When choosing a steel casting foundry, the most important part of the purchasing process is the supplier qualification. The assumption of qualification of any supplier willing to contractually meet the purchase requirement is totally incorrect and can cause serious quality issues.
You will get efficient and thoughtful service from youzhen.
Choosing an unqualified and low-cost supplier might waste your money and decrease your Return on Investment in the long run. Selecting the right Steel Casting Company for a specific application requires careful consideration.
To help you through this process, here are the top five things that you should consider when choosing the right steel casting foundry:
1) Diversity in Foundry Processes
If you have components that require a variety of designs, applications, and sizes, it is obvious that the best casting process for each of them is not the same one. If a company uses only an investment casting process and the best process for your components is a sand casting process, then you need to determine beforehand about the types of casting processes they do as there could be a manipulation in the quality of the components that are provided to you.
2) Experience
A steel casting foundry having plenty of experience is quite common, but the thing you need to consider is whether they have experience in your market or not. A steel casting foundry that understands where your products will be applied and other various factors can also anticipate and predict potential problems in advance. Hence, while choosing steel casting foundry for your needs, check their website if any and see their key markets. Most casting manufacturers who are experienced and reputable have their key markets published on their websites so it is easier for potential clients to determine if the foundry is right for them or not.
3) Testing and Certifications
Another important thing to consider when choosing the right steel casting foundry is to confirm that your potential supplier has all the proper certifications which can give a proof for their quality of products provided. Quality must be of paramount importance when contemplating on which steel casting company to choose. Most reputable casting companies have their list of certifications on their websites.
Consider and think about the type of testing that you need, like, if you need non-destructive testing (NDT), mechanical testing, or chemical testing. Most metal casting foundries and suppliers outsource any needed testing and some even have in-house capabilities which can save your money as well as time.
4) Product Quality and Price
It is obvious that the quality of the product is what matters the most. Make sure that your potential supplier does not only excel in one kind of market but all kinds. Also, keep the price point in your mind. Lower prices mean lower quality and services but higher prices do not always ensure good quality. Find out what is more important to you, lower price or better quality and choose accordingly.
5) Other Services
Other than providing the usually needed components for your company, check if the steel casting foundry has any other value-added services that can prove beneficial for you. For example, some companies offer professionals who can review your design and material selection and provide recommendations as well while some companies have in-house metallurgy expertise who can guide your alloy selection.
Whether you're bringing a new product to market, improving on an old design or entering the world of metal manufacturing for the first time, you'll need to find the right foundry for the job. Choosing a metal casting supplier can be a daunting task, and not everyone makes the right choice the first time.
These five mistakes companies make when choosing a new metal casting supplier can lead to expensive fixes, defective products, overpriced castings, logistical headaches and customer service nightmares. Read on to find out what NOT to do when choosing a new foundry.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Other Steel Alloy Casting supplier.
1) Bigger is Better
One of the most common mistakes companies make when choosing a new metal casting supplier is to think that bigger means better. Large foundries with brand-name recognition seem like the go-to choice for someone getting started in sourcing, but it's almost always worth your time to look a little deeper.
Keep in mind that larger foundries mean multiple facilities, more complex structures, and a lot more clients. Some large foundries manage work efficiently and stay attentive to client needs, but others might leave you feeling like another number on the tax form.
Especially if you're ordering a complicated part or your design isn't quite finalized, it's often better to work with a smaller company that can give you more face time and more individual attention.
2) Lowest Bidder Wins
A common practice in the noob's world of foundry sourcing is choosing the lowest bidder, but this bad habit can have serious consequences. If you don't verify a foundry's reputation or request a quality guarantee before signing, you might get stuck with a warehouse full of inexpensive, but defective, products. Beyond price, be sure to take a look at the following:
- Reputation: what do current customers have to say about the foundry?
- Transparency: is the foundry willing to tell you about their complaint rates? Better yet, do they publish this information, and is it something to be proud of?
- Customer Service: does someone answer the when you call the foundry? Do they respond promptly to your questions and requests? If it's hard to get in touch with them before they have your business, you can bet it will be a lot worse once you send them a check.
3) Backyard Shopping
The local Yellow Pages are a great place to start your search, but shouldn't be the only place you look for a new foundry. Sure, keeping things local can have a lot of advantages&#;simplified shipping, in-person inspections, easier communications&#;but you really want to focus on finding the best fit in terms of capabilities, quality and consistency. Sometimes you have to look outside your local manufacturing alley to find the foundry that's best for you.
4) Forego Finishing
One way to shrink sticker prices on cast products is to order your castings raw, or with only minimal finishing processes applied. If you don't require boring, tapping, facing or other more complex machining on the parts, you can stop there. But if you have to outsource CNC machining, things can get complicated. You might get stuck managing shipping logistics, work orders, RFQs and queue time for two (or more) different suppliers before you get a finished product.
Instead, try to find a foundry that either has in-house CNC capabilities or has a close relationship with a reputable CNC machine house. The best-case scenario is that you place an order with the foundry, they handle the details, and you get a shipment of finished products. In many cases, you'll also find that by consolidating casting and machining, you'll get more consistent orders completed at faster rates.
5) Disregard Certifications
Certifications are a complex issue in the world of manufacturing. Environmental and safety standards are a must, but things get a bit murkier when it comes to ISO. ISO-:, for example, is one of the broadest certifications available. You'll find the same stamp of approval on restaurants, clothing boutiques and foundries. So what does it actually mean?
The process of obtaining ISO-: certification is different for every company depending on size, industry, facilities and company goals. At the end of the day, it tells you, the customer, that the business has consciously adopted a strategy for growth and continued improvement. It tells you they're not a pop-up shop, or a one-off, opportunistic venture. It tells you that all employees at the foundry are interested and invested in the quality of their products.
Learn more about choosing the right supplier. Download our free Buyer's Guide to Raw and Machined Cast Products.
For more information, please visit Sand Casting Grey Cast Iron Netherlands.
