Tab and Slot Fire Pit Design & Manufacturing Documentation
A complete case study on tab-and-slot fire pit design, sheet metal CAD modeling, fabrication drawings, and manufacturing documentation for a U.S. client.
Milestone PLM was engaged to deliver the complete product development and manufacturing documentation package for a new tab-and-slot fire pit concept from scratch. Operating under a tight 3-week delivery window with a commitment to full engineering ownership, every sheet metal 3D CAD model, flat pattern, and fabrication drawing was engineered to be production-ready on first release—cutting engineering costs by 60% and enabling rapid shop-floor execution.
What Made This Project Complex
Developing the tab-and-slot fire pit from scratch presented a unique engineering challenge, as it was a completely new concept for the team. The project required research of reference designs for similar products and customer-provided resources to establish the concept. Based on these references, the team developed the product design and prepared complete fabrication drawings, ensuring the concept was ready for manufacturing.
How Milestone PLM delivered
Milestone acted as an extended engineering team, providing comprehensive design and manufacturing support in the product development life cycle. A dedicated team consisting of ONE Design Engineer AND CAD Specialists was assigned to the project to deliver
- Complete engineering ownership reduced dependency on in-house design resources
- 60% Reduction in Engineering Costs
- Accelerated design-to-manufacturing transition through dedicated engineering support.
- Optimized processes and documentation enabled quicker production execution
- Reduced Manufacturing Lead Time
- Fixture design and process improvements increased manufacturing productivity
- Improved Production Efficiency
- Complete support for CAD models, drawings, DXFs, ECNs, routings, BOMs, assembly instructions, and welding procedures
How we structured the work
Understanding the concept for the project
Reviewed the client’s reference websites and design inputs, evaluated suitable concepts from both design and manufacturability perspectives, and finalized the most appropriate reference for product development and fabrication.
Product Development
Created detailed 3D CAD components and assemblies, conducted design reviews and optimization with the client, and incorporated client feedback and required engineering revisions to finalize the product design.
Manufacturing Documentation
Production-ready engineering and detailed fabrication drawings were developed to support accurate manufacturing and efficient fabrication processes.
Project in Pictures
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