Ideas on What Could Make This Easier to Manufacture

[calvingnast]

Hi, any ideas how how to make this design cheaper to manufacture? The main dimensions (all in mm) should stay relatively unchanged. I'm curious what the difference in cost is when considering how many rounds or how rounded it should be. I'm thinking a good chunk of the cost will come from the design of tablet holder inside the case. Would making it in multiple pieces instead of one whole piece be cheaper? What process would you recommend for making a single use unit? So far we have settled on either CNC machining or hot bending and using ABS as the material. Any recommendations?

 

[MikeHalloran]

I'd make it from 2mm aluminum sheet, with a CNC machined plastic window frame sort of thing with all the fiddly bits to hold the tablet and snap into the big opening.

Plastic parts like the drawing are labor- intensive to make, especially if your tolerances are tighter than carpenter standards, and the finished product tends to be very easy to flex.





Mike Halloran
Corinth, NY, USA

 

[IRstuff]

You need to provide more information about the environment:
> Where is it being used
> Who is using it
> How often is it used
> What environment is it being exposed to



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[hendersdc]

Looks like a text book sheet metal part. I would go with cold rolled steel vs aluminum for added cost savings and ease of forming. Those small tabs inside the window could be made with a forming tool on the punch press tough you would need to redesign them slightly to be compatible. In reasonable volumes this would be single digit $'s per part. I agree with Mike that making this out of plastic adds a lot of cost to the part.

 

[calvingnast]

Thank you for your advice everyone!