In‑House Braille Pad Manufacturing

Summary

Outsourced pads were expensive and slow to arrive. I was tasked with moving production in‑house while maintaining tight tolerance and repeatability. I retooled the existing setup for true 3‑axis capability, established a parametric design and CAM/tooling flow, and standardized setups and in‑process checks so the line could run predictably. The result was a stable, documented process that the team could operate—delivering the same quality faster and at significantly lower cost.

What I did

• Converted a vacuum‑table CNC to true 3‑axis milling; verified helical and sloped toolpaths so motion matched the intended geometry.
• Built a parametric SolidWorks template so pads could be generated from a few inputs (rows/columns, dot geometry, spacing).
• Programmed Fusion 360 CAM using shop tooling; tuned feeds, speeds, and step‑downs; validated tolerances within ~0.003 in with in‑process checks and first‑article inspection.
• Documented end‑to‑end procedures and trained coworkers so the workflow was repeatable and maintainable.
• Wrote optimized machining procedures and estimated run time per part; improved material usage with better layouts.
• Trained coworkers on SolidWorks and Fusion 360 workflows, and trained machinists on setup from raw stock to finished parts.

Results

• Cut unit cost from ~$20–$48 outsourced to about ~$8 in‑house.
• Reduced lead time from weeks to roughly one day for braille runs.
• Improved consistency by standardizing setups, inspection checkpoints, and training.
• Higher part quality than previous outsourced runs (tolerance and finish).
• Completed full in-house manufacturing handoff with documents, training, and setup sheets; process implemented successfully.