If you are planning on acquiring custom tools for industrial or commercial purposes, you must be diligent in creating an ideal design. In general, the design of the tool will determine its practical functionality. Also, the ease of manufacturing the product will depend on the specific design. In addition, the cost of your custom tools will be directly influenced by the created design. Here are simple tips to help you create an efficient and effective tool design for your needs.
Choose Suitable Materials
When designing your tools, you should choose an ideal material for the fabrication. Under ideal circumstances, a tool manufacturing material should be durable but economical. Simply speaking, the right material should be tough enough to handle the potential usage tasks without sustaining damage. However, you should remember that resilient materials are more expensive to purchase and fabricate. Therefore, there should be a balance between these opposing factors.
Consider Potential Rate of Wear
Your tool design process should take the rate of wear into account. If the tool life is too short, you will experience significant losses. In general, the tool life is influenced by premature damage and gradual failure. Premature damage occurs when a tool loses its functional properties due to unexpected circumstances. When creating your design, you should think about the possible types of accidents that could lead to sudden tool damage.
For instance, if a tool will be used in a high-temperature environment, you should ensure that the design protects against heat damage through insulation. Gradual wear refers to the natural failure of the tool through normal use. This form of degradation cannot be avoided because there is no everlasting tool. However, you can estimate the length of time over which the tool can be used. The information will be critical for planning for the use and sale of the products.
Think About Cost of Production
The primary goal of tooling design is to produce a functional item that can fulfil its purpose within acceptable limits. In addition, the created product should be produced at an acceptable cost in comparison to its application. If you design a good product but it is too expensive to manufacture, then you will have failed in your tooling design objectives. However, the cost should not cause you to overlook other factors. For instance, a tool should be safe and easy to understand and operate. Where possible, you should also increase the versatility of the final product through creative design.