Pro Tips for Being Successful With Custom Acrylic Plastic Fabrication

Blog

Plastic is perhaps one of the most adaptable materials, and this design definitely lends itself well to fabrication. However, you have to take certain steps during fabrication to really come out on top. Here a just a couple of fundamental tips to really remain aware of. 

Review Design Complexity

The first aspect of fabricating with custom acrylic plastic is working out a design. You want to carefully think about the design complexity that you're going to rely on because it will influence which manufacturing options you need to rely on for effective fabrication results.

Having a very complex design with possibly a bunch of compartments will ultimately narrow down your manufacturing options. Sometimes, designs are too complex to really work in real life. If you think your designs have reached this point, simplify them a bit so that you're not forced into difficult fabrication. 

Decide Between High-Volume and Low-Volume Fabrication

You have the option of going with high-volume or low-volume fabrication. Figuring out which option is ideal is important to do quickly because then you can start fabricating acrylic plastic right away. 

Think about the volume of custom acrylic plastic components you need for this project to be a success. Low-volume operations will be more affordable and you may even be able to have custom acrylic plastic components made on an individual basis. You also might be able to be more complex in your designs with this approach.

Whereas if you have a lot of custom acrylic plastic parts to fabricate, you need high-volume operations that are able to support a large quantity effectively and efficiently. 

Find a Manufacturer That Can Provide an Optimal Lead Time

Lead time is something you want to focus on throughout custom acrylic plastic fabrication because odds are, your project is on a certain deadline. You don't want to ignore a manufacturer's lead time and then get back acrylic plastic components well past your deadlines because that's a good way to drive up costs.

Instead, you need a manufacturer that is totally capable of providing an optimal lead time -- whether that's in 24 hours or a couple of days.

A lot of great methods have surfaced to support custom acrylic plastic fabrication. What you need to do when pursuing them is make the proper assessments so that fabrication is set up in a full-proof way. Then you won't be as worried about the results. 

Share

4 February 2021

Perfecting Your Manufacturing Protocols

When you run a business, things can get complicated in a jiffy--especially in your backroom. You might wonder why operations are getting delayed in the packaging department, or why those trucks always seem to be running behind. However, if you learn to carefully evaluate your company's processing and manufacturing department, you might be able to streamline the entire process. My blog is dedicated to small business owners like myself, because I want you to be able to avoid some of the mistakes I made in my early days. Check out these articles for information that might come in handy someday soon.