The Impact of Process Replacement on Sheet Metal Product Design: The Use of Steel Extrusions Versus Formed Sheet Metal

Abstract

The sheet metal manufacturing industry, with its rich history and legacy, continues to seek innovative methods to enhance automation and reduce costs in an increasingly competitive market. Design for Manufacturability & Assembly (DFMA) has emerged as a strategy to simplify product designs, thereby improving manufacturing eOiciency and reducing production costs. This research suggests the use of extruded steel profiles as an alternative to traditional sheet metal components that pose challenges for automation, particularly heavy gauge narrow channels. Additionally, it advocates for replacing manual press brake operations with advanced automated tube laser technology. The proposed shift not only simplifies the manufacturing process but also aligns with the broader goal of global cost reduction and process standardization, which are essential for enhancing New Product Introduction (NPI) eOiciencies. The findings demonstrate that maximizing the application of tube laser technology across a diverse range of channels and products can lead to significant cost savings, ranging from 49% to 79%, with a payback period of less than two years. Even under fluctuating raw material prices, the tube laser method remains economically advantageous. Moreover, redesigning products to enhance compatibility with tube laser technology has shown to increase the automation compatibility of an example product to 100%, underscoring the importance of incorporating DFMA principles from the early stages of product design.