A well-designed sheet metal part not only performs better but also costs less to produce. Based on 30 years of OEM manufacturing experience, here are five practical factors that directly affect your final price.

1. Optimize wall thickness.** Use the minimum thickness that meets your strength requirements. Thicker sheets cost more in material, laser time and welding.

2. Respect the minimum bend radius.** Bending inside radius below the material thickness causes cracks and tooling damage. Design to the standard radius recommended by your manufacturer.

3. Keep holes away from bend lines.** Holes too close to a bend deform during forming and need rework. Leave at least 2–3 times the material thickness plus the bend radius.

4. Standardize hole sizes and hardware.** Using common drill sizes and off-the-shelf fasteners reduces custom tooling and lowers unit cost.

5. Choose the right surface finish.** Powder coating is cost-effective for most enclosures; anodizing or plating makes sense only when the application requires it.

The best way to save cost? Involve your manufacturer early in the design stage. At JSD, our engineering team reviews customer drawings free of charge and suggests practical improvements before production starts.