Sourcing fasteners and standard parts gets easier and faster

When designing a new machine, a design engineer has to source and specify many component parts. There is an obvious choice when it comes to buying-in key electromechanical components such as motors, inverters, gearboxes, roller chain etc. However, in every machine there are hundreds of smaller components that literally hold the equipment together. The temptation for design engineers may be to start designing these, which can slow-down the design process and ultimately reduce the company's competitive edge; however, there is now an alternative.

Machine tools, process equipment, handling equipment and general manufacturing structures are becoming ever more complex and, in many cases, ever more specialised; the task of a machine designer now is therefore also becoming increasingly specialised, and there is less time available for developing small parts; now there is an open resource to help designers in this way.

Depending on the type of machine being designed, there are any number of fastening components and standard parts that need to be considered to ensure that the equipment will operate efficiently and reliably: quick release pins, cam clamps, torque screws, toggle clamps, magnetic catches, gas struts, hinges, handles, levelling feet and anti-vibration mountings all spring to mind; though the list could keep on going. Each of these components is designed to solve one of a thousand potential problems the designer needs to overcome.

No design engineer can be expected to have the required expertise to design from scratch, or even source and specify, each component on their own, especially when you take into consideration the variations in size and materials that each component has available.

Speeding up the machine design process by sourcing readymade components and standard parts at the CAD stage can reduce the potential time to market for any new machine design. Compressed design time can also translate to reduced test and production development time; using components that are already tried and tested, with known performance envelopes, avoids additional testing and prevents surprises further down the line that can be time consuming and costly to rectify.

Reducing the overall time-to-market for a new machine can also make a machine builder more competitive. Reacting to changes in market conditions, and hence customer requirements, faster than your competitor will usually translate into a commercial advantage. The speed of change in final product design and the increasing globalisation of manufacturing means that any advantage in this climate should be taken advantage of.

Instant download of ready-made CAD files

Outsourcing the supply of fasteners and small mechanical standard parts at the design stage has been made possible only by accessibility to the instant download of ready-made CAD files. When asked if "giving away' CAD drawings was a business risk, WDS responded by simply saying that unless your company makes fasteners already, then the service can only be a useful resource.

John Blair, Manufacturing Manager for WDS, comments: "We have radically changed the way we do business in the last 10 years; we used to rely purely on a paper catalogue and engineers giving us a call to ask what products we had in stock that could solve their problem, or fit the envelope they had available. Now, machine designers are our entry point to the market, and so providing fully annotated CAD drawings was the only way forwards; we started supplying the entire file on CDs, but even that is slow compared to today's on-the-fly web solution. CAD drawings have to be provided instantly, any time of the day or night. Once a product is designed-in, why bother making it when we probably already have it in stock? We will even manufacture fasteners, fixtures and fittings to order, one at a time if needs be.

"Our sales and technical support teams all have hands-on experience in the manufacturing and design industry and are directly involved in the operations of our manufacturing facilities. Working with the design engineer's drawings, and talking with them directly, our sales team is trained to find the ideal component for the application at hand. They are also able to assist with the design of specials or bespoke components from scratch when necessary.

"When a product is modified, or a bespoke component is designed, it is allocated a unique CS number at the point of customer sign-off. These numbers are held on file to be easily accessed in the event of a second order. The CS numbers are never deleted, meaning we can make repeat batches of the same product on request year after year."

In the formative stages of a project it is very common for a small order of just one or two of each component to be made. A lot of bulk suppliers of smaller components operate minimum order numbers or small order surcharges which can be inflated on their advertised "bulk order' pricing. At this stage it is often important to keep costs down, so the machine builder should ensure that the supplier operates with a degree of flexibility to budgetary constraints.

Delivery times also need to be considered. While most orders for common parts can be met with a quick response for most stockists, it is rare that they control the manufacturing, which means that very common or rare components may be out of stock, resulting in a long delay. Bespoke components could also be subjected to long delivery conditions.

Same-day order despatch

WDS manufactures over 60 per cent of its products at its production facilities located next to its stock room. John Blair explains why the company has opted to invest in manufacturing rather than outsourcing its production: "Owning and operating our own manufacturing facilities translate directly to the quality of service that is experienced by the customer. By maintaining complete autonomy over the manufacturing of the product portfolio, WDS is able to operate a lean manufacturing process that ensures each part is re-stocked at appropriate times and to the right levels. Over 50 years of experience has allowed us to hone our stock profile to ensure that over 95 per cent of orders from the standard catalogue range can be processed and despatched in the same day.

"Where components are bespoke designed for an application, a new design of casting and patterns will often need to be made. This means that the manufacturing process can take up to 7 weeks, though each order will be tracked by the sales team to provide accurate updates on progress. After the initial order, the standard lead time for specialised components is as little as 4 weeks."

While smaller components such as fasteners are undoubtedly important to the overall quality of a new machine, it is no secret that design engineers do not spend weeks deliberating over the correct toggle clamp or index plunger. This is why it is important to speak to suppliers of standard parts who understand the manufacturing process and can act as a specification partner during the design stage.

A standard parts manufacture and supply specialist, such as WDS, is able to source and deliver thousands of components on short delivery times. Its knowledge of requirements within the design industry means that it has an experienced sales team on hand to recommend the correct products; offers free downloads of CAD files for each of its standard components; manufactures in-house; has no minimum order requirements; and keeps all bespoke orders on file for future reference. To find out more, visit the website at www.wdsltd.co.uk.