Re: Friday's - How The Heck Did They Make This Part - Episode #1
Originally Posted by
smokediver576
Curious on something, when I was in the screen printing business as part of our product offerings - we would charge a screen charge, however the customer did not "own" the screen. Same for if we did the custom artwork. We charged for our time but in the end the artwork and screens were not given to the customer at any point. In the machining world (small garage guys and gals like me), does the same thing apply? Say I do all of the CAD/CAM work from their coffee napkin drawing, make fixtures to hold the parts and run a batch. Do they own the files and fixtures if you charge for any part of that time/costs? Now, this is assuming that you did not charge them the total time/costs (in order to keep from scaring them off with sticker shock). Assuming you will recoup some of your money for your investment when you get additional production work.
This part is a perfect example. By the time I CAD/CAM this up, build some fixtures to hold the parts for the second op and run some test parts to validate prior to building the 10, I can only imagine that we'd be talking about a fairly large bill for those 10. That's if I charged my true time/costs.
Just thinking out loud here on a Friday afternoon when I should be working.....
I have never thought of the fixtures and drawings to be customer property, even if they paid for them. I guess it could be argued that they own them since they paid for them. Most of my quick drawings would be useless to anyone else anyway. I have never had the subject come up with any customer of mine. A stamping shop I did work for did charge the customer for the die building and the customer owned the die. But in that case the dies cost thousands of $$$$
Jim Dawson
Sandy, Oregon, USA