Reducing Manufacturing Costs With Design Optimization

Posted by admin on May 19th, 2012

Computers can really provide a lot of assistance to almost all areas of modern life. The individual using their laptop might do all of their personal bookkeeping, tax payments, scheduling, shopping, communication and just about anything else through a computer program. Modern businesses can also enjoy an endless list of benefits by using computers. One very impressive example of this is is the role computers can play in cutting the cost of manufacturing. For instance, manufacturers can reduce the costs of manufacturing through the automation of certain tasks. Manufacturers in a wide range of different industries will also be able to reduce costs through a process known as design optimization. Design optimization is more easily illustrated by using the laser cutting industry as an example. For example, let’s consider a rather busy laser cutting company that makes specialty components and parts from materials like aluminum, copper and steel. To cut manufacturing costs they have decided to begin using specialized programs which will organize their design and manufacturing processes in a way that will conserve a huge amount of time and expense. For example, there are many software packages available including CAM (computer aided manufacturing), MRP (manufacturing resource planning) and also ERP (enterprise resource planning). These will manage future projects, assess them for the materials needed, ensure the materials are on site and ready to use, then get to work using the laser cutter to complete the majority of the laser cuts in a single event. This might see a single piece of stainless steel sent through the laser cutter and used to cut four or five different components simultaneously, and the software will review and arrange all of the parts in accordance with the design optimization program. Using this frugal system will greatly cut manufacturing costs since it makes it possible for staff to manage a single cutting procedure that subsequently might actually tackle several jobs at once. Remember, all good CAM programs will allow the laser to be programed to operate in certain ways during the manufacturing process, and this means ID numbers could be etched on the surface of each component to help people identify which jobs they belong to. Additionally, many machines are capable of handling what are known as “nested” cuts which are done by loading a number of sheets of metal into the machine, and then instructing the laser to follow common cutting lines identified in a single plan. The programs used to reduce costs of manufacturing will actually identify these opportunities and alert staff to the specific needs of the job. A second way that design optimization is used to cut the cost of manufacturing is to depend upon the appropriate computer programs to make sure that all products are being designed with as few component parts as is possible. This is something that is actually easily controllable and which allows manufacturers to guarantee their production costs are kept to a bare minimum while the quality of their products remains high. This is particularly valuable in an industry such as laser cutting as all good programs will evaluate designs and present the best cutting methods and manufacturing process for any specific job. Marc Anderes is the Vice President of Operations of Maloya Laser that is dedicated to Metal Manufacturing and Laser Cutting with state-of-the-art laser technologies, servicing machinery, aerospace, medical, scientific and transportation requirements.