Manufacturers often come to a point when they need custom machines, and for various reasons. Sometimes it’s needed to produce a new product that requires a custom design, or to increase production rate and accuracy. If current machinery isn’t up-to-date or optimized for operation, then a custom machine build comes into play. If this is new or unknown territory for a manufacturer, figuring out where to start the process can be complicated. But we’ve put together three steps manufacturers can reference in order to commission custom machinery.
Know Your Project
Defining your project is going to be the first step when customizing a machine. It’s important to plan out every detail that you want the machine to do, as well as reference machines your company is already familiar with and can afford. This step will help you develop a basic understanding of what you want and is necessary for creating a machine that you’ll be able to profit from in the long run.
Finding a Builder
The next phase will include finding a company that can build the custom machine you want. Doing research is necessary with a custom machine because you want to ensure the company you choose is reliable and understands what you’re looking for. Once you’ve narrowed down some builders, it’s advised that you speak to them about the logistics before you make your decision. Some questions you should ask your builder include:
- What their process looks like
- How many years of experience do they have in custom machine building
- Can they make exactly what you’re looking for
- Proof of insurance
- Repair and warrantee policy
Whenever you’re looking for a company to provide you with a product or service, you should always note reviews from other people who have done business with them. Make sure to see how other people’s experience was with this company, if their website is professional, and how their customer service is.
Request a Quote
Once you’ve found who you want to build your custom machine, the next step is to request a quote for the cost of your machine. You’ll want to be very detailed about what you expect from the build to make sure they can accommodate everything.
Custom Machinery at Mitchell Machine
Mitchell Machine’s problem-solving approach to manufacturing automation provides our customers with dependable machinery that integrates the latest technologies. With our decades of cross industry experience, we can provide customers with innovative machine designs, while talented machine builders are held to the highest technical standards to ensure custom machine installation, startup and training at your facility.
