When you think about manufacturing and PADT, you will most often think of Additive Manufacturing, or more generally 3D Printing. Although this new and exciting area of technology is the foundation of our Advanced Manufacturing department, it is only one part of what we offer. As discussed in the opening piece in this series, our manufacturing team also offers part scanning and reverse engineering services. What many people do not know is that our experts, often working with our product development team, also offer consulting services for all kinds of manufacturing.
When it comes to getting parts made, a company needs to find the right manufacturing methods, the proper processes, the right vendor, and the right manufacturing plan to get their parts made correctly and cost-effectively. This is true if they manufacture and assemble in-house, if they outsource the entire process, or if they do a combination of building, buying, and assembling. PADT is a valuable resource that can help investigate options, provide advice on next steps, and even serve as a liaison between our customers and their suppliers and vendors. Whatever the product, whatever the manufacturing technology, and wherever the facility, PADT can help.
Here are some typical examples of what we have done for customers. If you do not see what you need, no worries, contact us anyway and we can figure it out. Simply put, if you need help getting stuff made, we are here to help.
Finding Manufacturing Solutions
Getting products made can be hard. And pressures in most segments for greater performance in less volume for less cost are making manufacturing challenges more difficult every year. Many times traditional methods and processes that have worked in the past just can not get the job done. That is where PADT comes in to look at your needs with fresh eyes backed with a wealth of knowledge about different manufacturing solutions. Sometimes we help change the design and sometimes we change the process, and often we work with our customer to do both so that they can get their parts made.
Vendor Identification and Management
Many customers come to us with a simple request: Find someone that can make this and help us get it made. They may not have the staff with the proper experience needed to find, qualify, and manage vendors. Or those people may simply be too busy. PADT’s network of proven vendors combined with our project management expertise makes for a simple and single point solution for customers large and small. From supply chain, through inspection, to shipment, our team can take on the tasks you need to be done to make sure your products show up ready and to specification where and when they need to be there.
Injection Molding Consulting
The most common type of consulting that we conduct for customers is helping them with injection molding. If they need a straightforward part with no technical challenges, then there are literally thousands of vendors that can do that job. But if the plastic parts they need have challenges, if normal injection molding suppliers have look at the parts and scratched their heads, that is when PADT can step in and solve problems. We can use our knowledge of plastic part design, our large network of expert injection molders, and proven problem-solving skills to find a way to get those difficult parts made in a timely and affordable manner.
Developing New Technologies
Sometimes, there just is not an existing way to get something made. There may be technologies that get close, but nothing that already exists in the right combination. That is when PADT’s advanced manufacturing, simulation, and design skills can all come together to develop new technologies and processes to enable true innovation. From new material combinations to novel post-processing approaches, our team can bring in other experts and suppliers to find ways to push out beyond the leading edge of advanced manufacturing.
We Make Innovation Work
No part of bringing products to market stresses the importance of making innovation work more than manufacturing. This is where all of the ideas and solutions come together to create a physical product. Every product is unique, and every product has unique manufacturing problems. That is why PADT’s Manufacturing Consulting is called on by customers across industries to solve problems and find solutions. And that is why if you are facing manufacturing challenges, you should call on PADT to help you.
