You can design whatever you like using CAD for 2D and 3D modelling, but how do you get it off the screen and onto your project?
Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in
Founder and CEO, Jim Belousic of @sendcutsend, runs us through what a rapid manufacturing company like his is, what it can offer and what some of the most common pitfalls are for those just learning how to turn images into objects.
Accepted file types include .dxf, .step, .stp, .eps, and .ai, with STEP file types being a more recent inclusion and an option that can require some extra customer guidance when it comes to bending & bend reliefs, geometry sizing, and placements are going to physically work for the manufacturing process. Advice is also given on material choices for manufacturing, noting a rapid manufacturing company like SendCutSend will not engineer a part for you; they are just there to help you make it.
Design for manufacturing (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA) are also discussed with the likes of tab and slot aka self-fixturing design features helping to massive cut down in physical manufacturing time for those that employ them when compared to getting set up with magnets and clamps before welding. An example of this was at their 2022 SEMA stand, where 190 hours of design work took only 22 hours to make.
Some manufacturing options companies like SendCutSend offer will include: Laser cutting, CNC machining, waterjet cutting, bending, anodizing, countersinking, plating, and tapping.
You can design whatever you like using CAD for 2D and 3D modelling, but how do you get it off the screen and onto your project?
Use ‘PODCAST75’ for $75 off your first HPA course here: https://hpcdmy.co/hpa-tuned-in
Founder and CEO, Jim Belousic of @sendcutsend, runs us through what a rapid manufacturing company like his is, what it can offer and what some of the most common pitfalls are for those just learning how to turn images into objects.
Accepted file types include .dxf, .step, .stp, .eps, and .ai, with STEP file types being a more recent inclusion and an option that can require some extra customer guidance when it comes to bending & bend reliefs, geometry sizing, and placements are going to physically work for the manufacturing process. Advice is also given on material choices for manufacturing, noting a rapid manufacturing company like SendCutSend will not engineer a part for you; they are just there to help you make it.
Design for manufacturing (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA) are also discussed with the likes of tab and slot aka self-fixturing design features helping to massive cut down in physical manufacturing time for those that employ them when compared to getting set up with magnets and clamps before welding. An example of this was at their 2022 SEMA stand, where 190 hours of design work took only 22 hours to make.
Some manufacturing options companies like SendCutSend offer will include: Laser cutting, CNC machining, waterjet cutting, bending, anodizing, countersinking, plating, and tapping.
If you've taken the steps to learn CAD, then it can be a really rewarding experience to design and make your own sheet metal parts for your vehicle. Unfortunately for some of us, we don't have local laser cutters, but now there are options in the form of Senkatsu, for example. We're here with Jim to talk about his service.
Speaker 2:Welcome to High Performance Academies' tuned in field report podcast series. In these special midweek episodes, we look back through our archives to find the best conversations we've had through years worth of attending the best automotive events across the globe. We've pulled the audio from these tech filled interviews with some of the industry's most well known figures and presented it in podcast format for you to enjoy as a quick hit of insider knowledge.
Speaker 1:So, jim, we're here at Senkatsu and the name is somewhat self explanatory, but could you explain what service you provide and I guess like how that filters into the automotive aftermarket?
Speaker 3:Yeah, we are a rapid manufacturer, so, on demand manufacturing. What that means is send us your design, we'll produce it for you and deliver it right to your door.
Speaker 1:So, in terms of sending you the design, cad files, lots of different file formats, three letter acronyms and things, can you explain what format people would send something to you?
Speaker 3:Yeah, our preference is DXF format because it's very universal. If you're using any kind of CAD software, usually it can output as a DXF. If you're doing something that's more artsy or creative, a lot of people prefer Adobe Illustrator or some sort of illustration program, so we do accept Adobe Illustrator files natively as well as EPS files.
Speaker 1:Right, so those are all based around, I guess, like 2D outlines of profiles for parts to go along with the 2D cutting processes. You're using step files as their room for something like that in the future with 3D models.
Speaker 3:Yes, step files are something that we're going to be offering, especially for sheet metal bending. Every dimensional bending is often done in SOLIDWORKS or Fusion 360, where you're calculating all the radiuses and how everything goes together. Today we request that you flatten that pattern out so then we can manufacture it and then bend it. But in the future we're hoping that you can just give us the step file and we'll flatten it out and figure everything out for you. Right now, that'll probably be coming towards the end of the year, so next month or so.
Speaker 1:Yeah, cool. Yeah, I guess with the step file of that 3D thing it captures the design intent a little bit more and you're able to see what the person is expecting as the final product.
Speaker 3:It is yeah the reason that we didn't launch with step is because there's some things that you can design that aren't manufacturable. So in the step file, if you design it with a thickness that we don't offer, or perhaps like a bend radius that we don't offer, we would have to reject the file. So with this new release, we're actually making recommendations and suggestions in real time to help you design to something that we can make, instead of just something that no one can make.
Speaker 1:Of course. So that kind of brings us on to the next topic. Nowadays it's getting so easy or accessible to get into CAD software, especially a Fusion 360 being essentially free for personal use. But with modern computers and everything it's a lot more usable for people and to get the basics under control it's a lot easier than maybe some people think as well. But obviously once you've learnt to model you can basically model whatever you can think up, and maybe that comes with some issues for people who aren't so familiar with the manufacturing process. So design for manufacturing or DFM, is a pretty common thing that we hear. Can you just explain a little bit what that is and how you deal with those issues?
Speaker 3:Yeah, dfm is a huge challenge because our customers are very creative. So every time we think that we can predict a DFM issue, someone will come up with a way around it. Dfm is something that we have a team dedicated to every single day since we've started. So today we look for overall part size to make sure that it's within the raw goods. It has to be certain dimensions. It has to have certain geometry. So small geometry and really thick material is challenging. So small holes in half-inch thick aluminum are really challenging to produce.
Speaker 3:We also look at bending and bend collisions. That's a huge problem because maybe you can make it work in sheet metal on the screen, but making it work in sheet metal when it's like a folded box with 15 different bends, it may not be possible with the tooling available. So for us to educate in real time, as you're ordering, is huge, and I want to be able to say hey, you forgot a bend relief right here. Would you like us to add one? Hey, this is going to collide. If we change this angle a little bit, it'll make your project successful. So it's a back and forth of us teaching them and them challenging us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, right, that makes sense being released, especially one that maybe some people don't know about. I know there are some tools in Fusion 360 of their sheet metal rules that allow you to apply those automatically. Yeah, it's definitely something that comes with more experience with the manufacturing process and design and learning from the failures and stuff. But that's good to be able to highlight that to people beforehand. And on the topic of DFM I talked to you about earlier, about potential plugins for software.
Speaker 3:Yes, we have a plugin for SOLIDWORKS right now which is in its beta phase, but we're able to leverage that architecture and go directly to our Fusion 360 plugin. So what that plugin allows you to do is, while you're in the Fusion 360 platform, if you have a design, our plugin will tell you right then, like yes, this is manufacturable. Why don't you tell us what material it's in or we detect the material from Fusion 360? We can give you pricing in real time, and then our end goal is ordering directly from Fusion 360 or SOLIDWORKS without ever needing to come to our platform. So the SOLIDWORKS is in testing right now and I'm hoping Fusion 360 comes right after that.
Speaker 1:And now that that'd be really cool, given Fusion 360 being so accessible to enthusiast levels.
Speaker 3:Do you want to take your car knowledge game to the next level? Join us in the next free lesson at hpacademycom and start developing your own skills today.
Speaker 1:In terms of the DFM, the issues that you see, could you give us maybe the top few issues that you see commonly with people over sites, with their designs?
Speaker 3:Yes, small geometry, like I said. So tiny, tiny features in thick materials. The thicker the material, the larger the geometry needs to be, because, remember, we're pouring a lot of heat into that area, very briefly, but we run into melting issues if you're trying to put a hole that's 30,000 in diameter all the way through a piece of half inch aluminum, so our accuracy starts to decline. Doing a half inch hole and half inch aluminum is zero problem. So understanding the limitations of the material as well as the cutting process is important for us. The other DFM issue that we run into is geometry that's near the edge of an object. So if you want to put a slot or something that's a millimeter away from the edge on a piece of material, we can probably do it, but it most likely will fail while you're holding it. Metal is very strong, but when you cut it really thin it behaves like spaghetti noodles. So sometimes people just imagine that this titanium is crazy strong, but if you cut enough holes in it, it'll it'll be as bendable as like a piece of Kleenex.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So on the topic of material, it can be somewhat overwhelming to people when they're first getting into designing parts and getting them made, fabricating themself or using a service like your own. There's a long list of different materials to choose from stainless titanium, aluminum, and then within that there's also all the different grades, and sometimes it can be difficult to know what you really want or what would be best for your application. So can you guide people around making that decision?
Speaker 3:Yes, very much. On our materials pages we give a description of every material as well as common uses. So, for example, in aluminum we offer three different grades. We have 5052, 6061, and 7075. And those are just random numbers, I mean they represent the alloy.
Speaker 3:But as someone who's trying to make a part for their custom build, how do you decide what's going on? When you go to our website, you can click on any material and we'll say, hey, this is actually the best compromise of value versus strength. Or if you need strength at all costs, then we recommend this. We're building a tool that'll help you choose and that'll be rolling out here pretty quick. The answer is usually aluminum. That's the joke inside.
Speaker 3:Usually, if you need an exotic alloy, you already know that that intent. If you need titanium for a heat shield or something, then you can come choose one of our grades. But again coming back to DFM, that's when we like to look at the part and say will this material be good for the application? So it's hard to do that only using software and that's why we have a huge DFM team. We have a team of application engineers that are available 24-7. And they will review your file and say, hey, this is way overkill or this is not going to work. We don't give engineering recommendations, but if you need a box that's formed with five or six different bends and you choose titanium, we'll probably give you a different recommendation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, right, no, it makes sense, and especially of the aluminum that's very useful in automotive applications, being so light, which is super important to us. Obviously, about sheet metal in general being able to use a relatively thin material that's lightweight and then strengthen it, stiffen it with bends, that's a massive advantage to us. So just back on the topic of DFM or similarly DFA or Design for Assembly people, especially of sheet metal parts, potentially wanting to well get a few parts cut and then weld them together. The tab and slot method is becoming more popular, or it's been around for a while, but it's very useful. Can you just talk on that a little bit? What's its use and do you see it used often?
Speaker 3:Yes. So tab and slot or self-fixering is one of our favorite design methods and you can see a bunch of examples in this booth, especially for welding. If you've ever tried to weld just a couple squares together, they're moving around. You need a bunch of magnets and clamps in order to eliminate that. If you're smart in the design process, it'll save you hours during the manufacturing process. That's one of the things that we set out to do with this car is we put 190 hours into design, but the assembly only took 22 hours. So with tab and slot, if you're willing to put in the effort, it'll pay off when you actually flip your hood down.
Speaker 3:We offer recommendations for tab and slot clearances for every material. So it varies with material thickness how much clearance you want to give. The thicker the material, the more clearance. A good rule of thumb is about five thousandths of an inch. All the way around, as you get thicker that'll go up to 10 or 15 thousandths. We want to make sure that it's not necessarily press fit, because our tolerance is still about two or three thousandths of an inch. But if you leave yourself enough wiggle room, everything will come together and during assembly, especially if it's three or more pieces. It'll set you up for success, much more than not having tab and slot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, of course. On that topic of tolerances, I mean that's the main point of the tab and slot method is to take away the errors with jigging or fixing the part together. That's also something that people need to consider when talking about bend lines and things like that. Any manual process is definitely adds a chance for more discrepancy between the original intentions. Is there any other methods you can think of that would help with getting around those tolerance issues?
Speaker 3:Yeah, tolerance issues are challenging because you can have an accumulation of tolerance, especially as the part starts to get larger and larger. Our manufacturing will hold tolerance regardless of size, but humans can't. So as you start to add more and more pieces, that tolerance will float away. One thing that we see customers do is actually make a sacrificial jig out of a low cost material like MDF or chipboard or hardboard and they will use that as a secondary alignment feature and place it on there, and maybe they cut it out at the end after welding or they let it burn up. So the sacrificial jigs are really cool on complex pieces.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, that's awesome to hear. Well, thanks for your time, and if anyone can want to find out any more about your service and potentially order some parts, how can they do that? Sandcatsandcom, thank you very much.
Speaker 2:Cheers. If you enjoyed this podcast, please feel free to leave a review on whatever platform you've chosen to listen to it on. It goes a long way to help us getting the word out there. All these conversations and much more, are also available in full on our High Performance Academy YouTube channel, so make sure you subscribe. It's a one stop shop when it comes to going faster, stop in quicker and cornering better.