Here are a few answers to the most frequently asked questions that are customers have asked. Please feel free to contact us with any further questions you may have.
What materials can you machine?
We are capable of machining just about any type of material. However, the most common types we run are brass, carbon steels, alloy steels, stainless steels, aluminum, copper and bronze alloys. We have also run CPVC, Plastics, Delrin, Nylon and other specialty materials. In terms of shapes, we can machine round, hex, square bars and tubing, as well as some extruded and specialty shapes.
Are you a job shop?
Yes, we provide both high and low volume products. Each piece we produce is custom made to fit the customer’s unique specifications. Everything we do is customer specific.
What is a good run quantity?
This is one of the most asked questions in our industry. We prefer higher volume jobs, but generally speaking, we will look at lower volumes if the part is less difficult to machine. We quote quantities from 500 to 5,000,000 piece. There is no exact amount, as each part is unique in regards to how it will be made, and therefore, each project is reviewed separately.
What is a screw machine?
A screw machine is a cam driven automatic lathe with a single spindle or multi spindle arrangements and machining stations. This allows for rapid, high volume production. The material rotates within the machine and the tools fed into the rotating material. The process is progressive which allows for the machining of multiple diameters of a part at once with each station doing a specific operation as the piece rotates throughout the machine.
Do you provide other services?
Yes, we have an extensive list of approved vendors for outside services including plating, anodizing, Passivate, Heat Treating and Centerless Grinding. Depending on the requirements, we have an approved vendor with whom we work closely to make sure the part is made to your specifications.
What kinds of lead times can you work under?
Our lead time is dictated by material and tooling lead times, as well as machine availability. Typically, we shoot for 8-10 weeks lead times after receipt of the order.
What are your tolerance limits as it relates to machining?
Our tolerance limits are dictated by the type of machine or materials utilized, the operations involved in producing each part, and the location of the dimension on the part. As a general rule, we like to see +/-.005 tolerances for a screw machine part. We can hold within +/- .001 tolerances on certain jobs.
How are tooling and set up changes handled in terms of pricing?
We charge a one-time tooling and engineering charge with each new order we receive. This cost is not billed until the parts have been approved for production, and is only billed once during the lifetime of the project, unless there is a print change or other extenuating circumstance. This cost includes initial engineering of job specific tooling, initial setup labor and resources, as well as machine down time. We also amortize tooling and setup costs into the piece price for perishable tooling and ongoing setups. These costs are divided equally into each piece, so higher volume jobs will have a lower setup and tooling cost than a lower volume job. Additionally, with higher volume jobs, we get discounts on tooling orders and can setup faster, so those costs go down in proportion to the volume.
How do you handle inventory?
We prefer to receive blanket orders with scheduled releases for high volume production requirements. We also do one time buys as well, which means running and shipping the entire quantity at one time. Our goal is to get the commitment of a long running job, which helps the customer control costs both in the piece price and in inventory costs. We will work with everyone on their release schedules, but we try to make sure that the inventory for each part is turned over every 12 months.