How to Slash Production Costs

Cost-cutting is one of the key factors engineers and mechanical designers must consider when developing new components. In this guide, we will deepen your understanding of how to reduce costs for your milled components and present several design tips that can save you up to 50% on your final component cost. By focusing your attention to the key factors affecting the final price-diameter of the end mill, setup time required to make the part-you are going to find better ways of designing to save costs.

Factors Influencing the Cost of Milled Parts

High-Cost Drivers

• Small-Diameter End Mills

  Smaller end mills remove less material per pass, leading to increased processing time.

• Extended Setup Time

  Frequent repositioning of the workpiece and frequent tool changes increase overall production time.

Low-Cost Drivers

• Large-Diameter End Mills

  Larger end mills remove more material per pass, reducing processing time.

• Reduced Setup Time

  Minimal workpiece repositioning and fewer tool changes streamline the machining process.

Cost-Saving Design Tips for Milled Parts

Increase the Corner Radius
By enlarging the corner radius of a pocket, sharper corners are avoided, allowing the use of larger-diameter end mills during machining. This adjustment leads to faster processing times and significantly lowers production costs.

The optimal corner radius depends on the part's specific requirements and design specifications. For instance, as shown in the example below, simplifying inner corners to accommodate a larger end mill can reduce the final cost per unit by approximately 50%. This demonstrates the substantial impact of optimizing design for machinability.