Whether you’re a seasoned industry professional or new to the world of manufacturing and metal fabrication, the importance of optimizing expenses cannot be overstated. At Badger Sheet Metal Works, we’ve spent more than a century perfecting our craft and refining our processes to minimize costs without compromising quality. In this month’s blog, we’re exploring innovative design approaches, cost-effective materials, and efficiency-improving strategies to help you achieve your metal fabrication goals without breaking the bank.

Keep the Design Simple

Simplicity in design lowers labor costs, reduces machining time and often requires less material. By minimizing the number of cuts, bends, and welds, you can decrease both production time and expenses.

Other tips and considerations:

• Form as much as possible to utilize materials more efficiently and reduce raw material costs.
• Examine the design specifications of the part to identify areas where tight tolerances are necessary for functionality and where tolerances can be relaxed without compromising performance. Discuss with engineers or designers to understand the critical features of the part.
• For certain materials and joint configurations, stitch welding can be less expensive than full welding and will minimize heat distortion.
• While powder coating can offer advantages in terms of application speed and durability, wet paint is, at times, a more affordable finishing option.

We encourage consulting with our team at BSMW to further explore how a straightforward design can affordably achieve project goals.

Use Less Expensive Materials

Selecting the right materials is a main factor for controlling costs. To reduce expenses and avoid acquisition fees, design for standard sheet sizes and gauges whenever possible. Custom sizes often come with higher costs due to additional processing. You can also explore the possibility of utilizing thinner materials, different grades of metal or alloys while still meeting a project’s mechanical properties and thickness requirements. However, it’s essential to consult with a seasoned metal fabricator to find a balance that doesn’t sacrifice durability just for the sake of saving a few dollars.

Enlist the Expertise of Experienced Design Consultants

Collaborating with a metal fabricator that has in-house design consultants has substantial benefits. This is because they are likely to have prior experience with similar projects, providing valuable insights and recommendations for material selection and design modifications that can enhance the overall manufacturability of your part. By utilizing their expertise, you can create higher-quality products while simultaneously reducing material, production and shipping costs. Opting for a fabricator with in-house design consultants also allows you to reduce the budget typically allocated for the research and design phase in your product development.

Partner with a Full-Service Metal Fabricator

Choosing a full-service metal fabricator eliminates the need to coordinate with multiple vendors, shortening project timelines and reducing overall costs. A one-stop solution also ensures a smoother production process, because a single partner is overseeing the entirety of the project, from design to assembly.

Make the Right Choice to Maximize Efficiency

In the complex world of metal fabrication, understanding the intricacies of the production process is crucial for achieving cost efficiency. We’re not talking about cutting corners, but rather about making smart decisions in material selection, design simplification, and choosing the right partner for the job. These strategic choices can lead to significant cost savings while maintaining the high-quality standards your projects demand.

As you navigate these considerations, the value of partnering with a full-service metal fabricator cannot be overstated. Badger Sheet Metal Works stands as a leader in providing a one-stop solution for all metal fabrication needs, streamlining the process to save you time and money.

Take the next step toward optimizing your future metal fabrication projects: Reach out to Badger Sheet Metal Works today so we can show you how our tried-and-true methods can better your project’s bottom line.