The Importance of Product Design and Prototyping

Taking a sheet metal component or product from concept to production can be an involved process. Understanding engineering principles for sheet metal fabrication becomes imperative. Sheet metal itself adds to the complexity since it can be made from various metals (stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminum, etc.) and comes in a range of thicknesses, each with their own challenges. The best way to validate a product’s design is to create a product prototype that can be used or tested in your application.

Understanding Your Product

Before you begin the product design, there are questions about the product that must be answered about its purpos...

Why You Should Partner With An ISO Certified Manufacturer

If you gave several contract metal manufacturers the same print with the exact specifications and asked them to create those parts, you would have some manufacturers that consistently produce high-quality parts, some that do part of the time, and others that don't hit the mark at all. The variance will likely reflect the differences in each contract manufacturer's quality system.

Producing high-quality parts isn't cheap and it isn't easy. Companies willing to invest time and resources into their quality system will produce better products. Companies with ISO 9001 certification have demonstrated their commitment to investing in quality.

W...

A Robust Quality Management System - Meets our customers' needs and reduces costs

Quality Policy – Tusco commits to continuously improve how we understand and meet expectations for our associates, clients, communities, government & regulatory agencies, shareholders, and vendors.

At Tusco, we believe that quality is crucial for our success and yours. As an ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturer, we strive to deliver on time, on spec, and on budget. Quality assurance and its subset quality control are the foundational components of our robust quality management system that allows us to meet expectations while reducing costs.

Quality Assurance

Quality assurance prevents non-conforming products ...

Our Unique Solution Keeps Manufacturing Humming

While other companies struggle with finding employees, we found a solution that is a win for everyone involved – including our customers.

Manufacturing is the backbone of our economy. But the challenge to find workers is putting additional strain on our economic infrastructure and adding to the country’s supply chain woes. Finding employees interested in manufacturing was a challenge pre-pandemic; Covid-19 has further exacerbated the gap. The solution for Tusco Manufacturing involves getting creative to plant a spark in an unlikely resource.

The lockdown in 2020 gave people time to reflect on what was important to them, and once busine...

Does Your Sheet Metal Manufacturer Offer Warehousing and Distribution?
This is what you could be missing.

Most manufacturing requires some level of warehousing, whether it be for raw materials, work-in-process, or finished products. Maintaining and managing a large warehouse, however, adds significant costs. Vendor-managed inventory and warehousing, when done right, is one way you can reduce those costs without negatively impacting your business.

Automotive is just one industry example that has long used just-in-time inventory and management systems. These strategies align raw materials or component orders from suppliers directly with production schedules to increase efficiency and reduce was...

In-house Packaging, Contract Packager, Or Is There Another Way?

Whether you realize it or not, how your sheet metal product is packaged is a critical element of its success. Damaged products from underpackaging or, conversely, excessive packaging waste from overpackaging can turn customers off. Those customers may share their experience with others, which can cost you sales.

If your product has a polished or painted surface that can easily be scratched, proper packaging is even more critical. When it comes to packaging, you typically have two choices: you can package it yourself or send it to a contract packager.

Impact of Packaging In-house

Packaging your own products may require higher upfro...

Considerations for Onshoring: Finding the Right Sheet Metal Manufacturer

Current supply chain disruptions and backed-up ports have left many companies without needed components and products. It has also refueled the debate on whether or not American companies should onshore their sheet metal manufacturing.

Although many Americans feel strongly about “made in America” products, there are times when offshoring makes sense. What is important is that you compare costs, evaluate your risks and the additional costs associated with those risks, and know the level of risk you are willing to take on.

Here are some things to consider when choosing the right sheet metal manufacturer, whether ...

In-house Powder Coating Provides Customers Great Benefits

Powder coating traces its roots back to 1940s Germany when a fluid bed process was created to apply thermostatic resins. Modern electrostatic processing of powder coating, however, didn't make its debut until the 1960s. Today, powder coating is preferred over wet painting for its many benefits. Contract metal manufacturers that offer in-house powder coating provide even more significant benefits to their customers.

What is Powder Coating?

Powder coatings contain a mixture of polymer resins, pigments, curative additives, leveling agents, and flow modifiers that are melted together, cooled, and then ground into a powder that will be used t...

Welding, MIG, TIG, Resistance, Wire Grid

Manual and Robotic

Tusco is staffed with qualified welders and precision fabricators to handle your welding needs for any sheet metal, tubing metal, and/or wire fabrication project. We offer a complete range of welding fabrication processes including MIG (four stations up to 400 amp), TIG (three stations up to 250 amp), resistance spot welding, and grid welding from 12 gauge to 5/16” diameter wire. With the assistance of our three precision CNC programmable MIG welding cells, we can provide excellent consistency and repeatability with significant cost savings and higher accuracy for the longer runs.

Metal Inert Gas (MIG welding)

This welding fabrica...