Back to blog

Digital manufacturing is reducing tooling cost by 40%

August 21, 2017 | Vention Official

tooling-on-MAP

Despite the latest innovations in engineering software, the design and manufacturing of tooling remains highly manual with a series of segregated web and desktop environments that designers must navigate to complete their project. It is easy to imagine all the time spent on industrial distributors and part manufacturers’ websites figuring out part compatibility before the first part is ever assembled in SolidWorks or Inventor.

Working with our customers, Vention led 5 different “tooling project deconstruction” exercises to quantify work content, schedule, and costs associated with each design step from “ideation to purchase of the complete equipment”. Those custom projects were then reconstructed using our Manufacturing Automation Platform (MAP). Acting as a “single digital thread,” MAP unites the selection of modular tooling parts, cloud-based 3D design, and online purchase of the designed tooling under one platform.


Cost Areas and Cost Opportunities in Tooling

Our research demonstrated that on average, 50% of the total cost for a tooling project is related to engineering and procurement hours, while the remaining 50% is related to material, manufacturing, and assembly costs for vendors and custom parts. Interestingly, unifying all the steps from part selection, to design, to purchase under MAP not only accelerates lead-time by up to 10x but also reduces cost by approximately 40%.


Compressing the Engineering and Procurement Workflow

Out of the 40% savings identified, 28% came from a significantly compressed “engineering and procurement” workflow. In MAP, tooling engineers create assemblies out of modular and off-the-shelf parts (see our Parts Library). Those modular parts can be selected and bought directly in MachineBuilder, our cloud-CAD design environment. Thus, no more custom part designs are required with 2D drawings becoming unnecessary.

The remaining 12% of identified savings came from significantly accelerated vendor part selection (i.e., happening directly inside MAP vs. on various distinct websites), 3D assembly (supported by smart CAD connectors specific to modular parts), and procurement process (involving “straight-through” online purchase).


Total Average Cost for a Tooling Project

Including engineering, procurement, manufacturing, and assembly.
tooling-project-average-cost


Implications for Tooling Engineers

As the product lifecycle keeps getting shorter, engineers are under pressure to create tooling that can be rapidly designed and deployed at low cost. Fortunately, recent developments in digital manufacturing have paved the way for the integration between 3D CAD software and modular industrial hardware, enabling significant savings and a much shorter project timeline.

vention-logo

Save your seat for Demo Day 2023

Join us on October 5 for a packed agenda of demos and product releases
Back to blog

Latest Stories

September 28, 2023| Etienne Lacroix
The State of DIY Industrial Automation report serves as a strategic guide for industry players looking to capitalize on the opportunities presented by DIY industrial automation and the transformative potential of the Advanced Manufacturing Team.
September 18, 2023| Quinn Harker
Vention attended FABTECH 2023 to showcase our automated solutions for machining, inspection, and material handling. Read our recap of the event to learn more about our demos and experience at the show.
September 15, 2023| Quinn Harker
Vention attended PACK EXPO 2023 with three demos, showcasing the power of our modular hardware combined with our intuitive software.