press tonnage | 1,300–2,500 t |
| Lead time | 12–14 weeks from design freeze |
These are the ranges we work in, not a catalogue. Cavity count, steel grade and cooling layout are set by your annual volume, your press and the surface you need — we confirm all three in the quotation so there is nothing to renegotiate later.
What buyers ask before ordering a bin tool.
How much does a wheelie bin mould cost?
The price is driven by cavity count, body size and steel grade — a 120 L single-cavity lid tool and a 360 L body tool with side slides are not comparable. Send the 3D model and annual volume and we quote against a written specification: cavity count, steel, gate type, cooling zones and lead time.
Can you build a tool from an existing bin we already sell?
Yes. Send a STEP or IGES file, or ship a sample bin and we will scan it and rebuild the model. Scanning costs less than most buyers expect and it removes the guesswork on hinge geometry, stack height and axle position.
What steel do you use for the living hinge?
S136 ESR for the hinge insert where polish direction matters, 718H where it does not. The insert is machined as a separate block so the hinge can be re-polished or replaced after years of production without touching the rest of the cavity.
Do you make the lid tool as well?
Usually yes, and it is worth doing together. Lid and body are a matched pair: the snap fit, the lid gap and the stacking rib all depend on both tools being cut from the same model with the same shrinkage allowance.
Send the bin drawing, get a tooling price.
3D model or a 2D drawing is enough to start. You get a written quotation with cavity count, steel grade and lead time within one working day.