Complex sheet metal fabrication projects demand mastery of the full range of sheet metal fabrication techniques and technologies, including expert CAD capabilities. Complex projects often require additional fabrication capabilities in solid metal, synthetic or organic material manufacturing and assembly to create a high quality finished product that satisfies the design criteria.
What are the demands of complex sheet metal fabrication?
When we think about complex sheet metal fabrication projects, we need to look at what makes a product more complex. This starts with the requirement for multiple manufacturing processes, includes requirements for materials with different engineering characteristics, and continues with special requirements for finishes.
Final assembly is a very important consideration in complex sheet metal fabrication, especially if it requires the inclusion of electrical, electronic or mechanical components to complete the production process. Delicate components, potential shock and leakage hazards all have to be properly integrated into all stages of design and production including reliable assembly processes.
How do you design a complex sheet metal product?
When you are designing a new product that will require complex production and assembly, you need to consider all the techniques and stages that are required to complete it. For example, if sheet metal cutting, forming, bending, and joining are all required to make your design, then you need to ensure that your sheet metal fabricator can carry out all the necessary stages in-house to maintain high quality standards and a good fit for all the components..
As part of Design for Manufacturability (DFM), you have to ensure that the finished product can be easily assembled. There’s no point in making complex individual components if you can’t assemble them into a finished product. This does not always mean that you have to compromise on the interest and quality of your product, but you do need to consider who you will partner with to manufacture and assemble it.
How hard is CAD for complex project design?
It can be difficult to produce reliable and accurate engineering drawings for complex sheet metal projects using CAD, simply because there are more factors that need to be considered when mixing material types, thicknesses, and construction methods. For example, if you include multiple bends or progressive curves in a design you need to develop an understanding of how sheet metal behaves when formed to identify exact fit and alignment in the finished product.
- Designing accurate progressive curves
- Material allowances for multiple bends in one sheet
- Behavior of metals with different thermal properties
- Integrating non-metal features and functional components
There are also additional complexities when you include a wide range of materials in your project, for instance if you have aluminum and stainless steel, these have different thermal conductivity and expansion properties, which can cause unforeseen problems with distortion if you are designing a kitchen product, or anything that might be exposed to high temperatures.
These are good reasons to work in partnership with an experienced sheet metal fabricator, because they will have a CAD design team who will immediately be able to look at your design and identify where minor changes may be required or modifications that are needed to avoid errors that can cause significant delays in prototyping and manufacturing.
How doesTaiwa help with your complex sheet metal fabrication project?
The award-winning Taichung Station Perpetual Calendar pictured above is an example of one of our successful sheet metal fabrication projects. Taiwa has the latest machinery, tooling and CAD capabilities as well as a long history of successful sheet metal project design and fabrication. We also offer high quality assembly services, and work with some of the most innovative and emerging designers in Taiwan to manufacture complex products.
5 reasons why Taiwa is the perfect partner for any complex manufacturing project
- Full range of sheet metal fabrication machinery on-site
- Extensive tooling library for a wide range of forms & shapes
- Highly experienced and professional product assembly team
- Strong partnerships with suppliers and bespoke fabricators
- Excellent CAD design and development team
We carry out all manufacturing and assembly processes under one roof at our comprehensively equipped factory in Taiwan. The availability of skills and technology in one location to complete even the most complex projects improves manufacturing efficiency and quality control of the finished product. Contact us to discuss how we can make even the most complex sheet metal fabrication project easier to manage and more cost-effective.
