Ways to Cut Your Sheet Metal Fabrication Costs: My Top Tips

I have been in this business for many years, and I have seen many kinds of projects. Some projects arrive with a great design that is ready for production. But many others are not so ready. The projects that have problems often share one thing: their sheet metal fabrication costs are too high. The good news is that you have a lot of say in the final price. In this article, I want to share the things I have learned. I will give you simple, real-world tips to lower your sheet metal costs. These tips will help you save money without making the quality of your part any worse. If you want to save time and money on your next project, you should read on.

How Does a Simple Design Lower Your Sheet Metal Fabrication Cost?

I always tell my customers that the design part of the project is where you will either stay on budget or go over it. Making your design simple is one of the easiest ways to save money. When we get a design for sheet metal parts, we first look at how complex it is. A complex design has lots of small details, strange angles, and a very detailed shape. This kind of design takes more time for our machines to cut sheet metal. More time on the machine always means a higher cost for you. The simplest way to reduce cost is to make your design as simple as you can.

You should think about what the part really needs to do. Does it truly need that fancy curve or those very small slots? Every single cut, every hole, and every bend in a sheet of metal makes the final part cost go up. When you are designing sheet metal parts, try to think like a person who has to manufacture it. Picture a big, flat sheet of metal. A laser or a punch machine has to move over that sheet to make your part. The shorter the distance the machine has to travel, the faster we can make your part. A clean and simple design lets us manufacture it quickly. This is an important point for any engineer who wants to optimize their project. Small changes you make early in the design process can lead to significant cost savings later on.

Are You Picking Smart Materials and Finishes to Save Money?

The type of metal you pick has a big effect on your final quote. When a customer gives us a design, one of the first things we ask about is the material. Using a specialty metal when a normal one would work just fine is a common way to make your sheet metal fabrication costs go up. It is always a good idea to use common materials and finishes that are easy to get. Materials such as cold-rolled steel, stainless steel, and aluminium (like 6061-T6) are good choices to start with. They are cheaper, and we keep them in our shop all the time.

Finishes are another area where you can find easy savings. For example, do you really need to anodize a bracket that will be on the inside of a machine where no one can see it? Does every sheet metal part need a powder coat finish? Sometimes the answer is yes, but not always. I have found that many parts have rules that are too strict for what they do. Every step we take to finish a part adds cost and time. When you select a sheet metal material and a finish, ask yourself if it is really needed for the part’s job. A simple design and material choice is usually the best choice for your budget.

Here is a quick table of some common sheet metals:

Why is Thinking About the Bend in Your Design So Important?

A bend is what we do to turn a flat sheet of metal into a 3D part. But not every bend is the same. The most important rule is this: using standard bend sizes is one of the easiest ways to cut your costs. Every sheet metal fabrication shop has a set of standard tools for bending. If your design asks for a custom bend size, we might need to buy a special tool for the job. This adds extra cost and lead time to your project. You should try to make every bend in your part have the same size. This way, we do not have to stop our machines to change the tool.

Also, you should think about where you put each bend. If a bend is too close to the edge of the sheet, the metal can rip or get bent out of shape. If a bend is too close to a hole, it can change the shape of the hole. A good rule to follow is to keep your bend at least four times the sheet metal thickness away from any edge or hole. This simple rule helps us make your sheet metal part without any problems. A well-placed, standard bend makes the manufacturing process go much more smoothly. This is a very important part of design analysis to improve your final metal product.

How Can Making Assembly Easier Lower the Total Cost?

I have seen many projects where the single sheet metal parts are cheap to make. But then, putting the final part together is very hard. A difficult assembly that uses many different screws and nuts can get rid of any money you saved on the parts. One of the best ways to reduce your overall cost is to design parts that are easy to put together. For instance, can you use features like tabs and slots? These can make parts fit together on their own. This means we don’t need special holders to put it together during assembly.

You should also think about using fewer parts that are designed in a smarter way. Instead of using a weld to join two simple metal pieces, could you use one sheet of metal with one more bend? A weld is a separate step that must be done by hand. It takes time and a skilled person, which costs you more money. If you can remove even one weld from your design, it can make a real difference. I always suggest that my clients optimize their design for assembly. The goal is to make it so easy that anyone could build it with very few instructions. This method will save you time and money.

What Kind of Tolerances Make a Part Easy to Build?

Tolerance is very important in sheet metal fabrication. It tells us how much the final measurement can be different from the design. A “tight” tolerance means we have to be very, very exact. This often requires slower machine speeds and more checks for quality. This is a sure way to make the price tag go up. I often get a design for a sheet metal part where the tolerance is very strict on a part of the design that is not super important. When I talk to the engineer, they often tell me, “I just used the setting that came with my software.” That simple setting could be adding a lot of unnecessary costs.

My advice is simple. You should be realistic with your specification. You should only ask for tight tolerances on the features that truly need them. For example, the position of a hole for a screw might need to be very exact. But the dimension of an outside edge might not be as important. Good manufacturability means your design can be made easily over and over again. Making a tolerance less strict on a non-critical area of your metal design is a free way to lower your cost. Ensure that your sheet metal part is designed to be made easily, not just to look perfect on a screen.

How Do Your Design and Material Choices Affect Cost and Wait Time?

Every choice you make in your design changes the final cost and lead time. When you select a common metal sheet, we can get started on your job right away. If you choose a rare type of metal, it might take weeks for us to get the material. This is a very large factor for your project’s schedule. The same thing is true for the thickness of the metal. If you use standard sheet metal sizes, it means we have the material here and the right tool is ready to be used.

The way you design your sheet metal parts also makes a difference. Parts that have many different features will take longer for a laser cut machine to make. Parts that need us to set up different machines will also take more time. We are always looking for ways to cut costs for our customers. Often, the best way is to optimize the design itself. Our sheet metal fabrication services include looking over your design. We search for chances to make it easier to manufacture. This directly leads to a lower quote and faster delivery for your metal prototype or full order.

Can Smart Part Layout (Nesting) Save You Money?

Here is a trick that many people outside of our business don’t know. Efficient nesting is the way we plan the layout of your parts on a big sheet of metal. We do this so we waste the smallest amount of material. You can think of it like cutting cookies from dough. You want to place your cookie cutter very close together to get more cookies. We do the same thing with your sheet metal parts. Better material utilization means we use more of the sheet metal, and there is less scrap metal. We pass those savings on to you.

How can you help with this? A design with straight edges is easier for us to nest than a design with a big curve. It is even better if you design parts that can fit together like pieces of a puzzle. We use special computer programs to optimize the layout on the sheet. But a design made with this in mind makes the computer’s job much easier. If you are ordering a lot of the same part, or a group of parts made from the same metal sheet, this is a great place for cost-saving. Sheet metal fabrication is considered a process of changing a material, and using the sheet metal well is a key part.

How Does Your List of Hardware (BOM) Make Things Cost More?

Your hardware bill of materials, called a BOM, is a list of all the extra parts you need for your assembly. This includes things like screws, nuts, and other small parts. I have seen a BOM that can make the part cost twice as much. The secret is to use standard parts you can easily buy and common hardware when you can. A custom fastener will always cost more than a standard one we can buy in large amounts. You should try to use the same kind and size of fastener all over your design. This makes buying the parts easier and the assembly process quicker because the worker does not have to change tools.

Another tip is to design features right into the sheet metal to use less hardware. For instance, instead of adding a hinge part, can you design a bend that works like a hinge? Instead of needing separate card guides, can you bend small tabs in the metal to hold a computer board? Can you use a fastener that locks itself in place or a thread form instead of a separate nut? Every piece of hardware you can get rid of in your design is a victory. It makes the BOM simpler, makes assembly faster, and gives you a less expensive final product. We can implement these smart design ideas in our sheet metal fabrication process.

What are the Common Design Mistakes that Cost You Money?

I see the same mistakes again and again. They may look like small things, but they drive up costs and lead time in a big way. One of the most common mistakes is to design details that are too small or too close to each other. For example, trying to punch a hole that is smaller than how thick the metal is can be very hard to do. It can even break our tool. Another problem is putting holes or cuts too close to a bend, which we talked about before. These small problems can make us use a more expensive method, like using a laser instead of a punch, just to make your metal part.

Another costly mistake is forgetting about the inside of the sheet metal part. When you bend a sheet of metal, you have to be sure a tool can actually fit inside to make the bend. A design for a box that is deep and narrow can be impossible for us to manufacture. This is because there is no space for the bending machine. Before you say your design is finished, do a quick check in your mind. Picture how the flat sheet of metal is folded. Can each step be done with a standard machine? Thinking like this is key to a good design for cost-effective manufacturing.

How Can You Make Sure You Get the Lowest Possible Price?

Getting a good quote begins when you give your manufacturer clear information. Make sure your plans are easy to read. They should include all the details we need, such as the material type, thickness, and any special finishes. The more clear you are, the more exact our quote will be. If we have to guess about your design, we will usually give you a higher price. This is to protect ourselves from any problems that might come up. Sending a 3D model with your 2D plans is a great way to prevent mix-ups.

You should feel comfortable talking with the engineer at the manufacturer. When you send a design for a quote, you can ask them: “Are there any ways to make this sheet metal part for less money?” We do this for our customers all the time. We can do a quick design analysis to improve how easy it is to make. We might suggest changing a bend size, using a standard size for holes, or choosing a more common sheet metal. A good manufacturer wants to work with you for a long time. We want to help you do well. Working together with us during the design and quote steps is the best way to make sure your sheet metal project goes well and stays within your budget.

Dinge, die man sich merken sollte

• Make Your Design Simple: The simplest design is usually the cheapest one to manufacture. Take out any details that are not completely needed.
• Use Common Materials: Choose standard sheet metals and sizes that are easy to find. Do not use specialty metals unless you have to.
• Use Standard Bends: Use the same bend size for all bends in your part. Make sure it is a standard size for your manufacturer’s tools.
• Design for Easy Assembly: Use fewer parts, welds, and fasteners. Use features like tabs and slots to help parts line up.
• Be Smart with Tolerances: Only use very exact tolerances on the most important features. Making them less strict in other places is an easy way to save money.
• Think About Part Layout (Nesting): When possible, design parts with straight edges. This helps use more of the sheet of metal.
• Talk with Your Manufacturer: Share your design early in the process and ask for ideas. A good partner will help you find ways to cut unnecessary costs.