[sdiy] DIY Heaven

[Tim Parkhurst]

On 9/1/05, Bill K <controlkeys at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Yeah, I'd definitely want to get the 10 unit pricing drop -- it's kinda
> wacky, $71 for 1, $81.60 for 10 -- but oh well
> 
> Size of sample part, inch
> 10 3 1 6
> Process Mill Laser Mill Turret Punch
> Qty 1 $239.00 ea. $65.00 $124.00 $71.00
> Qty 10 63.00 ea. 8.00 14.00 8.16

 ********************
The reason for the huge break on quantity purchases can be summed up in one 
word: TIME. What you're really paying for at most shops is the time it takes 
to set up and run the job. The setup time is pretty much the same whether 
they make one part or ten, so spreading that cost over ten parts makes the 
single unit price a lot lower. Also, if the job is set up properly it 
doesn't take 2X the amount of run time to make two parts. A lot of the cuts 
can be set up so the the edge of several parts is cut in one pass. In many 
cases, it only takes 2X time to make five or even ten parts. Material cost 
is a relatively minor factor, unless you go for a very expensive material or 
one that is very difficult to work (e.g. stainless steel takes longer to cut 
than aluminum, exotic stuff like titanium is not only expensive to buy, but 
takes special tools and a lot of time and skill to work). 
 I think someone here was doing a group buy of 3U panels at emachine about a 
year ago. How did that come out?
  Tim (time keeps on slippin') Servo
-- 
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein
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