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how to minimize total production costs of projects with extruded aluminium

Knowing the main manufacturing costs can help to reduce the total cost of your project. This is important because your profit will rise significantly when you are able to control the cost of the aluminum profiles. The following tips will help you to know the main costs of procuring extruded aluminum and how you can minimize them.

Material Costs

Most aluminum profiles are made of aluminum and other alloy additives. The type of aluminum and the alloy elements can have an impact on the final cost of the product. Other costs that add to the total material cost include the cost of anodizing, powder coating and other surface treatment. Special packaging materials should also be added while calculating the total material cost. Nonetheless, it is important to choose quality over quantity because, using the cheapest materials for surface coating, for instance, will not give the desired surface finish or durability.

Quality Control and Inspection

Inspection of the aluminum profile at each stage is important to determine whether the process needs adjustment. The prompt feedback received will help to maintain quality throughout the batch. Although it may add some additional cost to the project, working with a manufacturer or supplier who will perform quality inspections at each stage is a worthwhile investment. It will eventually save you a lot of time and money because you will not run into any major problems later.

Lead Time for Production

While it is desirable to get your product delivered at a very fast pace or within a short time, this could increase the cost of the project. Pushing the product rapidly through the production process will add new expenses to the total manufacturing cost. For instance, your supplier will have to allocate more manpower and machine time to complete your job early. It may also compromise the quality of your product because if your product needs to pass through a process like aging and the profiles are not allowed to stay for the required time, it can result in a lower quality product that will eventually cost you more.

Order Volume

When you order a higher volume, the unit costs are usually lower for the batch. Low volume orders, on the other hand, will cost more. The cost of some production tools like dies and other specially designed equipment will have to be spread over a small volume so the cost per unit will rise. So as much as possible, you should order the required minimum order quantity to ensure that you can get a lower cost per unit.

Finishes and Fabrication

The type of finishes you choose for your product can either increase or reduce the total production cost. For aluminum, it is important to know the kind of function and environment where it will be used before you choose a particular type of finish. If you need to use it for architectural work that will affect the overall beauty of the building, powder coating offers the most consistent surface finish. In places where color is not really important, you can make do with anodizing and reduce the overall cost of surface treatment.