Product
Two ways to run it.
The difference is where the software sits — on a PC in your building, or on a server we run for you. What Phil does is the same either way.
Starter
Runs on the shop's own PC
You install it on a PC in your building. Your documents, the search index built from them, your shift-log data and your chat history all live on that machine.
Your documents never leave your building.
When someone asks a question, Phil searches on that PC, finds the few passages that bear on the question, and sends only those — with the question — out through PlastiMind's relay to produce the answer. The library itself is never uploaded.
- No inbound firewall access needed — outbound HTTPS only
- Reachable only from that PC unless you change it
- Documents, search, calculators and shift-log tools work with no internet
- Backups are yours — that PC holds the only copy
Managed
PlastiMind hosts it — zero setup for the shop
Identical software, except "your PC" is a server we rent in the United States, dedicated to you and not shared with another company. Nothing to install and nothing to maintain.
The honest trade: because we run the server, our staff can technically reach what's on it. Someone has to be able to fix it.
- A shop passcode is always required — enforced in code, not by policy
- Nightly backups, verified, kept 30 days
- Deleted on request: live data immediately, backups within 30 days
- No install, no Windows warnings, no PC to keep running
Not sure which? Shops that already have an IT policy about documents leaving the building usually want Starter. Shops without someone to look after a PC usually want Managed. We'll say which one we think fits rather than sell you up.
What it does
Four things, all fed by your own documents
Troubleshooting, with citations
Describe a defect or process problem in plain language. Phil answers from your SOPs, spec sheets, material data and troubleshooting guides, and tags each answer with the document and page it used.
Shift-log analytics
Upload scrap and downtime numbers from a spreadsheet template. Ask which machine, which reason, which month — and get answers that sit alongside the troubleshooting knowledge rather than in a separate reporting tool.
Engineering calculators
Clamp tonnage, shot size and cooling time, worked out in front of you. These are rules of thumb that vary by grade and geometry — a starting point for a setup sheet, not a replacement for a mold trial.
Mold–machine fit checks
Check a tool against a press before the tool goes in it: whether it fits, and whether that machine can actually run it.
Questions we get asked first
Before you ask
Why is there a relay at all?
Honestly: to protect our intellectual property. Phil's instructions and approach are the product, and they stay on our server rather than shipping to every customer's PC. It also means a licence can be switched off if a subscription lapses.
A side effect that benefits you: our AI account is used, not yours — so there is no separate AI subscription for you to manage or pay for.
Can we self-host the whole thing?
Not currently. The relay is what protects our IP, and it is a shared service.
Is the installer signed?
Not at the time of writing, so Windows SmartScreen may warn the first time you run it. Ask us for the SHA-256 of the ZIP if you want to verify what you received.
Does everyone need their own login?
No. One passcode per shop, not per person. Phil is a shared floor tool.
The long version. Everything above, plus exactly what is stored where and who can see it, is written out in How Phil handles your data — written for you and for the person in your company who asks the hard questions about software.
Which tier fits your shop?
Tell us how many presses you run and who looks after your PCs. That's usually enough for us to say.