01
Quotes arrived as unreadable scans
A PDF with handwritten dimensions and no model meant two engineers interpreting the same drawing differently. Clarification emails ran for days before a price existed.
COVID Case Study Series · Part 2
COVID Case Study: Digital Tools for CNC Parts
When travel stopped in 2020, machined parts still had to ship. This page covers the digital tools we use to quote, review and inspect parts without a plant visit.
3 wholly-owned plants±0.005 mm tolerance100% inspectionNo minimum order quantityNDA on request
2011Manufacturing since
127High-precision CNC machines
±0.005 mmAchievable tolerance
12 hQuote and free DFM analysis
Where it breaks
What Went Wrong When Everyone Went Remote
Four failures we saw across buyer-supplier relationships in 2020. Each one costs time you cannot bill.
02
DFM feedback came after tooling was ordered
A 2 mm wall on an aluminium housing, a hole 0.4 mm from a bend. Problems found after cutting meant a scrapped setup, a new lead time, and a schedule slip nobody could absorb.
03
Nobody could walk the shop floor
Buyers normally confirm a supplier by standing at the machine. With travel closed, purchase orders went out on reputation alone. First articles then revealed spindle capacity, fixture quality and whether the tolerance call was realistic.
04
Inspection reports sat in someone's inbox
A CMM report as a phone photo is not a record. Without a shared folder and a revision number, a dimensional question three months later had no traceable answer.
How we ran it
Digital Tools That Replaced the Plant Visit
Three workflows, each tied to a step where a physical visit used to be the only proof.
Step 1 · Quote and DFM
Upload a STEP File, Get a Price and a DFM Note
Every enquiry starts with the same channel: a 3D model, a 2D drawing, a material call and a quantity. We return a quotation and a free DFM analysis within 12 hours. No travel, no site meeting.
The DFM note is the part buyers actually read. It lists thin walls, deep pockets, tight corner radii, thread depth, and any feature that needs a second setup. If a tolerance of ±0.005 mm is not needed on a cosmetic face, we say so and the price drops.
- 1Accepted formatsSTEP, IGES, X_T, STL, DWG, DXF, PDF
- 2What we returnUnit price, lead time, DFM note, material options
- 3TurnaroundQuotation and free DFM analysis within 12 hours
Step 2 · Production visibility
Shared Folders and Scheduled Video Reviews
Programmers, machinists and quality engineers worked from one shared folder per job. Model revisions, setup sheets, tool lists and inspection plans all carry the same revision letter. If a customer changes a hole diameter on Tuesday, the shop sees it Tuesday.
We ran short daily video calls instead of long status emails. A 10-minute screen share of a toolpath or a first-article measurement resolves in one call what used to take a day of back-and-forth. Remote engineers can watch a cut without booking a flight.
- 1Daily touch baseShort stand-up per job, not a weekly report
- 2Revision controlOne folder per job, one revision letter
- 3On-the-spot answersScreen share a toolpath or a CMM result
Tool selection
Which Tool Fits Which Job
Match the communication channel to the decision being made.
| Job situation | Tool we use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New part, no drawing yet | Video call plus screen share | Faster than writing a spec from scratch |
| Complex geometry, tight tolerance | STEP upload and DFM note | Geometry is unambiguous in a model |
| Running production, small change | Shared folder with revision letter | Everyone reads the same revision |
| First article review | CMM report in shared folder | Traceable, not a phone photo |
| Surface finish question | Photo plus sample pack | Finish is easier to see than describe |
| Capacity or lead time check | Instant message plus live schedule | Answers in minutes, not a day |
What we machine
Services Behind the Digital Front End
The same quoting and review workflow feeds every process below.
01
5 Axis CNC Machining
16 simultaneous 5-axis centers for impellers, brackets and contoured housings that would need three setups on a 3-axis machine.
02
CNC Milling and Turning
27 three-axis machines, 12 four-axis mills and 16 mill-turn centers for prismatic and round parts in one order.
03
Rapid Prototyping
One-off and low-volume parts for fit checks before committing to a production run. No minimum order quantity.
04
Sheet Metal Fabrication
Enclosures, panels and brackets with laser cutting, bending and hardware insertion.
05
Custom 3D Printing
SLA, SLS and FDM for jigs, fixtures and early form studies.
06
Surface Finishing
Anodizing, plating, powder coating, bead blasting and laser marking, applied in-house or through qualified partners.
Scope
Machining Scope at a Glance
Numbers our engineers work to when a job is quoted.
| Item | Capability | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Machines | 127 high-precision CNC machines | Across 3 wholly-owned plants |
| 5-axis centers | 16 simultaneous | Contoured and multi-face parts |
| Largest travel | 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm | Long parts, single setup |
| Standard travel | 750 × 1,150 × 550 mm | Most enclosures and plates |
| Tolerance | ±0.005 mm | ±0.0002 in |
| Surface finish | Ra 0.2–0.8 μm fine | Ra 0.8–1.6 μm standard |
| Materials | Aluminium, stainless, steel, titanium, plastics | Grades listed on the quote |
| Inspection | 100% before shipment | Reports on request |
Why GreatLight
What the Digital Workflow Rests On
Software is only useful when the shop behind it can hold the tolerance.
15Y
Machining since 2011
Fifteen years of production work across aerospace, automotive, medical and industrial machinery parts.
±0.005
Tolerance held in production
Not a lab number. Achieved on quoted parts with in-process monitoring and a documented setup sheet.
99.99%
Qualification rate
Raw material check, in-process monitoring and final inspection before anything ships.
12H
Quote and DFM analysis
Send a model and a drawing. Production can start within 24 hours of approval.
0
Minimum order quantity
One prototype or a 10,000+ part run on the same process and the same inspection standard.
4
Quality certifications
ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016, ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 27001:2022.
7,600 m²Manufacturing space
150Technicians
3Wholly-owned plants
<2%Historical late-delivery probability
Sector fit
What Each Industry Requires, and What We Deliver
Aerospace brackets
Thin-wall aluminium brackets held to a flatness call across the full face.
- ±0.005 mm
- 5-axis single setup
- 100% inspection
EV housings and busbars
Machined copper and aluminium conductors with plating and laser marking.
- IATF 16949
- Ra 0.8–1.6 μm
- Part marking 1.5 mm
Medical instrument parts
316L and titanium components with documented material traceability.
- ISO 13485
- 316L / TC4
- Reports on request
Robotics and automation
Aluminium and steel links, plates and end effectors in short runs.
- No minimum order
- 3–5 day shipping
- Mill-turn parts
FAQs
Questions Buyers Ask Before Switching to Remote Sourcing
Can you quote without a 2D drawing?
A STEP model is enough to start. We read geometry, note critical features and send back a DFM note listing what we would change.
Send a drawing too if tolerances, threads or surface finish are called out. Without those numbers we have to quote a conservative default, and you pay for precision you may not need.
How do you handle a design change after the order?
Every job gets one shared folder and one revision letter. A change means a new revision, a re-quoted price if the geometry moved, and a fresh setup sheet.
If the change is small and the material is already cut, we tell you what is salvageable and what is not. That answer comes within a day, not after the parts ship.
What file formats do you accept?
STEP, IGES, X_T, STL, DWG, DXF and PDF. STEP is the safest for machining because it carries solid geometry without translation loss.
For sheet metal, DXF plus a PDF of the flat pattern and bend notes saves a round of questions.
Can I keep my design confidential?
Uploads are secure and confidential, and we sign an NDA on request. ISO 27001:2022 covers how we handle information internally.
We do not publish customer names or part images without written permission.
What tolerance and finish can you actually hold?
±0.005 mm and Ra 0.2–0.8 μm on parts where the geometry allows it. Standard production work sits at Ra 0.8–1.6 μm.
Deep pockets, long thin walls and small internal radii limit what any machine can hold. Our DFM note flags those features before cutting starts.
How fast can parts ship?
Quotation and free DFM analysis within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours of approval, and parts ship in 3–5 days.
Ship time depends on quantity, material availability and finishing. Anodizing or plating adds a step we quote up front rather than after.
Do you have a minimum order quantity?
No minimum order quantity. One prototype and a 10,000+ part run go through the same quoting, setup and inspection process.
Unit price drops with volume, but the first article review does not change.
How is inspection documented?
Raw material check, in-process monitoring and final inspection. 100% inspection before shipment, with reports on request.
First article reports, CMM data and material certificates are stored in the shared job folder so a question months later still has an answer.
Send a Model, Get a Price and a DFM Note
Upload a STEP file and a drawing. We return a quotation, a DFM analysis and a lead time, usually inside 12 hours.
12-hour quote100% inspectionNo minimum order quantityNDA on request
