Sheet Metal Fabrication Case Studies by VIP

The most prominent example of a design improvement was our approach on a product specifically used for mail collection. Our engineering staff redesigned the assembly at the subcomponent level to incorporate a cellular approach towards the forming, welding, and assembly processes, including robotic welding. Included in their contributions were the design and manufacture of an automated roll-forming machine and an extensive method of fixturing that allowed for robotic welding of the unit. The forming and welding processes that originally involved multiple operators are now performed by one operator. These improvements provided a significant decrease in direct labor and product cycle time. The result was a 20% decrease in the cost of the unit to our customer.