Finding the right custom metal fabricators for your needs will help propel your project forward and ensure your exact specifications are adhered to. When selecting your custom metal fabricator, you should evaluate if they have the right capabilities and are able to scale to meet your growth goals. You should also ensure that they have the industry knowledge and expertise necessary for success.
But how do you start vetting potential manufacturing partners? First, you should speak to them in an initial consultation. You can tell a lot about them in that first meeting, but only if they ask the right questions. Here are 5 questions potential custom metal fabricators should ask about your project before you begin.
What Custom Metal Fabricators Should Know About Your Project
#1: What are the Project Requirements and Specifications?
First and foremost, manufacturers need to understand what each project entails to ensure that they will meet your exact specifications. They need to take into account size, dimensions, materials used, and whether the part requires complex or simple geometries in order to proceed. If they don’t understand the essence of your project, then they can’t help manufacture it.
#2: What is the Project Timeline?
Next, your custom metal fabricator must understand how much time they have for your project. This will affect how quickly they must act for prototyping and then production. Choosing a one-stop manufacturing shop like Advantage Metal Products is useful because they can provide advanced services in addition to fabrication, like assembly, inspection, and custom metal machining. Providing these services in-house eliminates unnecessary delays in the process, which gets your project to the finish line faster.
#3: What are the Quantity Requirements?
Your metal fabricator should be able to handle any quantities that you require, including small amounts or larger production runs. Your custom metal fabricators should be suited to scalability, and should be able to effortlessly transition from the prototype stage to production, no matter the size, while maintaining quality throughout.
#4: What are the Budget Constraints?
It’s important that both you and your fabricator are on the same page regarding your budget so that there are no surprises when your project is finished. Choose a custom metal fabricator who has cost-effective services, like selecting quality materials and optimizing the entire production process by utilizing a skilled team and continuously improving each step.
#5: Are There Any Known Design or Engineering Challenges?
Your custom metal fabricator must be aware of any design or engineering challenges right away. A quality fabricator will have supports in place to overcome those challenges. For instance, they should use the Design for Manufacturability (DFM) process, which can save you time and money. Engineers can also use software like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) in order to accurately plan your project and ensure efficiency and quality.
What Else to Look for From Custom Metal Fabricators
Along with technical capabilities and experience, other things can have a major impact on the success of your projects. For example, the quality of communication between you and your fabricator can affect the overall project. You should be able to voice your concerns to your custom metal fabricator and trust that they will find solutions without compromising quality.
Quality assurance practices are another key aspect to look for. How does your metal fabricator ensure that the project has been produced without errors? For instance, Advantage Metal Products uses advanced inspection equipment, like the Keyence WM-3000 CMM and Virtek 3D Laser Scanning Machine, to guarantee that tolerance requirements are met. As an ISO 9001 and AS91000 certified company, we make sure your products are of the highest quality.
Project management is another essential service your custom metal fabricator should provide. This helps them streamline communication, optimize production processes, and save costs. Remaining flexible and scalable is also important because it allows for more customizable services that will meet your specific needs.
Work with Expert Custom Metal Fabricators at Advantage Metal
At Advantage Metal Products, we have the capabilities and experience necessary to successfully manufacture your product. Our expert custom metal fabrication services, paired with our other value-added services like assembly and machining, is matched only by our outstanding customer service. We proudly specialize aerospace manufacturing and medical device manufacturing.
If you’re ready to level up your next project, contact Advantage Metal Products today.
