If you are self-employed or a business owner, you might want to have a product manufactured quickly. And as the competition is growing too fast, you have to manufacture quickly to stay in the race. In that case, you will need to get a low volume custom manufacturing service. But is it only a matter of taking the product to the manufacturer and getting it made? In reality, there is much more involved
When it comes to building a business, sometimes you have to do things that you have never done before. You need to diversify and expand into new markets to grow your business. But developing a new product or service takes time. You need to research what works, what doesn’t, and how you can improve things.
When involved in manufacturing, we might think about bulk production or big volume manufacturing. But how to get low volume manufacturing done in a short time? Here we’ve listed some tips for you to get low volume manufacturing in a short time.
Popular Low Volume Manufacturing Processes
CNC Machining
CNC machining is a modern-day revolutionary process that creates high-precision items without direct human interaction. A computer system completely operates this method to create highly precise parts and products.
One of the benefits of CNC machining is its versatility. You can use CNC machining for low volume manufacturing also.
This technology can be used to create parts from a wide range of materials, including metals, plastics, and composites. Additionally, you can create parts with a very complicated geometrical shape which is nearly impossible with conventional machining.
Repeatability and accuracy are the two most significant advantages of CNC machining. When properly programmed, a CNC machine can produce parts that meet tight tolerances without requiring manual adjustments.
The most impressive thing about it is that it can make many parts with properties that are hard to make with regular machines.
This method is the best way to quickly make a small number of high-quality plastic and steel parts that need a good finish, precise measurements, and properties that are unique to the material.
Injection Molding
When we talk about Injection molding, it might be large volume plastic production. Since its high mold cost, the large volume production could lower the per cost. However, right now with the rapid tooling in the injection molding process, you can easily achieve low volume production with a favorable price. Custom manufacturing company RapidDirect is dedicated to providing low volume injection molded parts in a short time.
The first step in the injection molding is to create a mold from a 3D model or 2D drawing. This mold is then used to shape the molten plastic that will become the finished part.
When you use injection molding for low volume production, you get several benefits. For example, the parts are highly accurate, and the turnaround time is minimal and low cost. Additionally, this process can be used to create highly complex parts with intricate details.
Small-scale producers currently confront a number of challenges, and low-volume injection molding could be the appropriate solution. Faster manufacturing can be achieved thanks to this method’s shorter lead time as well as greater budget flexibility.
3-D Printing
It can take weeks to construct an injection mold from the ground up. There is an inverse relationship between complexity and completion time. A plastic product used to require tooling or molds initially before it could be produced for a single end-use. Costs associated with an injection mold tool might be a major concern when aiming for a low-volume distribution ( Less than five to ten thousand pieces. ).
3-D printing, on the other hand, does not necessitate the cost of tooling. You can also save a lot of time because there is no need for any tooling.
3D printers, filament, and a design are all you’ll need to start using 3D printing for production. If you have the design in your hands, you can immediately begin manufacturing. The advantages of 3D printing include reduced lead times and lower costs.
If you are looking for a low volume manufacturing 3D printing is the ideal choice in most cases. Moreover, you can achieve very complex geometric shapes with 3D printing which is very tough using other methods and the costs also increase.
Examples of Popular Low Volume Manufacturing
Many factories use low volume manufacturing because it is more cost-effective than bulk production and offers more advantages. Here are some examples of common low volume manufacturing:
- Short-run component manufacturing
- Injection molding of plastics
- Manufacturing of highly specialized parts
- As a rapid prototyping bridge toward mass production
- To match production and functional prototypes with the finished product
- Industries involved in custom CNC machining
- Companies that need low-volume metal fabricated parts
- Part testing and verification prior to production
Conclusion
In this highly competitive business, low volume manufacturing is becoming more and more popular these days. As the product’s life cycle gets shorter and consumer demands get higher, there will be an increased demand for this technology. Furthermore, low volume manufacturing is cost-effective, and manufacturers can market their products in a short period of time.
Low volume manufacturing increases the design flexibility, cuts additional expenses, and lowers the risks for manufacturers. Customers may now get higher-quality parts and products at lower prices because of manufacturing technical improvements that make low-volume production more cost-effective and economically viable.