When Should You Involve a Fabricator Before Production?

Traditionally, a fabricator may enter the process after the design is largely complete:

drawing -> quotation -> manufacture.

For straightforward components, that may be entirely appropriate.

For complex assemblies, BIM-coordinated projects and prefabricated systems, earlier fabrication input can create another opportunity to identify problems before they reach the workshop or site.

When is early fabrication input useful?

When the geometry is complex

Components involving multiple bends, connections, profiles or assemblies may benefit from a manufacturability review before drawings are finalised.

The question is not whether the design can theoretically be made.

It is whether it can be manufactured efficiently and repeatably using the intended processes.

When prefabrication is being considered

Prefabrication decisions affect more than the workshop.

A complete assembly also needs to be:

• transported;

• lifted;

• moved into position;

• connected; and

• accessed for installation or maintenance.

Those constraints can influence the optimal assembly size and design.

When the project uses BIM coordination

Fabrication can be integrated with digital coordination rather than treated as a separate downstream activity.

Working from Revit, IFC, CAD and fabrication models allows project teams and fabricators to coordinate geometry before production.

This is particularly useful where fabricated components interact with building services or other installed systems.

When installation tolerances matter

Small dimensional or connection issues can create disproportionately large problems onsite.

Fabrication input can help examine connection points, tolerances, slots, mounting provisions and other features before steel is cut.

When repeat production is required

If the same component will be manufactured many times, a small design improvement can be multiplied across the production run.

That makes early DFMA review particularly valuable.

When compliance requirements are significant

QA and inspection requirements can influence how work must be produced and documented.

If the project requires material traceability, third-party inspection, ITPs or specific welding documentation, these requirements should be understood before production planning is complete.

What can a fabricator contribute?

Early fabrication involvement may help project teams evaluate:

• manufacturability;

• fabrication sequence;

• material utilisation;

• assembly strategy;

• connection details;

• repeatability;

• transport and installation constraints;

• BIM coordination; and

• QA requirements.

This does not replace the role of the project engineer.

It adds manufacturing knowledge to the design and coordination process.

The objective is not redesign for its own sake

Good fabrication collaboration should not create unnecessary design work.

The objective is to resolve issues at the point where they are least expensive to change.

A modification made in a model is generally easier to manage than a modification required after fabrication or during installation.

KS Metal Fabrications engineering collaboration

KS Metal Fabrications' design team works directly with its production team using Revit, Inventor and CAD workflows.

The team supports design optimisation, BIM coordination, fabrication drawings, prefabrication strategy and manufacturing review for suitable projects before production begins.

Have a fabrication package still in design or coordination?

Contact KS Metal Fabrications to discuss engineering collaboration before your drawings are released for manufacture.