Yes. We sign a mutual non-disclosure agreement on request before reviewing sensitive designs, and we do not produce a customer part for another party.
A few points that make an NDA more useful in a manufacturing context than a generic template usually is:
- Make it mutual. Both sides exchange information during a tooling project, and a one-way agreement covers only half the exchange.
- Name the deliverables. Drawings, 3D models, samples, tooling data, and production quantities should be listed as confidential material rather than left implied.
- Add a non-manufacture clause. Confidentiality prevents disclosure; a separate clause is what prevents the part being produced for someone else.
- Set a term. An open-ended obligation is often unenforceable in practice; a defined period is stronger.
Your part design and drawings remain yours throughout, and tooling you pay for is your asset. See also who owns the mold after you pay for tooling.