An aerospace company was racing against the clock. It needed a close-tolerance titanium bracket for a critical satellite assembly. With launch approaching, the project engineer turned to a familiar solution: an online broker.
The engineer uploaded the CAD file, received a fast quote with automated DFM feedback and approved the job. At first, everything seemed on track. But as production began, issues surfaced.
First, a key tolerance couldn’t be achieved. Next, a poorly positioned hole near a bend made assembly challenging. The resulting delays for new fixturing, design adjustments and production setbacks cost three weeks and added pressure to an already tight schedule.
What seemed straightforward was anything but. In retrospect, the team realized it could have benefited from a partner that offers a more hands-on approach, with strong engineering and project support.
Managing Part Design Variables
There are many variables involved in producing affordable parts that are consistently high quality, including:
- Part design
- Manufacturing method
- Material selection
- Manufacturability
- Geometry-specific issues
- Advanced prototyping
- Designing efficient production processes.
Many of these variables require human judgment, critical thinking and creativity to arrive at an optimal solution.
Design engineers are often tasked with balancing design intent, manufacturability, performance, cost and speed, all while navigating supply chain constraints and trade-offs between materials, processes and finishing options. In situations like these, having a partner who can help you zero in on the right solution can be worth its weight in gold.
The Value of Expertise
Digital platforms are reshaping an age-old question: Do you prioritize speed and cost or select deep expertise that ensures the best outcome?
The speed-and-cost model is “brokering,” which pairs OEMs with manufacturers that are the best fit with their stated needs. Online marketplaces act like an online matchmaking service, connecting companies that need parts and the shops that can manufacture them. For parts with simple geometries and repeat orders, it offers a streamlined, affordable approach.
The alternative, “orchestration,” delivers a more complete solution, including design input, detailed DFM analyses, advice on part optimization, assistance with rapid prototyping and transitioning part designs smoothly into production. It’s preferred by designers who need help optimizing their designs for manufacturability, reducing costs and selecting specialized finishing options for high-performance parts.
Orchestration is central to Fathom’s White Glove approach, which emphasizes a hands-on, engineering-driven model that’s customized to each project.
Helping Engineers Work Through the Nuances of Part Manufacturing
As part complexity increases, manufacturing technologies evolve and applications become more challenging, OEM design engineers and procurement managers frequently need help optimizing their parts for production. In the orchestration module, an experienced engineer at a contract manufacturer:
- Asks critical questions about the design intent of the part.
- Challenges assumptions and talk through potential solutions and their trade-offs.
- Involves production engineers in the process, ensuring that prototype part designs can transition smoothly into production.
This hands-on approach leads to better-informed decisions, fewer surprises and ultimately better outcomes for everyone involved.
Orchestration’s Core Strength
Orchestration increasingly serves as the foundation for successful, high-value manufacturing outcomes. The orchestrator’s core strength lies in actively managing complexity. Orchestration is the preferred choice when:
- Products are complex or highly engineered
- The OEM benefits from design and manufacturing guidance
- Projects must scale reliably from prototype to full production
- Risk mitigation and quality control are critical factors
Using an online broker makes the most sense when:
- Part geometries are fairly simple
- The design doesn’t have special manufacturing or finishing requirements
- The current design has been previously manufactured successfully
As manufacturing grows more sophisticated, orchestration helps ensure that complex part designs get the attention and optimization they need to achieve production success.
