When you want to reduce the cost of designing enclosures using deep drawing technology, you should consider a number of things. One of the biggest considerations for designing and procuring deep drawn enclosures is the cost. Those who would like to drive costs down might benefit from the following tips.
Blank size
Not many realize this, but one of the hidden costs from deep drawn enclosures comes from the engineered scrap that is needed to procure the blanks. If the annual quantity for a particular part number is huge, then one can sometimes procure custom sizes for the enclosures. Many times, though, they will normally come from master coil sizes that vary between 36 and 72 inches.
For very low quantities, one can produce blanks from standard sheet sizes varying between 8 and 12 feet. Optimizing the blank such that excessive amounts of engineered scrap are eliminated can reduce the costs dramatically. However, blank size should also include enough amounts of material necessary for trimming and work holding.
Minimizing material
When looking to design and procure deep drawn enclosures, the minimization of the material required for the work holding and trimming is one of the ways through, which one can reduce cost. The blank size for the part that is finished is normally different from the actual blank.
Apart from the dimensional requirements, the required finish for the surface and the tolerance dimensions could need additional materials to accommodate secondary processes. These are those that are not necessarily specified on the drawing, but could be permitted on the enclosures.
Design phase thin out
During the forming process, the material formed experiences tension and compression throughout the cycle. Typically, a section of the material thins in several locations, normally towards the closed end of the shape. The open end of the shape, on the other hand, will normally thicken. If one allows for these during the part design stage, then the scrap will remain low and the design will work well.
When selecting the material for the deep drawn enclosures, choose material that has a better ability to form. Choosing formable materials means scrap is either eliminated or minimized. However, it is important to realize that this might be difficult especially if the application needs a certain amount of strength and stiffness. Some materials tend to harden when formed, like stainless steel. Enclosures made from aluminum, for instance, can generally be tampered with to improve their mechanical properties.
