6 Tips to Optimize Your CAD Processes for Metal Fabrication

Are your CAD processes optimized to save you money and time? 30% of a CAD operator’s day is spent completing non-productive tasks. Understanding the fabrication process and the shop’s operating procedures will help you make fewer mistakes and cut costs by saving time on redesigns.

Designing your parts in CAD is more than just laying out dimensions and materials. With the right software and processes for how to use it, you can grow your business. Efficient CAD software processes can help you reduce your material costs, win more bids, and produce higher-quality products.

1. Understand the Fabrication Process

You need to know how the shop is working with your designs if you’re going to optimize them. Communication with your fabricators is crucial to your process. Knowing how your design is created out of sheet metal will keep you from making common mistakes — you’ll learn the limitations so you can create designs that are more cost-effective and durable.

Fabrication Techniques

Sheet metal can be fabricated by punching, cutting, stamping, bending, or other techniques:

• Punching — Sheet metal is placed between a punch and a die with the same shape, creating a hole or depression.
• Cutting — Various tools cut the sheet metal, including water jets, lasers, plasmas, or tin snips.
• Stamping — A stamping press forms the metal into shape with male and female dies.
• Bending — Sheet metal is bent in V-shapes, U-shapes, or channel-shapes using brakes or presses.

2. Pick the Right Materials

The selection of metals your fabrication company can provide will affect your design’s cost, durability, aesthetics, resistance to heat and chemicals, conductivity, and corrosion resistance. Consult with your fabricator early to help select the perfect material.

Common metals used in sheet metal fabrication include aluminum, copper, gold, iron, magnesium, silver, stainless steel, and steel.

3. Keep Your Designs Simple

Intricate designs are harder and take longer to manufacture. Limit unnecessary flourishes or narrow spaces — tight areas with small grooves can compromise structural integrity.

• Stay consistent in your designs. Maintain the same bend radii, countersink, and hole diameters to reduce tool changes during production.
• Include bend reliefs. Add a bend relief anywhere a bend turns into a flat surface to keep the part from tearing or breaking.
• Design your parts with corner fillets, measuring about half the thickness of the sheet metal being used.
• Include a flat layout showing the finished part before it’s bent into shape, including cuts, notches, and holes.

4. Streamline Your Workflow

Streamlining your workflow reduces production time and improves product consistency. Take a detailed look at your current operating procedures and identify tasks that are completed regularly, then find ways to speed them up. Automating some work with machinery and robotics can enhance productivity and reduce human error.

Create and maintain a standard operating procedure that allows you to analyze performance goals and identify areas for improvement.

5. Educate and Cross-Train Employees

Employees are less tempted to cut corners when they understand the impact on the project. Cross-training employees can save you future headaches and cut costs — when workers can move from one job to another seamlessly, production continues without wasted time.

6. Choose a Fabricator Wisely

Keep in mind capabilities, experience, methodology, customer service, and quality of work when choosing a company. Questions to ask include:

• How do you manage difficult situations when budgets are tight?
• Where do they purchase raw materials from, and how long does it take?
• Do they have reputable references?
• How do they envision their company growing, and what steps are they taking to stay current?
• Do they have the appropriate equipment required for your project?
• Have they invested in technology to speed up production?
• Will they allow you to tour the facility?
• Will all work be completed in-house, or will they outsource part of your project?
• How do they handle emergency situations?

How We Can Help

Optimizing your CAD processes is essential for the success of your business. EMS uses innovative technology to streamline our workflow. Our staff is knowledgeable and knows how to work with you quickly and efficiently. Contact us and find out how we can help with all your fabrication needs.