11 Ways to Cut Sheet Metal Fabrication Costs
“Cost-cutting in sheet metal fabrication can significantly boost a project's cost-efficiency. This encompasses design considerations, material use, and manufacturing processes to achieve notable savings while maintaining quality and performance levels.”
6. Avoid the TMI Syndrome with Sheet Metal Design
It's quite common to receive models filled with unnecessary data such as hardware details unrelated to the part being manufactured. Such extraneous information can slow down the estimating and manufacturing process. A good rule of thumb is to suppress details in your models that are not pertinent to your manufacturer. This simple measure can prevent miscommunication and save costs effectively.
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Tips for Efficient Design
7. Stick with Fast, Frugal Fasteners for Sheet Metal Parts
Opting for fancy fasteners unnecessarily increases costs and manufacturing time. It's advisable to use readily available fasteners, such as those found in the PEM catalog. This catalog provides a robust inventory search tool for locating stock, helping you avoid substantial expenses and lead times, especially when dealing with hardware that requires high minimum orders and long lead times.
8. Simplify Sheet Metal Parts with Off-the-Shelf Hardware
If you require assemblies with built-in elements like card guides for circuit boards, consider using press fit card guides and adjust your design accordingly. Fabricating these guides directly from sheet metal is not only time-consuming but also costly. Using off-the-shelf components can lead to significant time and cost savings.
Ensuring Accuracy and Efficiency
9. Include Hardware BOMs: Details that Ensure Accurate Sheet Metal Parts
Including a hardware Bill of Materials (BOM) when sending a quote is crucial. It ensures that the manufacturer has accurate information to create perfect threads and finishes. Providing detailed BOMs in prints, Word, or Excel documents, or even in the comments section, aids in avoiding back-and-forth communications, enabling quicker and more accurate part production.
10. Consider Delaying Silkscreening or Engraving for Sheet Metal Parts
During early prototyping stages, delaying finishes like silkscreening and engraving can be more cost-effective. Although silkscreening is cheaper than machine engraving, adding a clear powder coat over silkscreened elements can enhance their longevity. This strategy might add some initial cost but can lead to long-term savings.
Further Recommendations
11. Follow our Suggestions to Cut Sheet Metal Costs
When you get a quote, it often includes design analysis to enhance manufacturability. Additionally, we provide PPRs (Production Preparation Reviews) to highlight potential cost savings by suggesting design modifications. These might include standardizing bend radii or other geometry adjustments. You are free to adopt these suggestions, but they are designed to support your goal of achieving the best pricing.
For additional help, feel free to contact one of our applications engineers at 877-479-3680 or [email protected]. To get your next design project started today, simply upload a 3D CAD model for a quote within hours.
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