Under the current diversified development pattern of manufacturing industry, the market demand for small-batch sheet metal processing is becoming increasingly prominent. With the acceleration of product replacement, many enterprises, especially innovative enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises, have a growing demand for small-batch and diversified sheet metal processing. In fields such as automobile chassis processing and sheet metal chassis processing, small batches of customized sheet metal parts are often required. However, small-batch sheet metal processing also faces many challenges, such as:

• The small order batch leads to relatively high unit cost, which is difficult to share the cost through large-scale production.
• Customers have not reduced their requirements for product precision and quality, which puts higher requirements on processing technology and production management.

How to effectively control costs and ensure quality while meeting diversified needs has become an urgent problem to be solved in the small-batch sheet metal processing market?

Factors affecting the cost of small-batch sheet metal processing

1. Influence of material selection

Material is an important factor affecting the cost of sheet metal processing. Taking stainless steel as an example, the price of stainless steel of different models is significantly different. Common 304 stainless steel has a relatively moderate price, good corrosion resistance and processing performance, and is suitable for most sheet metal chassis processing scenarios that have certain requirements for rust prevention. 316L stainless steel, because it contains molybdenum, has stronger corrosion resistance and is often used in fields with strict environmental requirements, such as sheet metal parts related to chemical equipment, but the price is also higher. If 316L stainless steel is used in some automobile chassis processing that does not require high corrosion resistance, it will undoubtedly increase unnecessary costs. Therefore, on the premise of meeting product performance requirements, reasonable material selection is a key step in controlling costs. It is necessary to comprehensively consider factors such as the price and applicability of the material and accurately match them to effectively reduce costs.

2. Consideration of process complexity

The process complexity has a significant impact on the cost of small-batch sheet metal processing. Like sheet metal stamping, this process requires specific molds, and the design and manufacturing costs of the molds are high. For small-batch production, the mold cost allocated to each part will be very high. In addition, during the stamping process, the accuracy, and stability of the equipment are required to be high, and the maintenance cost of the equipment will also increase the cost expenditure. The same is true for sheet metal riveting, which requires professional riveting equipment and skilled operators to ensure the quality and accuracy of the riveting. Complex riveting processes, such as continuous riveting in multiple processes, not only increase labor costs, but may also lead to higher scrap rates due to process difficulty, further pushing up costs. Therefore, the higher the process complexity, the higher the processing cost, and careful consideration is required when choosing a process.

3. Optimize procurement quantity strategy

The cost control of small-batch sheet metal processing is a systematic project, which requires comprehensive coordination from materials, processes, supply chains to digitalization. Deciding a partner with 20 years of industry accumulation can not only obtain mature process solutions such as sheet metal stamping and riveting, but also rely on its experience database to avoid hidden costs. Christian Machinery's flexible production system has created a competitive advantage of “small batches are not low prices” through the accumulation of 200+ successful cases, providing manufacturing companies with a truly sustainable way to reduce costs.

The cost control of small-batch sheet metal processing is a systematic project, which requires comprehensive coordination from materials, processes, supply chains to digitalization. Deciding a partner with 20 years of industry accumulation can not only obtain mature process solutions such as sheet metal stamping and riveting, but also rely on its experience database to avoid hidden costs. Christian Machinery's flexible production system has created a competitive advantage of “small batch but not low price” through the accumulation of more than 200 successful cases, providing manufacturing companies with a truly sustainable way to reduce costs.