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Driving Quality and Efficiency With Vertically Integrated Manufacturing

Manufacturing custom metal components and complex sheet metal products can involve many steps and processes. While some manufacturers may focus on providing a single service, this creates inefficiencies that often contribute to increased lead times and costs for customers. Working with a vertically integrated manufacturing partner can be a strong advantage, as vertical integration often results in shorter lead times, lower costs, and better-quality parts and products.

At Nu-Way Industries, we’ve grown thoughtfully and intentionally into a vertically integrated manufacturing partner, expanding our capabilities to serve our customers from end to end for all aspects of precision metal fabrication. By providing comprehensive contract manufacturing services – spanning product design services to punching, laser cutting, sheet metal forming, sheet metal finishing, and final assembly – we’re able to offer faster, simpler, and more cost-effective manufacturing solutions to fully meet your custom metal fabrication needs.

The Benefits of Vertically Integrated Manufacturing

Vertically integrated manufacturing

When you’re looking for a company to provide contract manufacturing services, you’re likely to encounter many specialty shops that only perform one aspect of manufacturing. This means that they’ll either need to outsource certain operations or that you’ll need to find additional vendors capable of bringing your project to completion. 

However, vertically integrated manufacturing solves this problem. A truly skilled manufacturing partner can leverage their in-house resources, capabilities, and expertise to create a better, fully-finished product for you. 

Here are some of the benefits of vertically integrated manufacturing that you can expect when you work with a manufacturing partner like Nu-Way Industries: 

Efficient End-to-End Manufacturing

With vertically integrated manufacturing, your parts aren’t moving from supplier to supplier for each facet of their fabrication and finishing. With our extensive range of manufacturing capabilities, we utilize our existing in-house resources — outsourcing only for very specific processes, which we manage — to quickly and efficiently move parts through their various phases of production.

Shorter Lead Times

Directly tied to the efficiency that vertically integrated manufacturing creates are shorter lead times. With our size and range of capabilities, we’re able to provide in-house services for precision CNC machining, as well as sheet metal forming, stamping, laser cutting, punching, grinding, TIG, MIG and laser welding, finishing, and assembly, allowing us to progress from raw material to finished product with speed and efficiency.

Reduced Logistics Costs

With fewer outside processing requirements, there’s naturally going to be less of a need to ship parts between external vendors. While the shorter lead times might be one of the main benefits of vertically integrated manufacturing, reduced logistics costs can be an added advantage, especially when it comes to larger products that each take up a whole pallet and require more time and labor to move. With these larger products, we also typically mount the finished product onto a pallet that can move directly through our customers’ assembly or packaging lines. Not only does this reduce the risk of damage, but it also saves time and effort by eliminating the need for repalletization.

Larger Production Volume & Size Capabilities 

Vertically integrated manufacturing requires investment not only in additional equipment, but in larger facilities as well. However, it’s precisely the physical size that vertical integration requires that allows us to handle volume production with ease. With these larger facilities, we’re also able to manufacture larger sheet metal products, like server racks, that would pose storage issues for smaller shops to manufacture at scale.

Better Quality Assurance

When it comes to quality, the more work we can do in house, the more we can control. This allows us to closely monitor every aspect of the manufacturing process and communicate any changes or special requirements across teams with ease. Additionally, having all of the processes under our own roof allows us to quickly identify and resolve any issues proactively, providing you with a single source of responsibility when it comes to quality.

Leveraging Nu-Way Industries’ Vertically Integrated Manufacturing Capabilities

Vertically integrated manufacturing offers a number of benefits for both the manufacturer and the customer. Not only does vertically integrated manufacturing typically reduce lead times and logistics costs, but it also allows you to work with a manufacturing partner that ensures efficiency and quality at every stage of production. 

As a Chicago metal fabrication company with a comprehensive range of in-house capabilities, we serve as a true manufacturing partner that serves all of our customers’ custom metal fabrication needs. By leveraging our end-to-end capabilities to manufacture precision metal products, Nu-Way Industries can provide you with a one-stop manufacturing experience and be your single source for CNC machining and sheet metal fabrication services — just request a quote to get started.

DfM with Nu-Way Industries: Advice for Common Sheet Metal Forming Issues

Welcome to the first installment of a new blog series “DfM with Nu-Way Industries,” our tips and tricks for designing exceptional sheet metal products. As experts in precision metal fabrication, we understand the challenges that come with turning a concept into a manufacturable part with optimal fit, form, and function. That’s why we’re sharing practical insights to help you navigate the complexities of sheet metal design and ensure your designs result in efficient production processing.

In this first installment of the series, we’re focusing on one of the most critical aspects of working with sheet metal: considerations in forming. From understanding bend radii to managing features near bend lines, we’ll cover what you need to know to create designs that are both functional and efficient to manufacture.

Sheet Metal Forming: An Overview 

One benefit of using sheet metal for products is its adaptability to a wide range of applications. Sheet metal can be easily profiled in the flat using punching or laser cutting processes and then formed using press brake tooling.

While sheet metal is flexible, it’s important to consider its forming limitations during the design phase to avoid issues in production, wasted materials, and higher costs.

Consideration: Inside Bend Radius

sheet metal forming

A component’s inside bend radius significantly affects its strength, appearance, and manufacturability. 

Our Advice: Use Material Thickness as a Guide

A safe rule of thumb is to keep the inside bend radius no smaller than 25% of the material thickness; a bend radius of 30% to 50% of the material thickness generally works well with most common sheet metal materials and still achieves the design look you want.

This ratio may vary slightly depending on the material alloy, as softer materials can typically tolerate tighter bends. Harder alloys, however, usually require a bend radius equal to or greater than the material thickness to avoid surface fracturing or other bend failure. 

sheet metal forming

Consideration: Larger Bend Radii

While larger bend radii may be necessary for specific applications, achieving them can introduce challenges, such as tolerances that are more difficult to hold and slower processes that increase the part cost. 

Our Advice: Use Specialized Tooling or Bump Bending

Larger radii typically require specialized tools, which are less precise compared to single-hit tools used for tighter bends. The challenge here involves maintaining tight tolerances; larger radii make it more difficult to achieve tolerances as tight as ±0.010”, often settling for tolerances around ±0.015” to ±0.020”. This difference is generally acceptable since large radii are often used for aesthetic purposes rather than functional precision.

sheet metal forming

When larger radii—6 inches or more, for instance—are needed, single-hit tooling isn’t practical. Instead, our team will deploy a technique called bump bending. This method incrementally forms the desired radius by making multiple smaller bends with a smaller radius tool across the bend plane. While effective, bump bending is more time-intensive and incurs higher costs due to the increased number of hits and processing time required to produce the desired radius. Depending on the material used, the desired thickness, and the number of bump hits, there can be some witness marks from this process that may or may not be desirable. Some of those witness marks can be reduced by grinding the formed surfaces, but again, this requires time and skill to produce.   

Consideration: Flanges and Features Near Bend Lines

Flanges and features located too close to bend lines can distort during sheet metal forming, leading to defects and additional rework. 

Our Advice: Maintain Proper Distance from Bend Lines

Flanges should extend at least four times the material thickness from the bend line to allow for proper engagement with the bottom forming die. The same rule can be applied to any feature, like holes or cutouts placed near a bend line, to prevent deformation during bending. 

Our Advice: Find Additional Work-Arounds

However, when features like holes and cutouts must be positioned near bend lines, additional strategies are needed to ensure the part forms properly, including:

  • Relief cuts: Adding relief cuts around these features that extend through the bend. That way, when the part is formed, the bottom tools avoid the cutout area, ensuring clean and accurate bends.
  • Backer strips: Using a secondary part, or backer strip, made of the same or stronger material provides support during the bending process. While effective, this method increases costs due to the need for additional setup time.
  • Secondary processes: Adding features separately after the bend is complete if they can’t be managed during forming. While this avoids distortion, it increases handling time and costs, making it a less desirable option for high-volume production. 

Design for Success with Nu-Way

Effective sheet metal design requires a deep understanding of the sheet metal forming process and the potential pitfalls that come with it. By incorporating our advice during the product design phase, you can minimize issues, reduce costs, and ensure high-quality results.

At Nu-Way Industries, our team specializes in helping customers navigate these challenges. Our expertise in making sheet metal products ensures your parts are designed for manufacturability, quality, and functionality. 
Ready to get started? Partner with Nu-Way to take full advantage of our contract manufacturing and engineering services.

How Quality Is Embedded in Our Contract Manufacturing Services

At Nu-Way Industries, quality is a mindset, a process, and a promise. We involve quality in every step of our operations, from when we first engage with a project to the moment it leaves our facilities. This rigorous approach ensures that we consistently meet and exceed our customers’ expectations.

Let’s explore how the Nu-Way team builds quality into everything we do.

Quality Starts at the Quote

Quality doesn’t start on the shop floor; it begins at the quoting stage. At Nu-Way, we review every request for quote as if it’s a confirmed order. This means gathering all relevant data, analyzing specifications, and virtually pre-manufacturing the product. By doing this, our team addresses potential challenges and their root causes to minimize any production issues before they arise to ensure we’re fully prepared for production. 

This upfront attention to quality ensures that when quotes become orders, our team is ready to execute with minimal risk and without unnecessary delays. 

Engineering Excellence

Engineering serves as the cornerstone of our contract manufacturing services. We operate in a specification-driven business, and our team understands that we must understand the nitty-gritty details to meet (and exceed) our customers’ expectations. Our engineers evaluate each project upfront, not only making sure we can build it to spec but also ensuring we execute it within customer expectations. For complex projects, we assess risk profiles, addressing each detail and anticipating potential obstacles. 

Confidence with Complexity 

The more intricate the project, the larger the room for error and the higher the stakes. That’s why we prioritize robust planning and preparation for complex work. When parts require tight tolerances or extensive GD&T, our quality and engineering teams work hand in hand to pre-vet the project. This ensures that every requirement fits within our capabilities and meets our high standards. By the time the project reaches the shop floor, our team has already addressed critical questions that can pose risks and introduce delays during production. 

Quality Is in the Eye of the Beholder 

Quality isn’t one-size-fits-all; our customers have unique expectations that go beyond what appears in the paperwork. 

If there’s any ambiguity in the quality documentation, our team works directly with the customer to gain clarity. Sometimes, this happens in the form of visiting local customers’ facilities, walking their floor, and seeing their challenges firsthand. When our customer is more than a hop, skip, and jump away, we can accomplish this in an in-depth phone conversation. 

By clearly understanding our customers’ quality requirements, our team ensures that we deliver a solution that aligns perfectly with their vision. 

Context Drives Quality

At Nu-Way, we understand that the parts we produce are not just standalone items—they are integral components of a larger system. To ensure we deliver the highest quality, our team must look at the full picture. By considering each part’s end use, the challenges it will face, and the role it plays in the final assembly, we can better tailor our process to meet the specific needs of our customers.

This thorough understanding allows us to deliver not only precision and performance but also reliability in the final product. It’s this attention to detail at every stage of production that ensures our customers receive parts that perform optimally and seamlessly within their systems.

For example, if a part must integrate seamlessly with 30 others in a tightly toleranced assembly, we can’t look at it as an individual piece. It’s all about ensuring the entire puzzle fits together perfectly. 

Partner with Nu-Way Industries, Where Quality Is a Non-Negotiable

From the quoting stage to final delivery, the Nu-Way Industries team takes every step necessary to ensure the highest quality. Our team tailors our processes to customers’ specific needs, going beyond what appears in the print. We have a proven track record of success, thanks to our customer-centric approach and talented engineers. 

Are you looking for quality you can count on? Partner with Nu-Way Industries for contract manufacturing services you can trust time and time again. 

An Exciting Addition at Nu-Way Industries: Our New and Improved Paint Line

At Nu-Way Industries, we believe in continuous improvement through technology. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce the launch of our new automated paint line. This cutting-edge addition enhances our capabilities and directly benefits our customers in several key ways.

paint line

Advantages Over the Current Paint Line

Our current paint lines have served us well for years, but many aspects of the processes were manual. The spray booths required a large staff to run, manual color changes could take up to 25 minutes, and large parts often required manual repositioning, requiring additional time.

The new paint line outshines its predecessors in every respect. It features a higher weight capacity and greater line density by utilizing a power free conveyor. The 16 automatic spray guns allow for greater control of the powder application and more consistent results. Color changes are now a breeze, averaging just 6-10 minutes. 

The increased throughput of the new paint line allows us to consolidate from two lines to one, reducing the footprint in our shop. Furthermore, the new line automates the settings  in our process, allowing for consistent quality and a leaner operation for faster throughput. 

Environmental Focus

At Nu-Way Industries, we are committed to minimizing our environmental impact. The new paint line has a substantially lower carbon footprint than its predecessors. In fact, the new line consumes less power, natural gas and water than either of our previous lines.

Our team eliminated the use of harsh chemicals in our existing pre-treatment lines, which required extensive monitoring, testing, neutralizing, and manifesting of waste – all processes that were time-intensive and expensive. Nano technology will continue to be used in the new line. 

However, our current lines still required diligent wastewater management practices and coordination with state and local authorities. Our new paint line takes environmental impact further. It utilizes a thin film process that results in zero discharge, meaning that zero waste product is released from the pretreatment process into the environment. The water used in the process is reclaimed and recycled for future use.

How Does the New Paint Line Benefit Our Customers?

The implementation of our new paint line directly translates into – reduced lead times, and improved efficiency for our customers. With automated spray guns and a superior pretreat system, the powder coating of our parts will continue to be of the highest quality, ensuring long-lasting durability and performance.

By improving our output and consolidating from two lines to one, we’re able to streamline our processes and meet customer demands more effectively. This not only saves time and resources but also optimizes our shop space, making us leaner and more agile in our operations.

Moreover, the reduced energy consumption and waste management costs of our new line are not just environmentally friendly—they also control costs for our customers. With automated controls in the process and a smaller footprint in our shop, we’re able to provide competitive pricing with exceptional delivery and quality.

Nu-Way Industries, Your Trusted Powder Coating Services Provider

Our new paint line represents a significant milestone in our continued pursuit of excellence in custom metal fabrication. But this is just one of the many services we offer. In addition to sheet metal finishing, we help our customers with complete fabrication services from engineering design to prototypes and production cutting, forming, welding, mechanical and electronic assembly, and more.

Contact us today to discuss how we can help with your custom metal fabrication needs.