Contract cnc routing - Idea of cost per hour or sheet?

Hi, I have been designing some products and producing prototypes and small runs on my own router. I am now looking to start a small production of one product with the intension of expanding the range if sales take off. I do not have a vacuum pump and honestly the thought of being chained to my router fills me with dread. Some details below

1. The design is cut from one sheet of 12mm birch ply
2. Each sheet makes 4 products
3. I can cut one sheet in 15 mins easy so I assume a commercial company will do more so lets assume 5 sheets
4. I need a decent finish, no tear out but it does not need to be perfectly smooth ie. tooling marks are ok.

I think I would be happy to pay £5 per product so £20 a sheet which works out at £100 per hour.

If anyone is involved with commercial wood routing does this sound plausible?

Many thanks
Gav

Most companies charge between £40 and £100+ per hour. To price it correctly for you they wil need to see the drawing etc

I'd suggest emailing/telephoning a few and getting some quotes

Thanks Bobby,

Do you think it would be wise to post details of my project online so I can get some pointers on manufacture? I would like to get some feedback on manufacture but I am tore between opening myself up to copy cats and on the other hand benefiting from the help of the forums.

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Originally Posted by gavztheouch

and honestly the thought of being chained to my router fills me with dread

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Same could be true for the people that own big machines :hysterical:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gavztheouch

I think I would be happy to pay £5 per product so £20 a sheet which works out at £100 per hour.

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Depends how many you want made at once. If you hope to make 10 sheets at that price, good luck. 1 hour of work starts from the moment that somebody answers your email or listens to you on the phone, then finding the correct material, checking your drawing and so on until 1 piece is cut and you approve it.

So i assume that at that price sb. will want a work at least for a full working day.

Better find somebody on a friendly basis. A friendly forum member with a big machine that needs paying off. Or what about laser cutting it?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gavztheouch

...I have been designing some products and producing prototypes and small runs on my own router. I am now looking to start a small production of one product with the intention of expanding the range if sales take off.

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Whats the point of having laser and cnc and then sourcing the work to others?

I'd say you need to spend some pennies in the market to really find out and get to know what is what.....

I agree, finding a friendly chap or chap'ess with a suitable machine that needs work is a great idea! :)

We charge between $100-$125/hour US when we do any routing for people with our Morbidelli. That's if I can just throw a sheet on it and cut the parts. If there are hold down issues due to the size of the parts, additional costs may apply. Programming cost may also apply, depending on what I have to work with. It's not uncommon to need to redraw everything when I receive .dxf files.

Get in touch with these guys http://www.wupdoodle.com
I've dealt with them a few times and are more than likely able to cater to what you want. Reasonably priced and great to deal with

Have you got any numbers back yet?
Unless you have a very good machine, I'd guess 25% faster is pretty conservative estimate.

And no, don't post your design on forums, just send it to the cnc shops and ask for a price.


Actually, seeing as its safe to assume you will be able to get them made at £5 each, you should have made 50 or 100 yourself and have them on sale by now.

My machine is quite old 1997, but I can still use modern tool pathing software and it cuts pretty fast. I have a sales rep from Busch coming tomorrow to talk about vacuum pumps if I get the vacuum table setup it will be a decent setup.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gavztheouch

Hi, I have been designing some products and producing prototypes and small runs on my own router. I am now looking to start a small production of one product with the intension of expanding the range if sales take off. I do not have a vacuum pump and honestly the thought of being chained to my router fills me with dread. Some details below

1. The design is cut from one sheet of 12mm birch ply
2. Each sheet makes 4 products
3. I can cut one sheet in 15 mins easy so I assume a commercial company will do more so lets assume 5 sheets
4. I need a decent finish, no tear out but it does not need to be perfectly smooth ie. tooling marks are ok.

I think I would be happy to pay £5 per product so £20 a sheet which works out at £100 per hour.

If anyone is involved with commercial wood routing does this sound plausible?

Many thanks
Gav

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Hi Gav

Have you managed to get someone to do this??
I could probably be able to help he you out we will take on small runs and don't charge through the roof

have a look at www.cncroutingscotland.com

Just come across your thread if its still a viable project I charge £40/hr in Birmingham, thanks Rob 07597384943