Making sure that your final products are as close to perfect as possible, both in look and feel, can be the difference between a thriving business and one that fails to take off.
When you find out that the final products are low quality or defective, that could be a huge problem for your business. In this article, we’ll cover five tips to improve your product quality without breaking the bank, let’s get started!
1. Using Design for Manufacturing Method
A wonderful product starts with a detailed design. The design phase is important for making high-quality products because it can save you time and effort.
In this case, you can use design for manufacturing (DFM). DFM or DFMA (design for manufacturing and assembly) is a product design ideology of creating a better design so that the products can be easily manufactured without sacrificing quality or being too expensive. This process usually consists of optimizing, refining, and simplifying a design until the desired outcome is met.
2. Sourcing Quality Raw Materials
So, instead of solely focusing on costs, it is important to take into consideration the raw materials and components that will be used in making your final products. The type of material you choose varies depending on what you want out of the end product and this decision should be made before production begins.
In this stage, you need to make a decision on the type of raw material, the form of the raw material, and dimensional tolerances. If you want to produce something of quality, then it’s important to invest time and energy into learning what needs to be done before starting your production project. For example, the machinability of some materials reduces as they get harder during the production process so choosing the right material will have a significant impact on the final part quality and performance.
3. Choose the Correct Manufacturing Technique
Using the right manufacturing technique is critical to the success of making high-quality products. The manufacturing techniques are all different, and all have unique advantages when used correctly. You need to consider several factors such as the cost, product material, volume, surface finish, post-processing needs, and tolerances to select the most appropriate manufacturing process for the product.
For instance, it is not sustainable to use injection molding for products that will be made in small batches because of the high upfront investment cost and overheads. In such cases, people would be better off using additive manufacturing or thermoforming techniques.
4. Make a Prototype Productively
Making a product prototype before mass production will help you get a feel for how the product will turn out and if it will be worth investing in, down the line. Your prototype should be made with the same materials and appearance as the final product for quality inspection and functional testing. You want a prototype that’s realistic and fully functional because this will tell you what you can improve for the next version.
There’s no point in putting all your efforts into designing something only to find out that it doesn’t function properly when you’re ready to produce it. Save yourself some headaches by testing your prototype throughout each step of the process! The earlier you start, the better – even just sketching your idea will allow you to identify flaws and challenges early on.
5. Conduct Quality Inspections
A product that is manufactured at a low level and cannot pass certifications will never reach the market. Therefore, if you want to maintain your items to their highest standards, then you must always keep testing and compliance requirements to prevent any hiccups in later stages.
When setting a standard to test your product, keep in mind that there is something you need to consider. Different products have different needs, so there are various types of standards to test if the product is in good condition. You can apply for international standards, industry standards, third-party standards, or even standards set by yourself to ensure product quality. Whatever the case may be, all you need to do is make sure the list of requirements for your quality inspection agency is clearly and specifically outlined so they can follow through with a steady hand and complete the task at hand properly.
Getting Started with China 2 West
When most overseas companies plan on identifying a new manufacturing partner, they are usually tempted to focus on the best price. However, concentrating only on low costs can hurt you in the long term. That’s because shaving a few cents off the price of a product is no help if the quality is below standard, and the component or material does not arrive when you need it.
Successful businesses don’t just happen for no reason, they’re a lot of hard work and dedication. If you want to be successful in outsourcing manufacturing to China, we have the full capacity to help. China 2 West, established in 2005, has developed to be a famous one-stop-shop professional from product sourcing and manufacturing to QC inspection in the Greater Bay Area in Southern China. If you want to know more about how we can help your project, don’t hesitate to contact us today.
