Manufacturing
A design isn't finished when the CAD file is finished.
Whether something can be made, by whom, at what cost and with what yield decides whether it exists. Terranoux is being built to reason about production as part of the design, from the first sketch.
Overview
Design to quality, as one chain.
Every link constrains the others. A tolerance picks a process, a process picks a supplier, a supplier sets lead time and cost.
- 01
Design
validated geometry, tolerances, materials
- 02
BOM
parts, quantities, alternates
- 03
Process
machining, sheet, moulding, assembly
- 04
Supplier
capability, lead time, price
- 05
Production
work instructions, tooling, yield
- 06
Quality
inspection plan, measured parts
01
Processes and machines
The same part can be machined, cut and bent, printed, cast or moulded. Each choice changes cost, lead time, strength and what geometry is possible.
- Process selection
- Matched to geometry, material, quantity and tolerance.
- Machine capability
- Work envelope, axes, achievable finish and accuracy.
- Design for process
- Draft angles, bend radii, tool access, wall thickness.
- Assembly
- Sequence, fixturing, fastener access and error-proofing.
02
Tolerances
Tight tolerances cost money. Loose ones cost function. The design should carry only the precision it needs.
Example check
Illustrative- feature
- bearing bore, track drive hub
- requirement
- Ø22 H7 (+0.000 / +0.021 mm)
- chosen process
- laser cut, ±0.10 mm
- result
- process cannot hold the fit
- resolution
- add CNC finish pass to hub · +$18 per unit
03
Bill of materials
The BOM is where a design meets the real world of parts, prices and stock. It should be generated from the design and stay linked to it.
| Item | Qty | Process | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frame panels, 6061-T6 | 1 set | laser cut + brake form | $620 |
| Brushless drive motor, 350 W | 2 | purchased | $680 |
| Planetary gearbox, 30:1 | 2 | purchased | $420 |
| Battery pack, 48 V 0.6 kWh | 1 | purchased | $780 |
| Motor driver | 2 | purchased | $290 |
| Track module | 2 | purchased + machined hub | $780 |
| Sensor mast: camera, lidar, IMU | 1 | assembled | $1,150 |
| Compute module | 1 | purchased | $240 |
| 56 further lines: fasteners, seals, wiring, brackets | — | mixed | $440 |
| Prototype, 64 lines | $5,400 | ||
04
Suppliers and substitutions
Parts go out of stock, lead times move and prices change. A substitution is an engineering change, not a purchasing detail.
Original
Drive motor A · lead time 9 weeks
Candidate
Drive motor B · lead time 3 weeks · +40 g · torque −4%
Checked against
mass ≤ 18 kg · 25° slope · thermal margin · mounting pattern
Because the BOM stays linked to requirements and simulations, a proposed substitution can be checked against everything it touches before anyone orders it.
05
Unit economics
The right process at one unit is rarely the right process at a thousand.
| Volume | Frame process | Per unit | Fixed cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | laser cut + bend | $620 | none |
| 100 | laser cut + bend, nested | $210 | none |
| 1,000 | progressive stamping | $64 | $18,000 tooling |
Illustrative figures · not quotes
06
Quality control
Validation proved the design. Quality control proves each unit matches it.
- First article
- Full inspection of the first part from a new process or supplier.
- Critical dimensions
- The features that carry function, measured every time.
- Functional test
- Each unit driven, loaded or sprayed against its requirements.
- Traceability
- Which batch, which machine, which inspection, for every unit.
07
Orders need permission
Buying parts and submitting manufacturing orders spend real money and commit real capacity. Those actions go through LucidRail.
01 · Terranoux
Proposes an engineering action
- Purchase parts
- Operate equipment
- Run experiments
- Modify machines
- Submit manufacturing orders
02 · LucidRail
Evaluates authority, budget and risk
Identity, permissions, spending limits, policy and required approvals. Outside Terranoux, by design.
03 · Approved action executes
Inside the limits that were granted
Or it does not execute, and the refusal is recorded with its reason.
Now
Architecture and research into how manufacturing knowledge should be represented.
Building toward
Designs that arrive with a process plan, a BOM, sourcing options, a cost model and an inspection plan.