Bidford-on-Avon, Warwickshire. Mon to Fri.BRCGS Grade AA certificated01789 224228
TCICulinary Get a quote

Service · scale

Multi-cavity food tooling for higher yield per pour.

The economics of food production are cavity economics. Every extra cavity per tray is a pour saved and a demould saved. We design tooling with that in mind.

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BRCGS AACertificated
PFAS-freePlatinum-cure
UKMade
Any batchNo minimum

Overview

Multi-cavity food tooling for higher yield per pour.

Multi-cavity silicone production tray with even spacing and support frame
Production tray designed for stable higher-yield runs

Scaling a food-contact mould is not just about making it bigger. It is about spacing cavities so the depositor lands right, so the tray sits flat in a chiller, and so a demoulding hand can move down the line without the tray warping.

This is the service that turns a proven single-cavity into a production tray. We plan cavity count, spacing, plate integration and wall thickness together, so tray fifty behaves like tray one.

What we make

Common asks in this service.

01

Cavity spacing for yield

How closely can cavities sit without compromising flex or wash access? We work that out around your product.

02

Depositor plate integration

The tray drops in without adjustment. Send us the plate spec and we design around it.

03

Consistency tray-to-tray

Cavity dimensions held tight across the fleet, so a tray sourced today matches one sourced next year.

04

Wash-access design

A high-cavity-count tray still has to clean. We space and shape so a cleandown reaches every cavity.

05

Reorder economics

The drawing and grade stay on file, so a top-up tray on order two is quick to price and quick to deliver.

High-cavity silicone trays showing spacing, plate fit and wash access
Cavity spacing and tray fit for production

How it gets made

Drawn, proofed, then poured.

Every mould starts as a drawing we agree with you. We make a master, pour a single proof cavity in PFAS-free platinum-cure food-grade silicone and let you test it with your own recipe.

Once you are happy, we pour or press the full tray, record the grade against your order and keep the drawing on file for reorders.

How our processes work

Single proof cavity with master pattern and multi-cavity production tray

What we ask up front

Four questions on every enquiry.

01

Your line rate

Trays per hour or trays per shift — that drives cavity count.

02

Your chiller shelf or oven rack

The tray must sit flat on your shelf. Send shelf dimensions and we'll fit within them.

03

Your demould method

One-shot tip, invert-onto-belt, hand-lift. Silicone spec sits around it.

04

Your cleandown

The tray still has to survive your wash. Wall thickness and cavity spacing take that into account.

Typical work

Case studies and further reading.

Tea-cake silicone mould with dough portions and raisins being adjusted.
Bakery

Multi-cavity brioche tray

Depositor-fit brioche tray with cavity spacing set around a bakery's existing rack.

See project
Multi-cavity gelato stick-bar moulds lined up with wooden sticks inserted.
Gelato

Gelato stick-bar production tooling

Multi-cavity stick-bar tooling sized to a gelato producer's brine tunnel.

See project
Gloved hand flexing silicone sweet mould beside freshly cast boiled sweets.
Confectionery

Boiled-sweet cavity mould

A high-cavity-count boiled sweet tray with a recessed brand mark on the cavity floor.

See project

At a glance

The idea in a picture.

How a production tray is laid out

Outside size matched to your shelf, frame or depositor plateCavityLand between cavitiesStiff rim for handlingDelicate shapes wherethe tray flexes least

Swipe to see the whole diagram

Every tray starts from the size of the kit it has to fit, then the cavities are arranged around it.

Questions

Four that come up on this service.

How many cavities can you fit on a tray?

As many as your depositor and cleandown allow. We'll draft options and show you the yield-versus-wash trade-off.

Do you check every cavity?

Yes. Cavity dimensions are checked at manufacture, and the check is recorded.

Can you match my existing tray footprint?

Yes. Send the current tray dimensions or a photo, and we'll design to match.

What if we want a bigger tray later?

Straightforward. The drawing stays on file. We can extend cavity count without redesigning the whole tray.

Ready?

Talk to us about multi-cavity tooling.

Send a photo, a sketch or a sample. We'll come back with a route and a quote.

Send an enquiry 01789 224228

Real people, a real workshop

You deal with the people who make it.

No call centre and no middlemen. When you contact TCI Culinary, you speak to the team who design, build and check your mould.

  • A real Warwickshire workshopUnit 15, Waterloo Park, Bidford-on-Avon, Alcester B50 4JG.
  • Real people on the phoneCall the team on 01789 224228, Monday to Friday.
  • The same team on every jobDesign, production and aftercare come from the people you see here.
  • BRCGS Grade AATechcraft Industries Culinary Ltd. See the certificate details.
A stack of TCI silicone moulds.
A stack of TCI silicone moulds.
The TCI workshop, with moulds on the bench mid-build.
The TCI workshop, with moulds on the bench mid-build.
The TCI design and project office.
The TCI design and project office.
  • Thomas LaneManaging Director
  • George PrestonDesign & Project Manager
  • Kelly BallingerHead of Partnerships
  • Jim AndertonProduction Manager
  • TheodoreEmployee Welfare
Meet the team