When is the Right Time to Outsource Honing Services?
Honing is a sophisticated metal grinding process that involves the finishing of a flat metal surface. This process is intended to produce smooth surface finishes inside bores, or to hold precise tolerances on bore diameters found in products like automotive components, aerospace components, gears, and knives.
Unless you are a dedicated machine shop with sophisticated grinding equipment, experienced staff, and experience carrying out honing services for several products, it is highly recommended that you consider outsourcing honing services for your business and product development needs. Here are some of the advantages of outsourcing this type of service, and information on when is the right time for your business to choose outsourcing over investing in your in-house capabilities.
Unless there are numerous parts and components in your product that require specialized honing and grinding services, it is likely not worth your time, money, and effort to make significant investment into in-house equipment and services. If your product can largely be produced in-house - say, around 90% complete - you will likely see no advantage to further equipping your facilities to carry out the last 10% of the manufacturing process - especially if it involves sophisticated grinding techniques. The right grinding partner will produce the exact part you need, using careful analysis to determine the proper grinding method, materials, design, and timeline.
Less Possibility for Mistakes
Even if you staff multiple experienced engineers, there is always going to be a learning curve if you take on new services you do not normally offer. The last thing you want is to have a minor mistake go unnoticed before the final production run, costing your company thousands in wasted materials, labor costs, and off-time for other equipment. When you partner with an experience production grinding service provider, their extensive experience will help further reduce the likelihood of errors and mistakes.
