Tool & Die Manufacturing

High-Quality Tools Make High-Quality Castings

LeClaire Manufacturing is your one-stop source for tool and die manufacturing services. We use the highest-quality materials for high-quality tool-making because the highest-quality tools make the highest-quality castings. Our skilled design engineers, state-of-the-art modeling software, and our commitment to using the best materials separate LeClaire’s tool-making services from those of our competitors.

Why Choose LeClaire as Your Tool & Die Maker?

  • We’ve been serving the industry since 1966.
  • We emphasize quality craftsmanship.
  • We’re a family-owned and operated business.
  • We are ISO 9001:2015 certified.
  • We have a 50,000 sq. ft. facility in the heart of the Midwest.

Learn more about LeClaire Manufacturing

Tool & die engineering welder

Our Tool and Die Services

Tool and Die Design and Engineering

We bring more than 125 years of experience to our die design services. By leveraging the latest in software and technology, we can combine innovation with experience to provide die engineering services for a wide range of tooling options: Blank dies, transfer die, line dies and progressive dies.

Tool and Die Simulation and Validation

Our tool and die designers and engineers work in partnership with your team to simulate tooling designs using state-of-the-art technology. As a result, we can ensure your die design or tooling will withstand the rigors of production.

In-House Tool Making

Our master toolmakers are highly skilled craftsmen who make dies, molds, machine tools, cutting tools and more. We build tooling and fixtures in our full-service pattern and die shop in Bettendorf, Iowa, where we take pride in precision tool manufacturing.

Tool Maintenance and Repair

Maintaining your machining tools is the key to protecting your investment and to preserving the quality of your parts. LeClaire offers tool repairs and replacement parts for tools and dies we manufacture, along with tool history documentation.

Tool & die engineering machine #2

Get a Quote on Tool and Die Making

Contact us today for a quote; we’ll ask a few questions about your project so we can provide a personalized quote.

Request a Quote

Advantages of Tool and Die Manufacturing

Perfect For High-Volume Production

Because the molds created for die casting are made of metal, they can withstand the rigors of long production runs better than some other casting techniques.

Precision is key

Tool and die manufacturing allows for tighter and closer tolerances through the meticulously designed metal molds.

Die casting also produces smoother surfaces when compared with other casting processes.

Allows for added complexity of parts cast

When you cast apart, you can create complex net shapes, including external threads and complex internal features with minimal draft angles—minimizing secondary operations.

Die casting can also produce components with thinner walls and with various wall thicknesses compared to some other processes.

Combine multiple parts into one

With the added complexity that die casting allows, multiple parts can sometimes be combined into one. This reduces the steps needed to assemble the finished product, reducing labor costs.

Read more about the advantages of die casting

Is Die Casting Right for You?

Want to compare your different casting options? Then read more about the strengths of different aluminum casting methods

What is the difference between a tool and a die?

The LeClaire Tool & Die Advantage

Tool/Die Engineering

Advanced simulation software lets us engineer defects out of the casting. LeClaire Manufacturing utilizes both SolidWorks Design software and Pro Engineering Design software to engineer the 3D CAD models of our customers' tools and dies.

Completion of the initial design by the project engineer is just the beginning of the process. Our next step is to convene an engineering staff meeting that we refer to as Advanced Quality Planning (AQP). During this meeting, we brainstorm innovative improvements and ensure that we are able to develop and build the dies and tooling needed to produce the casting you require. Then, we implement the changes and meet for another round or more of AQP until the design and engineering receive approval from engineers, production managers and executives.

Solidification Modeling

To identify and prevent potential problem areas from occurring in our customers' castings, we use the latest technology of MAGMA solidification modeling. This identifies problem areas before a tool is ever made and further ensures that our customers receive the castings they require on every project that LeClaire Manufacturing undertakes.

Permanent Mold Tooling

A casting is only as good as the tool that produces it, and not all permanent molds are created equal. At LeClaire Manufacturing, we enjoy a unique advantage — we understand the intricacies of building the permanent mold itself as well as the intricacies of making the casting from that mold. This combined knowledge enables LeClaire to make slight adjustments in the design phase of the mold, which creates a better casting when we move to production. Meticulous pre-engineering and the identification and reduction of problems from the start combine to ensure timely delivery.

Sand Casting Tooling

Like a permanent mold, all sand casting patterns are not created equal. There are many kinds of sand casting patterns, ranging from a simple wood pattern that wears more quickly but can be good for prototyping, to aluminum-machined patterns that create a better dimensional accuracy and have a longer life cycle.

At LeClaire Manufacturing, we listen to our customers' needs and help them make informed decisions. We understand both the intricacies of building a sand casting pattern as well as the intricacies of the casting the pattern produces. This combined knowledge gives LeClaire Manufacturing an advantage that allows us to make slight adjustments in the design phase of the mold that result in a better casting once we move to production.

Machine Fixture Tooling

A good CNC machining fixture makes the difference between a good part and a bad part. The machining phase may be the most critical due to the production that precedes it; if anything goes wrong in the machining phase, it can result in late deliveries to customers. The proficient engineers at LeClaire Manufacturing have extensive experience in designing machine fixtures that minimize mistakes. Because of our experienced engineering staff, our customers receive the machined aluminum casting they expect — on time, every time.

Core Box Tooling

Making a good core is critical in making a quality casting, and it all starts with the core box, which is the tooling. LeClaire Manufacturing analyzes every core design to determine the best way to produce it. Complex core boxes are our specialty, and our equipment investments allow us to explore every option when designing a core box. Whether the core calls for a top-blow core box design or a side-blow core box design — or if the core is large and bulky or small and intricate — LeClaire Manufacturing has the experience and the capability to make every possible design.

Why Do Customers Prefer LeClaire Manufacturing?

“This part has been sourced through 4 foundries, and it was my full-time job to babysit the supplier on this part, for 10 years, prior to the part being sourced at LeClaire; now I never even hear of it ̶ it flows thru the shop so smoothly.”

Supplier Quality Engineer, Employer of 76,000