What Is Low-Volume Manufacturing?

Low-volume manufacturing is a specialized service that offers full production-quality parts but in volumes ranging from a single piece to a few thousand pieces. It’s ideal for moving an idea from the concept stage through prototyping, and from there as a bridge to full volume production.
Low volume production is considered to be a specialized service because most manufacturers don’t want to do it. Their assembly lines and supply chains are optimized for large production volumes that leverage economies of scale. There is nothing wrong with that approach, because it’s the best way to ensure the lowest cost per piece. However, it usually requires large minimum order volumes and a commitment to expensive tooling.
But what is a product developer to do if you want to start off with product volumes on the low end, from one part to one thousand? That’s where Rapid Workshop can help.

How can low-volume manufacturing help with you business?

Here are a few ways:

*Create a bridge between rapid prototyping and full-scale production

* Reduce your financial risk because we have no minimum order values

* Provide rapid access to emerging markets

* Respond quickly to shorter product life cycles

* Allow for faster design changes

How To Process Low-Volume Manufacturing?

Our clients are concerned that low-volume manufacturing doesn’t mean compromising quality or precision when compared to full production manufacturing. Rest assured that when we process lower volume orders we use the same materials, the same equipment, and the same rigorous quality control.
We’re experts in high-mix, low volume production because our systems are optimized to be scalable, from one part to a million. That means we have a robust supply chain of raw materials so you won’t be burdened with minimum order volume restrictions. And we have a digital manufacturing platform that ties all of our equipment together into a single network. That allows us to allocate resources quickly and efficiently between work centers in order to process even complex orders fast.
Let's see which low-volume manufacturing service is right for you? Here is more information about what we can offer.

What materials are used in low-volume production？

We routinely work with all conventional metals including copper, brass, stainless and mild steel, magnesium, and aluminum. We also have a robust supply chain with thousands of commercial plastic resins, including transparent plastics, engineering- and medical-grade plastics, glass-filled plastics, and more.

What are Our Workshop quality standards for?

The quality of your low-volume production parts is guaranteed by our rigorous control standards. This starts with an inspection of incoming materials to verify the integrity of all materials used. It also includes in-process inspection and testing to make sure you get parts that exceed your expectations. Certificates of Compliance are available upon request for all materials. For clients who can’t visit our facilities in person, we also offer detailed video files showing all production steps.