Custom components are manufactured according to your exact specifications and specific requirements of customers. While the manufacturing process varies, quality control of these components is pretty significant.
Here are different methods these custom parts are manufactured and the ways to ensure quality of these products.
Part 1: CNC machining
CNC machining uses pre-programmed software to cut or move material. It produces metal and plastic parts with unparalleled precision. A typical CNC machining process consists of six main steps.
- Milling: A rotating cutting tool makes contact with a stationary workpiece.
- Turning – A rotary cutting tool makes contact with the workpiece.
- Drilling – A rotary cutting tool contacts the workpiece, and a hole is drilled.
- Perforation – removes material to create a cavity inside the workpiece.
- Machining – removes material by making a shallow cut
- Sawing – using a saw blade to create a narrow slot in the workpiece.
However, there are some limitations to CNC machining. For example, most CNC machines have rounded tools, so the shape of the workpiece is limited to curved corners due to the device. If you want the edges of a custom part straight, it can be challenging to do this on a CNC machine.
CNC machines are also limited by tooling design, material selection, and minimum part thickness.
Part 2: Machining sheet metal
Sheet metal is a common metal used in manufacturing because it can be used to make vital metal parts that meet your specifications. For example, in sheet metal fabrication, flat steel or aluminum plates can be turned into high-quality custom components.
Sheet metal parts can be manufactured in pieces of various sizes. These parts are used in multiple industries such as furniture, construction, automotive, and aviation.
There are two main methods of manufacturing sheet metal: cutting and forming. Cutting is separating the metal by applying a force so that the material is machined into the desired shape. Force application methods include shearing, heating, and abrasion.
Part 3 Stamping
Stamping is the process of placing a rough workpiece or coil of flat metal into a stamping press, where the metal forms a clean shape on the surface of the tool and dies. This is a cost-effective and fast method of mass production.
Metal stamping is commonly used to manufacture parts for the automotive, medical, and aerospace industries. With the growth of the global market, the demand for metal stamping is increasing due to the need to manufacture complex components in large quantities and quickly.
By programming the machine and using computer control, stamping operations can be highly accurate and repeatable. In addition, computer-aided design (CAD) and electrical discharge machining (EDM) programs are often used to ensure accuracy.
Part 4: Injection Molding
Injection molding is one of the best methods of manufacturing parts by injecting molten material into a mold. This process provides excellent performance and cost-effectiveness for mass-produced parts.
Injection molding is best suited for high-volume production, where the exact part is produced repeatedly in succession. One of the main reasons why injection molding is chosen is that it can be easily scaled up from small to large scale production. As a result, even though the initial cost may be high, the price per unit can be significantly lower, which helps to keep costs down for high-volume production.
How do you ensure the quality of custom parts?
Some products require custom parts to be manufactured, and the quality of these parts is strictly controlled. Therefore, a reputed inspection company in China needs to address quality issues by conducting detailed incoming inspections before your details are assembled.
For example, during the pre-shipment inspection, inspectors check the following points and perform several field tests to ensure that the customer requirements are fulfilled precisely.
- Primary material verification: to make sure that the components are made of the requested material.
- Visual inspection: Visually check if the component matches the given design.
- Dimensional check: To check whether the dimensions of each part of the component meet the requirements.
- Weight check: To check if the weight of the part is correct.
- Checking the dimensions of the region: Checking if the domain is correct.
In addition, if custom parts are critical, a CDF (Construction Data Sheet) can be created to verify the part. CDF verification is a less costly alternative to having every electronic component in your product tested by a specialized lab.
A quality control China can be commissioned to inspect specific areas or points depending on your needs. There inspectors will perform the inspection and generate a report to ensure that the quality of your parts meets your requirements.