6 Ways to Reduce Your Sheet Metal Fabrication Cost
When customers first partner with us for sheet metal fabrication, they’re often surprised by our efforts to help them save money on their project. Some shops simply take drawings and start cutting, but we dive deep into the details of your project to ensure you receive the highest quality parts while still controlling costs.
Over the years, we’ve identified several key strategies that customers can employ to minimize their costs when collaborating with Baillie Fabricating and Welding. Discover six cost-reduction tips that can help you stay within budget in your next sheet metal fabrication project.
1. Design for Bending, Not Welding
One of the biggest impacts on your project’s cost is a single choice: whether to bend or weld. Parts that can be manufactured with bending instead of welding will have far lower labor time and associated costs. We’re proud of the strength and quality our welding services deliver, and welded parts will be structurally sound, but eliminating welds wherever possible is one of the fastest ways to reduce fabrication costs.
2. Use Our K-Factor and Bend Radius Charts
Designs requiring a high degree of accuracy will need a shop’s true K-factors instead of industry-standard generic values. We provide our shop-specific K-factor and bend radius charts (see below) to help customers optimize their design process. If you use generic K-factors, redrafting may ultimately be required to ensure your part is manufacturable.
Download our shop’s K-factor tables below:
3. Order in the Highest Quantities You Can
A project’s price per part will almost always decrease as quantity increases. One-off parts, in particular, can be expensive due to setup fees and layout costs. You may not be ready for high volumes, but even a modest increase in order quantity can help reduce your per-part cost. When you will need more parts in the near term, consider ordering them together. You can still receive an initial part for quality inspection before we complete the full run.
4. Tackle Finishing On Your Own
While we’re happy to provide metal finishing services or manage your finishing process, handling your finishing operations in-house can help you reduce your sheet metal fabrication cost. Many of our customers choose to perform their own deburring, painting, powder coating, or polishing on parts we’ve fabricated.
5. Redraw Your Parts to Avoid CAD Costs
As noted earlier, we sometimes identify design issues, such as incorrect bend radii, that require redrafting before fabrication. We offer CAD modeling services; however, if you redraw the part yourself, this can eliminate the CAD drafting costs you’d otherwise incur.
6. Choose Fasteners That Allow Movement
Fasteners like spring nuts or captive fasteners can accommodate slight adjustments during assembly. By including these elements in your design, you can reduce the need for tight tolerances, thereby lowering both machining complexity and overall sheet metal fabrication costs.
How Can We Optimize Your Next Project?
These tips can help your next project’s budget, but they’re only the beginning. In our 30 years of sheet metal fab, we’ve seen it all, and we’re ready to help you refine the details of your project to make a big impact on your bottom line.
Request a quote today to learn how our Pennsylvania metal fabrication shop can help you reduce your sheet metal fabrication cost!
