More Sheetmetal Pricing Angst

Tim, You might torment:

I know of no online resource for estimating machined or sheetmetal parts. Mainly because tolerances are the cost driver, in addition to the number of tight tolerances. Estimating parts is an art, requiring many years of experience. Some jobs are simple; some, like yours may require days of tooling to hold the tolerances. (Assuming you still use the original sketch.) Dave

Don is a very very smart man. Listen to him.

Gunner

You think like an engineer, Tim! Being one is no excuse.

Exasperate the estimators. Go visit them, sit down with them and tell them what you wanna do and ask them how they'd suggest you do it. Be open to their suggestions. A good estimator can help you do what you wanna do if you let him or her do it. They know a hell of a lot more about sheetmetal than you'll learn on the internet. They'll happily defer the practice of engineering embedded controls to you.

Every shop is different because costs depend on capital assets and processes available.

You need to decide and communicate what you want your sheetmetal structure to do.

Tim Wescott wrote in news:FPGdnQjhToGhY0janZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@web-ster.com:

Don't know of any online estimating, but as I noted, they will be cheaper without the bends, especially if you provide an accurate electronic drawing they can import to the laser or waterjet software. The cost driver then becomes the bracket with the tapped holes. Might want to consider using a cheap plastic for the bracket with pilot drilled holes and self-tapping screws designed for use in plastic.

The group has pretty much talked me out of the notion of trying to get precision out of the sheet metal shop (as did the estimator that I talked to). If the part is amenable to it, once I get done with the sheet metal shop I may get a price for having the holes drilled on a mill as a secondary operation, but I think my best bet is to either assemble the board onto the base with a jig to center everything, or to hand-adjust things as the board is assembled to the base.

That's if I don't just use the pot as one of the bearings -- I think this is going to prove to be a Bad Idea, but I'll be testing one soon to see just how much violence I do to the thing.

Blush. Don is an old injunear who has paid attention now and then along the way.

I'll do that. Thanks.