You have a sheet metal fabrication project to complete. Maybe you’ve done this a hundred times before, or maybe this is your first project order, and you are a little intimidated by where to start. An excellent way to alleviate a lot of stress is to bring your sheet metal fabrication partner in during the design phase.
One of the first steps of a sheet metal fabrication project is to choose a high quality sheet metal fabrication partner that will be able to meet all your project needs and requirements. We recommend doing this before you have a final design nailed down. We’ve shared previous blog posts on the top three things to look for when choosing a sheet metal fabrication partner, as well as the best questions to ask before choosing a sheet metal fabrication partner, with tips for how to approach this decision. Once you have chosen a partner, you should immediately include them in the initial design phases.
Why is it important to include your fabricator in the design process and not wait until you have a prototype or even a finished concept?
Your fabricator will be able to provide design help.
If you’ve chosen a good fabrication partner, they will most likely have experience in your industry and be able to provide tips and warnings, as well as be familiar with industry standards and regulations. They can help you see and understand areas of which you may not be aware when it comes to manufacturability, functionality, and long-term performance. They will be able to recommend the types of materials to use, how to form and assemble them, and how to finish the final project. An article by Superior Manufacturing Co. states that, “[B]y being prepared and speaking with your fabricator early on, you have more room for adjustments along the way… as the fabricator can make suggestions or tweaks to improve performance or lower costs. Involving the fabricator early ensures you have enough time to make these changes without missing deadlines.”
You want your production partner and prototype partner to be the same.
A key part of the design process is prototyping. When you work with multiple fabricators, they may have different machines, different processes, and different standards that could alter your design between the prototype and production phases. If that’s the case, your prototype is no longer a valid representation of the end product because the end product will be different. Similarly, doing the design work all yourself may cause problems when it’s time to actually put your idea into production. Working with the same fabricator from start to finish ensures there will be continuity in mindset, technology, and process, and you will know that your final product will be virtually the same as the original prototype. Nothing will be lost in translation from one shop to another, or from your designs to the end product.
Your fabricator will be able to help streamline the manufacturing process…
Design for Manufacturability and Assembly (DFMA) is the process of designing a product with ease of production in mind. Considering the placement of holes and cutouts, bends, fasteners, welds, flanges and hems, etc. in regard to the ease of manufacturing them will cut down on lead-time and costs for your project. If the design is as manufacture-friendly as possible, your entire project will go much smoother. This also lessens the risk of reworks and mistakes because the design will be simpler and easier to produce.
…which reduces overall project costs.
The sooner you partner with your fabricator, the sooner issues and flaws will be discovered and fixed. In manufacturing, the “rule of 10” states that the cost to make a correction increases tenfold at every new stage of production. In one survey, 16% of manufacturers reported scrap and rework rates of 4% of sales or higher. Essentially, a $50 million manufacturer is throwing away $2 million to rework or scrap product. Bottom line: it is far cheaper to catch problems early and make corrections sooner rather than later.
Designing with Estes
Hear directly from one of our customers how their decision to bring us in during their design process helped make their project a success:
“Estes helped us work through specific design items collaboratively with their engineering department, and we took full advantage of the technology they utilize to help design, produce, and simulate the fabrication process. By the time our material was ready to be fabricated in the shop, they were already very familiar with our parts and confident they could fabricate them very efficiently.”
- Stephen Hendrickson, Director of Design and Engineering with the Hitzfield Group
Because we are a full service fabricator start-to-finish, Estes has many years of experience in helping customers with the best product design for their needs. We understand the value of prototyping and the importance of working with your production partner from the beginning. We created Estes Accelerator for that very reason. This dedicated product development and prototyping department is ready to help you begin the process of bringing your designs to life and then transfer those designs to full-scale production! Contact us today to get started!
