Low-Volume Manufacturing Service

100 to 100,000+ Metal and Plastic Parts

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When designers, engineers and businesses take product development into consideration, many of them see prototyping and mass production as the primary goal posts. But there are times when low-volume manufacturing is the optimal choice for those who need modest quantities of finished parts, ranging anywhere from a few hundred to hundreds of thousands. By using a professional prototyping and manufacturing service like 3ERP, our customers gain the ability to acquire the exact amount of parts they desire, no matter what the final count might be.

At 3ERP, we will be there to help you along every step of the way, from the initial product design review and quotation to quality inspection of your newly manufactured parts. In addition to specialising in prototyping and mass production, we are also specialist when it comes to low-volume manufacturing. Contact our expert team today to get a free project review and initial quotation. If you need a prototype to verify your design first, please review our rapid prototyping services.

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Plastic Injection Molding

3ERP offers high quality aluminium prototype tooling and hardened steel tooling for both low volume production needs of plastic parts. When using our plastic injection molding technology, you can select from a wide range of plastic resins, as well as customised colors and finishes. In just a matter of days, we can deliver low-volume production of plastic injection molded parts at a competitive price.

Sheet Metal Fabrication

If you need low-volume production of durable and end-use metal parts, you can also utilise sheet metal fabrication. 3ERP’s sheet metal fabrication service includes bending, punching and cutting standard gauge metal for both prototypes and and low volume production runs, giving you exactly what you need in a brief amount of time.

Pressure Die Casting

Although pressure die casting is typically used for large-run manufacturing, 3ERP has taken it upon itself to offer this service for low-volume production as well. Like injection molding, we use certified machines and pressure casting dies to create parts from molten metal. These castings can be made from materials like zinc, copper, aluminium, magnesium, and a variety of other alloys. Our flexibility and low-cost process will enable you to produce as many parts as you need, whether it be as little as 50 or as many as 1,000.

CNC Machining

3ERP offers a range of precision CNC machining services, including milling, turning, EDM (electrical discharge machining), surface grinding and more. With our precision 3-, 4- and 5-axis CNC machining centres, combined with other advanced capabilities and our experienced team, we are able to handle all technical aspects of creating small to large batches of parts.

Aluminum & Plastic Extrustion

Many prototyping and low-volume service companies normally reject low-volume extrusion projects, but these fit our capabilities very well.

Investment Casting

Investment Casting is a very cost-efficient way to make medium and high volume metal parts in aluminum, steel, stainless steel, brass, etc.
Combine with additive manufacturing, the pattern can be made without making tooling. That means we can also cast complex metal parts even only a few pieces is needed.

Advantages of Low-Volume Manufacturing

Are you wondering how low-volume manufacturing can help your product go from concept to completion? There are a number of advantages to using this service that you may not know about. Here are the most prominent benefits

By producing a small-run of parts or products, you will gain rapid access to emerging markets before the competition.
Compared to full-scale production, low-volume manufacturing will reduce the cost of tooling without requiring any minimum orders.
Low-volume manufacturing enables you to shorten overall production lead times, saving you time and energy when it comes to product development.
If there’s an encounter with shorter product life styles, low-volume manufacturing allows you to respond quickly and iterate parts in a more optimal way.
Lower exposure to unnecessary financial expenditure, keeping you from breaking the bank on high-volume production.
Lastly, the quick turnaround that comes with low-volume manufacturing also allows for faster design changes, reducing costs and overall production time.

What is
Low-Volume Manufacturing

In order to decide whether a low-volume manufacturing service is right for your production needs, it’s important to first understand exactly what low-volume manufacturing is. At the surface, the term is relatively self-explanatory. Low-volume manufacturing is a specialised service that offers mass-production quality parts in a small volume, generally limited to 100,000 parts or fewer – depending on the manufacturing technique used.

Although mass production is still the best choice for high-volume needs, low-volume manufacturing has become increasingly popular across a number of industries. Why is that? Well, low-volume manufacturing allows our customers to invest less time and money into tooling and materials, while also providing faster access to markets. Other advantages include more rapid response to shorter product life cycles, essentially acting as the critical step in between prototyping and mass production.

It’s relatively easy to understand the basic definition low-volume manufacturing, but what are the benefits of this service? Let’s explore this question deeper in the following section.