GreatLight is a Dongguan-based contract manufacturer running 3 wholly-owned plants, 127 high-precision CNC machines and a 150-person technical team. We machine metal and plastic parts to ±0.005 mm for engineers who need prototypes and low-volume runs.
These are the failure patterns we see most often when a supplier is chosen on price alone.
The first samples pass inspection. Then the second batch arrives 0.03 mm out of position and the mating parts no longer fit. It usually means the process was never capable of the tolerance, only lucky once. Ask what machine the job runs on before you release the drawing.
An RFQ sits in a sales inbox while your design review moves ahead without a cost number. By the time the price lands, the schedule has already slipped. Slow quoting is usually a symptom of a shop that does not read drawings carefully on the first pass.
The housing needs 5-axis milling, the bracket needs turning, and the cover is a die casting. Three vendors means three sets of tolerances, three lead times and no single party accountable when the assembly does not close. Coordinating that eats engineering hours you do not have.
A supplier holds ISO 9001 but has never run a medical or automotive program, so process control is thin where it matters. The certificate on the wall tells you the paperwork exists. It does not tell you whether inspection records, traceability and change control actually hold up under audit.
Machining, casting, finishing and inspection sit in the same group, so a part does not change hands between vendors.
We run 16 simultaneous 5-axis centers, 12 four-axis mills, 27 three-axis machines and 16 mill-turn centers. That mix matters more than the total. A part with undercut pockets and compound angles belongs on a 5-axis machine, not on three setups of a 3-axis job where each re-fixture adds error.
Maximum processing size reaches 4,000 mm, with travel envelopes of 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm on the large frames and 750 × 1,150 × 550 mm on the mid-size ones. A Ø400 mm rotary table covers round parts that would otherwise need a second operation.
General machining holds ±0.005 mm (±0.0002 in). Surface finish runs from Ra 0.2–0.8 μm on fine work up to Ra 1.6–3.2 μm as-machined. Those numbers are only useful if the shop inspects against them, so 100% of parts are inspected before shipment after a raw material check, in-process monitoring and a final inspection.
Inspection reports go out on request. If a drawing calls for a first article report, a material certificate or dimensional data on specific features, say so at quoting time so the inspection plan is built around it instead of retrofitted later.
The geometry and the batch size decide the process. Use this as a first filter.
| Part situation | Best-fit process | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Compound angles, deep pockets | 5-axis CNC | One setup, no re-fixture error |
| Flat plates, brackets, frames | 3-axis CNC | Fast setup, lower hourly cost |
| Round shafts and bushings | Mill-turn | Turning and milling in one cycle |
| Aluminium or zinc housings, 500+ pcs | Die casting | Tooling cost spreads over volume |
| Silicone-like prototypes, 20–50 pcs | Vacuum casting | Cheaper than hard tooling |
| Enclosures, panels, chassis | Sheet metal | Faster than machining from billet |
Simultaneous 5-axis and 4-axis milling for complex geometry, undercuts and parts that would otherwise need three or four setups.
Prismatic plates, brackets and fixtures where a simple setup is faster and cheaper than a multi-axis cycle.
Mill-turn centers for shafts, fittings and bushings that need turning and milling in one operation.
Machined and printed prototypes for design verification and fit checks before tooling is committed.
Hot chamber and cold chamber casting in aluminium, zinc and magnesium alloys for housings and structural parts.
Anodizing, plating, powder coating, black oxide, bead blasting, polishing and laser marking to drawing.
Key limits to check against your drawing before you send it.
| Item | Capability | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Machine count | 127 high-precision CNC machines | Includes 16 five-axis centers |
| Maximum size | 4,000 mm | Largest travel: 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm |
| Tolerance | ±0.005 mm | ±0.0002 in |
| Surface finish | Ra 0.2–0.8 μm to Ra 1.6–3.2 μm | Fine to as-machined |
| Lead time | Parts ship in 3–5 days | Quotation within 12 hours |
| Order size | One part to 10,000+ | No minimum order quantity |
| Materials | Aluminium, stainless, steel, copper, titanium, plastics | 6061-T6, 304, 17-4PH, PEEK, HDPE and more |
General machining holds ±0.005 mm, which covers most mating features, bearing seats and sealing faces without a secondary grinding step.
A quotation plus free DFM analysis returns within 12 hours, and production can start within 24 hours of release.
Typical parts ship in 3–5 days. Historical late-delivery probability sits below 2%.
Incoming material checks, in-process monitoring and a final inspection on every part before it leaves the floor.
One prototype or a 10,000+ part run. The setup does not change; only the batch size does.
ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016, ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 27001:2022 support automotive, medical and data-handling requirements.
Structural brackets and housings need IATF 16949 process control and traceable inspection records.
Instrument housings and fixtures must be clean, dimensionally stable and documented per part.
End-effector plates and gearbox parts combine tight bores with multi-face geometry.
Long frames and thin-wall parts need a machine envelope and a setup that will not deflect.
Check the largest outside dimension and the deepest pocket against the travel envelopes. Parts up to 750 × 1,150 × 550 mm stay on mid-size frames; anything longer moves to the 4,000 mm machines.
If a feature needs compound angles or an undercut, it belongs on a 5-axis center. Send the STEP file and we will confirm the axis count and setup count in the DFM report.
General machining holds ±0.005 mm (±0.0002 in). That figure assumes a stable setup and a material that does not move much after cutting.
Long, thin walls and unsupported bores deflect under cutting force, so they land wider. Tell us which dimensions are critical and we will quote the process around them rather than promising one number for the whole part.
No. We run from a single prototype to 10,000+ part runs. The setup cost is the same either way; only the batch size changes.
For one-off parts, machined prototypes are usually the fastest route. Vacuum casting makes sense between roughly 20 and 50 pieces when the geometry is complex and hard tooling is not justified yet.
Quotation and free DFM analysis come back within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours of drawing release and order confirmation.
Typical parts ship in 3–5 days. Historical late-delivery probability is below 2%. Exact dates depend on material availability and finishing, so confirm both at order.
ISO 9001:2015 covers the general quality system. IATF 16949:2016 supports automotive and EV programs. ISO 13485:2016 covers medical device work. ISO 27001:2022 covers information security around customer drawings and data.
Certification is a starting point, not a result. If your program needs PPAP-style documentation, first article reports or material certificates, put that in the RFQ so the inspection plan is built for it.
Uploads are treated as secure and confidential. We sign an NDA on request before drawings are shared.
Access to customer files is limited to the engineers and programmers who need them for the job. ISO 27001:2022 defines how that data is stored and controlled.
Yes. Die casting, CNC machining and surface finishing run inside the same group, so a cast housing can be machined on the same drawing revision and finished without changing vendors.
That removes the tolerance stack you get when three suppliers each hold their own datum. One party is accountable for the finished part.
Anodizing (clear, colour, hardcoat, conductive), electroless nickel, zinc, silver and gold plating, powder coating, black oxide, bead blasting, tumbling, brushing and polishing. Laser marking goes down to 1.5 mm character height.
Specify finish by function first. A sealing face usually wants Ra 0.8–1.6 μm; a cosmetic cover gets bead blasting or polishing on top of the machined surface.
Upload your STEP or PDF file. An engineer reads the drawing, flags DFM issues and returns a price with lead time. No minimum order quantity.
12-hour quoteFree DFM analysis100% inspectionNo MOQNDA on request
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Upload your 3D model or 2D drawing and get a quotation with a free DFM analysis. Maximum processing size 4,000 mm.
CNC Metals 13 grades
CNC Plastics 10 grades
Machines & processes 12 options
Surface & post-processing 10 options
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