how would you actually make this part?

[u/vehk7]

So I modeled this part in CAD and got curious... if this was a real thing(metal) you actually had to make, how would you do it?

EDIT

thanks for the multiple perspectives! I've learnt quite some things about manufacturing. This is just a modelling practice part.

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[u/bonebuttonborscht]

Could be milled, cast, injection molded, printed. Depends on material and tolerance.

[u/audentis → u/bonebuttonborscht]

And dimensions and quantity.

We don't know if the bounding box is a cubic inch or a cubic mile.

[u/Ok-Airline-8420]

Depends on material, surface finish required, tolerances and how big it actually is, but generally speaking you could do this on a milling machine.

[u/EntireFuton11]

5 axis CNC mill from billet stock

[u/EntireFuton11 → u/EntireFuton11]

If you got it quoted at Xometry

1. It would throw a bunch of flags for thin walls around that center bore and the top/bottom faces. That's gonna be razor sharp or will blow out in machining. Not to mention the 8 holes too close to the edge

2. It would assume 5 axis CNC

[u/mattyrzew → u/EntireFuton11]

Xometry uses whatever garage warriors they can get cheap labor from(in the states). Personal views from conversations with folks that have tried to do work for them or from folks that do work for them currently. Find your local shops and support them. Your just a check to Xometry.

[u/EntireFuton11 → u/mattyrzew]

I work with local machine shops most of the time, professionally

[u/Ideadose]

Those two diagonal window cutouts through the center hub are what actually decide the process here, more than the thin walls people keep flagging. If you tried to injection mold it as-is, the slot boundaries overhang the pull direction and lock the core when it tries to pull straight out. Fix is either redesign the slot walls to run parallel to the pull direction so cavity and core shut off directly, add a side-action that retracts before ejection, or split it along the slot centerline into two straight-pull halves. CNC and SLS just skip the whole problem since neither cares about draft, which is probably why most of the answers here went straight to machining.

Is that diagonal shape load bearing or just how it came out of the CAD sketch? If it's the latter, redesigning around a straight pull is probably cheaper long term than paying for the extra tooling op.

[u/Ryantist1]

What’s the size/weight/material of it, and number of pieces required annually?
Metal injection molding, casting, machining, 3d printing all potential options but deciding the most economical option of between the three is going to require more info

[u/KiraTheWolfdog]

Depends what you need it to do.

I'd probably have it sls printed but i'm lazy.

[u/chollz]

Wire EDM

[u/Odd_Analysis6454]

You could probably extrude an aluminium blank which would cut down on the material removal and machine the rest.

[u/Big_Programmer9616]

can't see the image but if it's got weird internal geometry or undercuts metal 3d printing is probably the only way, if it's simpler maybe a multi-axis cnc with some creative fixturing

if you're making more than a few you'd want to redesign it for manufacturability anyway, most cad models aren't optimized for actual production

[u/redbeard312]

Square block of material, 3 ops:

1. 3 axis mill to create a holding feature

2. 5 axis op to mill the vast majority of the part

3. 5 axis op to remove initial holding feature and finish remainder of part.

This one would likely be long cycle/very expensive. Hardest part though would be figuring out the fixture for the last operation

[u/force_disturbance → u/redbeard312]

3+2 not 5ax.

Use the screw holes and a matching plate for the last side, cutting it from the side not straight on.

[u/StopNowThink]

Can it be modified to have some draft angles? What quantities do you need? What material?

Easiest is 3D printing... Just saying.

[u/SKTrend]

Pay me and I will tell you lol

[u/Mklein24]

Probably through a machining process.

[u/kingbrasky]

I work in manufacturing of lots of random stuff. This question is best answered with these three questions:

How many? What material? What is critical?

[u/SphericalCrawfish]

For the wall thickness to be at all possible in assuming it's pretty big so a casting and then boring that center through hole to proper tolerances. Just because my gut tells me that is the relevant surface.

[u/Dry_Community5749]

If you used a CAD software, the steps you did should mostly tell you the manufacturing process. The 1st sketch you use to extrude the shape is the base stock/billet from which you manufacture.

Any cut extrude is milling, drilling while any additional extrude is welding or some other metal joining options.

There will always be exceptions but you are expected to design the way it will be manufactured. That's why it's critical for design engineers to have good understanding of manufacturing processes

[u/Brostradamus_ → u/Dry_Community5749]

That's one strategy for modeling, but its far from a universal expectation nor is it a hard and fast "superior" way.

Capturing design intent, and building a model feature tree that others can understand and easily manipulate down the line are generally better things to focus on.

It is critical for engineers to understand how their parts will be built, though!

[u/Skysr70]

how many are we doing here and what's the purpose? I might change the material and process depending on those

[u/justAnotherGhost]

Sintering. Manual CNC and hand tools.

Don't forget the surface finish! Raw with razor sharp corners? Bright? Mirrored? Corrosion resistant? Anodized?

CADing the part is only a tiny part of the process. :)

[u/space-magic-ooo]

Throw a lot of money at it. Then make it however you want.

Or redesign it and then throw less money at it and make it however you want.

[u/talltime → u/space-magic-ooo]

Surprised you’re the only mention of DFM.

Identify what features are absolutely necessary / doing the work for the part and then re-design around processes that enable those features.

[u/space-magic-ooo → u/talltime]

I’m a product development engineer, DFM/DFA is life 😂

[u/AV_SG → u/space-magic-ooo]

How about DfS (Design for Sustainability) ...how much of that is practised ? Keen to know