“It is important that you clarify with the mold maker who exactly owns the mold because often they keep this opaque and call it a “contract mold”.”
AirGradient has made three molds with three Chinese mold makers. The makers subsidize the mold and earn it back on pricier plastic parts, so you don’t own your tooling unless a contract says so. AirGradient hired its own mold engineer to review the design because makers take shortcuts that save them money. The cheap mold is the bait and the parts contract is the hook.