Do you ever have issues with parts that could have been avoided in the design stage? A robust design review with a MetSource Castings Engineer will help reduce cost, limit delays and improve quality, positively affecting your bottom line.
Consider the advantages of including MetSource as early as possible in the development of your new part and or assembly. We will analyze your component(s) utilizing DFM (Design for Manufacturing) principles, DFA (Design for Assembly) principles, and the latest casting solidification technology to offer suggestions for:
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Optimal manufacturing process utilization
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Part Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA)
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Material and environmental considerations
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Compliance and Testing requirements
Optimal manufacturing process
There are numerous considerations for choosing the optimal process for manufacturing a part. Each consideration leads us towards or away from competing processes.
Size range – Sheer size can eliminate certain processes if too large or too small
Number of parts required – Some processes (such as die castings) are suited for higher production runs than other low-run processes.
Tolerances – Different processes have limited capability to achieve specified tolerances
Surface finish – is the surface finish requirement for an aesthetic purpose or a food-grade cleanliness requirement. Perhaps a lesser surface finish can be achieved in certain areas of the part, and secondary processes for better surface finish in critical areas
Draft – Some casting processes require draft to allow the pattern to be removed from the mold. Can draft be present on your particular part, or will secondary machining be required to eliminate draft on specific surfaces?
Tooling cost – This is best answered by the amortization cost of the Tooling over the life of the program. Tooling for some processes may eliminate the ability to pay for the Tooling.
Lead times – we analyze competing processes and suppliers to determine which process and supplier are offering the best lead time when you are ready to place an order.
PART DESIGN (DFM and DFA)
MetSource will review your design to ensure problematic features are eliminated prior to Manufacturing.
Things to avoid in your design:
- Sharp corners, edges and rapid changes in cross-section. These are all stress raisers for the casting process. Fillets should be added to sharp corners and edges.
- Undercuts should be avoided in castings for ease of Manufacturing. Undercuts add complexity and cost to tooling and the molding process.
- Wall thickness variation result in differing rates of cooling, shrinkage, warping and distortion. Ideally, the wall thickness should be uniform throughout the part within specific tolerance limits.
- Can a part be better designed for ease of assembly? Better yet, can an assembly be re-designed as a single-piece casting to reduce cost and labor times?
- Following the part design review, solidification modeling and flow simulation are performed. Analysis of any problematic areas may lead to further design feature recommendations or changes in the proposed rigging structure to ensure successful casting results.
MATERIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS
Are there any environmental considerations that require changing the part’s proposed design or material? Choosing the right alloy is a mix of cost versus performance. Some environments require additional alloying to achieve suitable results. MetSource can offer suggestions based on experience in a wide range of environments.
COMPLIANCE AND TESTING REQUIREMENTS
We will help you determine the optimal testing and compliance procedure to ensure our Casting suppliers provide your required quality at a minimal cost. If you are new to castings, the litany of NDT requirements may be overwhelming. Let MetSource guide you with suggestions to optimize casting quality and minimize cost.
