Mass production

[eprobe]

All;

I started thinking about designing products when I bought my '81 CJ-5 about 18 years ago. It was manufactured by AMC. It had problems. I came up with custom solutions, some of which worked, some of which didn't.

Anyway, I designed a simple, cheap Jerry can holder in my head and I'm working on the third prototype. I'd like to manufacture it but that's where I'm getting out of my depth. I need help. I need to cut 3/8" metal bars to length, deburr the edges, drill holes in them, bend them, paint them and assemble them.

I can do the last three steps but cutting and drilling is time-consuming. I'm looking for a shop here in the U.S.A. that could handle an initial order of about 200 units. I need to get a quote. Does anyone here have dealings with a good shop that can handle that kind of order?

Thanks in advance. I will have more questions of a more technical nature. It's great to see so much expertise assembled in one place!

[Kelly_Bramble]

Search the internet for sheet metal fabrication/forming services... send them your engineering drawing and get a quote. Ask for references...

[jboggs]

Check you local yellow pages for machine shops. Ask some local manufacturers who they use for outside machining services.

[CCR5600Design]

We had a need for similar manufacturing here at our shop. We bit the bullet and invested in an ironworker to perform the same functions you just described. There are several brands of iron workers to choose from and all perform pretty well. Tooling is available for bending, punching, shearing, coping and other processes. We got one for around $11K and have used it so much in the last 3 years it has paid for itself many, many times over.

Using your favorite search engine, type in "iron worker." Find a local dealer/distributor and chat with him about what you want to do. He may even have a line on a used unit. It might be worth your while to keep operations in house rather than farm them out.