Top Powerful Factors that can Impact Manufacturing Costs

As we all know, CNC machining has become the most widely used service in most industries. When you have any CNC machining requirement, the first thing to do is approach a service provider and asks for a quote. Most of the times, the quoted price may feel like a random guess. Similarly, the manufacturing costs may sometimes look too high or, very cheap, at times. What are the factors that decide the rise or fall of manufacturing costs? Would you like to know? This post is focused on discussing these points. So, the next time you approach a CNC machining service provider, you have a clear picture in your mind about how you can save on extra costs. 

What are the Major Factors that Impact the Manufacturing Costs?

Although the cost of manufacturing will depend on the 2D and 3D CAD files, still knowing what factors are responsible for impacting the manufacturing cost will only make you wiser. These impactful factors are as follows:

1. Cost of Material: The cost of material is the first and most critical factor that has a direct impact on the manufacturing cost. You can consider enquiring about the local cost of raw materials, which will help you in estimating the cost of material. The cost of the material can be extremely cheap or too high. Those materials that are available at a cheaper price may not deliver the quality you are looking for. On the other hand, the costlier or high-end materials tend to last for several years and deliver a better performance than various cheaper materials. 

2. Design Complexity: Another important factor that goes a long way in deciding the manufacturing cost is the intricacy of a design. The more intricate or complex a design is, the more is the manufacturing cost involved. Why? To execute complex designs, an advanced facility equipped with cutting-edge machinery is required. Thus, when a manufacturer has invested big amounts on high-end machinery, to deliver precise parts, it does reflect on the manufacturing cost, too. Thus, though not directly, but a complex design does have a significant impact on the cost of manufacturing, indirectly.

3. Cost of Surface Treatment: There are many CNC machining techniques, which require no additional surface treatment; whereas there are some that may demand additional surface treatment. Earlier, various types of chemical solutions were used for surface treatment. Although many of these solutions were inexpensive, still they were condemned for their toxicity, which was contributed by substances like lead. These surface treatments were thus declared unsafe for use. Over the years, the use of these substances was controlled under the RoHS directives. Thus, there is a high demand for lead-free, and RoHS compliant surface finishing solutions. Many of these surface finishes may increase your manufacturing costs. Hence, it is important to check on their costs with the manufacturer. 

All the above factors go a long way in deciding the manufacturing cost of the CNC machined products. There are a few other factors that have a critical impact on the cost of manufacturing. Intrigued to find out what are they? In the upcoming post, we will be discussing them in detail. Keep watching this space.