How to Choose Build To Print Metal Forming And Fabrication?

When you have a design detailed enough to begin production, build-to-print services provide the time, resources, and equipment you don’t have in-house to complete manufacturing. The next time you need to manufacture a replacement component or new product, Waycon Manufacturing can help you increase your efficiency, safety, and quality with our build-to-print services.

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WHAT DOES “BUILD TO PRINT” MEAN?

Build-to-print is a service manufacturing companies may offer clients. In a typical build-to-print scenario, your company has an engineer create a drawing of the component, equipment, or finished product they want to create. This drawing is very detailed, including exact measurements, materials, and any other relevant details. You can even specify manufacturing processes that should go into building the product.

Then, you involve a manufacturing company that can take this drawing and bring it to life. The component or system the manufacturer creates should adhere exactly to your specifications. A build-to-print service gives you the option to handle the design process in-house but outsource the manufacturing to a company like Waycon Manufacturing that is well-equipped to realize your vision.

WHAT IS THE BUILD TO PRINT PROCESS

The following breaks down the steps in the build-to-print process:

1. Design

A build to print manufacturer does not design to print — they need a print design ready to go. Therefore, you start the process by designing the product you need manufactured in-house using your company’s engineers. In some cases, you may need to use build-to-print services to replicate an existing object, such as a failed component in a piece of equipment you use in your operations. In these cases, rather than designing a product from scratch, you’ll need to document the build specifications so the manufacturer can create an exact copy of the component.

2. Review

Once the manufacturer receives your design, they will review the drawing carefully with help from their in-house engineers. This review ensures they have the information needed to manufacture your product and that it falls in line with their build capabilities. Next, adhering to your design specs, the manufacturer will adapt the design for their manufacturing process so they are ready to begin building the product.

3. Manufacturing and Assembly

The build-to-print company will manufacture the component, equipment or product in-house, following the client’s specifications exactly. When you work with Waycon Manufacturing, you’ll remain in conversation with our team throughout the manufacturing and assembly stage to ensure we’re meeting your expectations. We are equipped for a wide range of processes, including various types of cutting, CNC machining, metal forming, welding, fabrication, sandblasting, painting and much more.

WHY DO COMPANIES CHOOSE TO OUTSOURCE WORK?

Having a component or system built to print is a way of outsourcing work. There are several reasons a company may choose this route. Let’s consider some of the main pros of outsourcing build-to-print services. Handing over design specifications and outsourcing manufacturing can allow you to:

• Focus on your strengths: When you outsource work that would otherwise take up more of your company’s time and resources, you can invest more time and energy into the core of your business. In other words, you can double down on your strengths and concentrate on managing your business effectively.
• Streamline your operations: Outsourcing parts of the process also helps you streamline your operations. In some cases, this may prove to be a more cost-effective option — especially if you don’t have the equipment or expertise needed to efficiently build your product.
• Maintain control: One of the great advantages of build-to-print compared to other outsourcing avenues is that it allows you to maintain complete ownership of your intellectual property. It also enables you to control the way your product is manufactured so it meets your exact specifications.

Then, you involve a manufacturing company that can take this drawing and bring it to life. The component or system the manufacturer creates should adhere exactly to your specifications. A build-to-print service gives you the option to handle the design process in-house but outsource the manufacturing to a company like Waycon Manufacturing that is well-equipped to realize your vision.

WHEN TO USE BUILD TO PRINT SERVICES

There are two scenarios when you might use build-to-print services:

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• Replications: If a component on your industrial equipment breaks and it isn’t a standard part you can quickly replace, build-to-print is an excellent option for replacing the component and getting your equipment working again. Rather than attempting to create the component in-house, you can provide a drawing to a build to print company and have your equipment working again in short order. This tends to be the most common application for build-to-print services.
• New builds: You can also use build-to-print services for new designs and builds. For instance, you may want to create a prototype of your new design to test it out and see if you need to alter the design. Or you may want to do a low-volume run of a particular product and may not have the in-house capabilities to produce the product to your standards of efficiency and quality.

WHAT ARE WAYCON’S BUILD CAPABILITIES

When you partner with Waycon Manufacturing for build-to-print services, you gain access to our extensive range of capabilities. This includes engineering support to ensure your project meets your expectations, as well as the equipment, materials, and expertise needed to handle a variety of manufacturing and assembly processes.

With our CNC machine shop, we can take on advanced CNC machining projects and deliver with precision. Our state-of-the-art tooling enables us to hold tolerances of up to 0. inches in diameter. We can also weld metals using processes like metalcore, flux core, TIG, MIG, stick, hardwire, and full pan welding. These are just a couple of examples of all the capabilities you gain when you work with Waycon Manufacturing.

Waycon Manufacturing is well-equipped to take on a variety of projects involving diverse materials and manufacturing processes. If you need a build-to-print partner to manufacture your component or system, Waycon Manufacturing can provide the comprehensive manufacturing, procuring, and logistics service you’re looking for.

WHAT IS DESIGN AND SPEC?

Design and spec refers to the process of designing products from scratch in order to meet specific client needs. Design and spec can help clients develop tailored suggestions on how to solve their problems. The manufacturer is often helpful in assisting product design and development, which includes discussing and coming up with a solution. As a manufacturer, we see a project from the beginning to the end when it comes to design and spec. 

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“Metal 3D printing” is an umbrella term that is used to describe several manufacturing processes for additive manufacturing of metal parts. The material is processed in a layer-by-layer manner, through sintering, welding, or melting. Two common metal 3D printing processes are Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS). Both of these use powder-bed fusion technology. While metal 3D printing can produce parts from a large range of metals and metal alloys, the best materials for metal 3D printing are stainless steel, tool steels, titanium, and Inconel® (nickel-based) alloys.

This article will define what metal 3D printing is, how it works, discuss the four best materials for metal 3D printing, and what materials work best in different applications. 

Other Metals You Can 3D Print

Metal 3D printing can be performed using a wide range of metal powders. These include, but are not limited to, steel, aluminum, stainless steel, copper, cobalt, tungsten, titanium, and nickel-based alloys. Precious metals like platinum, gold, palladium, and silver can also be used in 3D printing.  

How Metal 3D Printing Works 

The working principles of a metal 3D printing method depend on the material used, whether that be a powder, filament, or wire. Out of these three options, printing with powder is the most common method. 

With powdered metal 3D printing, the metal powder for the first layer is spread out by the powder coater, or recoater, on the floor of the build platform. A high-powered laser or electron beam is then used to selectively bind together the material as it scans the powder. This creates one solid layer of the object. The platform is then displaced downwards by 50-200 microns while another even layer of metallic powder is distributed over the previous layer and the process is repeated. 

Metal wires, on the other hand, are the most affordable raw material form for metal 3D printing. The wire is melted with a plasma arc, laser, or electron beam. Direct Energy Deposition (DED) is an example of a 3D printing method that uses metal wires to produce parts. It is primarily used for repairs or for adding features to existing metal parts.

Metal filaments are just thin plastic wires impregnated with metal particles. This raw material choice makes sense when using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printers. FDM works by extruding the heated filament through a nozzle onto the build platform to create a part. After printing, the part is placed on a debinding station to melt the plastic away using a solvent and then sent to a sintering furnace to fuse the metal particles together into a solid metal piece. 

How To Select the Best Materials for Metal 3D Printing 

To select the best metal 3D printing materials for your project, follow the steps below:

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1. Define the performance requirements of the part to be produced. The requirements can include both environmental conditions to which the part will be exposed as well as mechanical stresses that are expected in the operating state.
2. Compare the performance requirements to the material specifications. This means checking the properties of the material to assure that that will satisfy the end-use requirements and operating conditions. For example, do you need a material with good mechanical strength or good corrosion resistance?
3. Choose the material that best fits the performance and part requirements expected so that it will provide reliable operation and good service life.