Patrick,

If the average small plane manufacturer allocated 500 hours of labor to
finish an airplane's metal work at $45.00 / hr, then that works out to
22,000+ bucks / airframe. Over 10 aircraft, that amounts to $220,000.
Suddenly that piece of CNC tooling is starting to look like a bargain
isn't it?

Evan

W P Dixon wrote:
Dang,
Let me know the metalworking equipment you are paying 250,000 bucks for.
A decent brake is around 4000, a nice shear 4000-5000. Yes you could
spend some more, or if you were frugile alittle less. To build something
like a Cub or Champ you don't need 250,000 bucks of metal working
equipment. However if you want to spend that kind of money in your
metalshop I'd love to come work for you I guess if you really wanted
to splurge you could spend some bucks on things like water jet cutters
or what have you..but they could not pay for themselves unless you were
selling airplanes like hotcakes. So really something like that is
something you buy when you know you have the biz going strong, and not
really a start up cost.
Some places I worked had shrinkers /stretchers, and a English Wheel
was a luxury. Of course working on airliners they definitely had CNC and
such to cut parts from...but that is not a sport plane A metal sport
plane can be built very very well with basic sheet metal tools. The high
dollar stuff would be a waste of money unless you needed production
speed of an automobile assembly line.
I've never built a plastic injection mold, but I've built airplanes

Patrick
student SP
aircraft structural mech