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Stainless Steel fabrication sources question

Sorry if this question isn't relevant to this newsgroup but I couldn't find the answer anywhere else so I figured I'd drop in and see if anyone here can point me in the right direction. This is not my field of expertise so I'm completely clueless about metalworking.

My small business uses some simple stainless steel parts, simple flat rings and brackets and the like. We use a local fabricator who makes them for us to custom specifications in small batches.

While most of the orders we do are custom measurments, some are standard and the same every time. I was thinking of having some other large manufacturer produce a few thousand of them at a time if that will save us money in the long run. However, I don't know anything about the process aside from my local custom orders but was just assuming that there is a cheaper way to do large runs of this type of simple design. Where would I go to find something like that? Or is there no cheaper way to do large runs like this?

Reply to
AmraTheLion
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hard to answer without more details like thickness, size, complexity, pattern, quantities, etc etc. Posting a picture (not here, do it on a website somewhere and post a link) with a scale would be useful.

But in general, higher volume means lower costs, moving into the next tier of operations can often result in huge differences in costs.

For flat stainless steel parts you can do them with a turret press, cnc turret press, short run stampings, laser, water jet, plasma and the list goes on. Each process has pros and cons in terms of finish, accuracy, and throughput time. Each one also has a tooling cost, as setup cost (per order kind of thing), and a run cost (machine time, operator time, consumables) Each one will have a 'sweet spot' where it is the most competitive way to do that part at that quantity with that repeat rate. Finding the right process and the right shop is the issue.

And I would not limit myself to "large manufacturer". I suspect that some 5 or 10 man sh> Sorry if this question isn't relevant to this newsgroup but I couldn't

Reply to
RoyJ

Reply to
donald

Check out

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for short run prodction. DBW

Reply to
donald

Contact: Begneaud Manufacturing, Lafayette, Louisiana.

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They may be able to do what you want done. They do some OUTSTANDING stainless work with high dollar CNC machinery. They MIGHT take on small jobs. Or you can call around and find someone close to you. Good luck. That's the only one I know and have experience with. Owner's name is Don, IIRC.

Steve

Reply to
Steve B

Give your current producer a shot at larger qtys. He'll appreciate the loyalty even if he can't do the price you want.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

========= It is good to see that your business is growing, and that you are needing more parts.

The trend in most manufacturing operations is toward "Just In Time" [JIT] and the avoidance/minimizing of inventory. Inventory carrying charges at a minimum are 25% per year, may reach 50% per year in high tax areas, and any change in design that obsoletes the parts wipes out their value, except as scrap.

Most likely it would be a good idea to ask your current supplier to see what sort of price break v quantity they can provide. If you can accept variable deliveries, they may welcome a "fill in" job at lower margins that they can use to keep their equipment and employees busy. Other options include long-term blanket POs for 6 months of anticipated requirements, with delivery weekly.

What may be a long run / high volume job for them, is most likely a short run [and expensive] for high volume producers who tend to think in thousands of parts PER HOUR. The high volume/ hard tooling, such as progressive dies, may also be far more expensive.

Unka' George [George McDuffee] ============ Merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gains.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), U.S. president. Letter, 17 March 1814.

Reply to
F. George McDuffee

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