There comes a time when standard industrial products do not fit the needs for manufacturing. Whether custom sizes or materials or even entirely reworked industrial equipment are required, most companies will find themselves in the position that they need to order the fabrication of industrial products. There are many factors to consider when shopping for unique equipment solutions, and we will take the time to touch on them in this article.
The right firm to utilize for custom work is typically those companies that are suppliers of industrial products that also have extensive machining capabilities on site. These suppliers have the knowledge common maintenance problems of a wide range of industrial equipment, as well as the ability to alter existing stock to match customer specifications. Let us take a look at some specifics for the best custom work solutions.
Batch Sizes And Machining Technology
Reworking is typically a labor-intensive project for a small batch size. For this reason, many machine shops charge a premium when they have to set their production tools to create just a handful of items. In order to find a cost effective solution, it pays to shop around between different suppliers who are willing to provide small batch sizes on reworked industrial equipment or entirely new products without overcharging. This is oftentimes achievable by going through the same suppliers who typically provide industrial products and can offer customized work as a service to maintain good relations. This fact should remain true whether a company is in a bind for just one reworked piece to repair machinery or even an entirely redesigned and reworked system for delivery.
One way to find a company that can offer small batch sizes on all types of work without charging a premium is to locate machine shops that utilize computer numerical control (CNC) programmable machinery. CNC devices are capable of being programmed to run batch jobs through instructional blueprints, like CAD drawings. They can then run the fabrication process on as few or as many pieces as necessary. In addition, the saved blueprints allow that machine shop to come back and manufacture more pieces easily and even utilize that knowledge for other custom jobs. Overall, CNC machining will lower manufacturing costs to keep the price of ordered industrial products in small batches more reasonable.
While there are plenty of craftsman in small shops that can create amazing works with hand tooling methods, CNC devices also offer reproducible precision. For a larger custom order with strict requirements, these machine shops will provide the fast, high quality service you need.
Custom Products And Reworked Industrial Equipment
Another aspect of the right shop to service batch work needs is the ability to perform both the fabrication of entirely new products as well as being able to rework and modify existing industrial equipment. Having both options is critical for finding the right solution to a problem. Some issues require a simple rework of machinery components, and others might call for a totally new replacement part.
For this reason, suppliers are often a good choice since they have a large inventory of existing products to work from as a basis for reworking or new fabrications. Modifying the current inventory to a different size or shape will be much less expensive and time consuming than starting from scratch. When ordering reworked systems, many standard items can go into its creation to limit the amount of new parts.
The Design Process
By definition, custom work always requires a degree of redesign and engineering. Not every company has the personnel or capability to perform large scale designs, drafting, or engineering and architectural work necessary to fix a problem or to create tailored solutions. Therefore, going through a company that is capable of performing the design process eliminates the need for a middle man to create a design and then contract out the actual fabrication.
Design is vital to a high quality final product. Even on a small order, such as a few tooling balls made from unique materials, precision and design separates professional machine used mig welder for sale near me shop work from amateur tinkering. Documentation of the entire process allows products to be duplicated and goes a long way towards building a knowledge base for future work.
Finally, the most important quality to look for in custom work is a do-it-right-the-first-time attitude. There’s nothing worse than having to do the same job twice. Find a company that provides high quality work the first time.
