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Supply chain visibility

Flying Blind During the Supply Chain Crisis

When a supplier stops answering, the schedule slips before anyone notices. We give engineers a fixed feedback loop: DFM inside 12 hours, production start inside 24 hours, machined parts out in 3–5 days.

±0.005 mm tolerance3–5 day shippingNo minimum order100% inspectionISO 9001 / IATF 16949Dongguan + Singapore
GreatLight Metal new factory building
127High-precision CNC machines
±0.005 mmAchievable tolerance
12 hQuote and DFM turnaround
<2%Historical late-delivery rate
Where it goes wrong

Four places a shortage turns into a schedule loss

Each one is lost time, not a feeling.

01

No status until the ship date

You ask for a progress update and get a promise instead of a number. Two weeks pass before anyone admits the material never arrived. The build moves out by a month and the customer meeting moves with it.

02

Quotes that take a week to land

A drawing goes out on Monday and comes back the following Wednesday with no DFM notes. Tolerance callouts that will not run on a 3-axis machine stay in the file, so the first article fails and the fixture work starts over.

03

One supplier, one failure point

Everything routes through a single shop. When its mill goes down or a heat-treat vendor slips, there is no second path. You are weeks from an alternative and the line is already waiting on the part.

04

Paperwork that arrives after the parts

Material certs, inspection reports and finish records show up as scanned pages days later, or not at all. Your quality group cannot close the release, so finished parts sit in receiving instead of on the machine.

The fix

Make the process visible before the part is cut

Schedule risk drops when data moves ahead of metal.

CNC Lathe Technical Specifications Terminology
Step one

Quote and DFM in 12 hours, not 12 days

Send a STEP file and a tolerance callout and you get a price plus a DFM analysis within 12 hours. The review flags thin walls, deep pockets, callouts that need a 5-axis setup, and features that will chatter on a long tool. You find out what the part costs and what it will take to hold before you commit a purchase order.

Twelve hours is a working number, not a marketing one. The quote desk reads the drawing, checks stock for the alloy, and routes it to a process engineer when the geometry is unusual. You get one reply with the price, the setup plan and the questions that matter.

  • 1
    STEP, IGES, X_T, DWG and PDFNative CAD and 2D drawings both accepted.
  • 2
    Tolerance reviewWe say which callouts need a 5-axis or mill-turn setup.
  • 3
    Material checkAluminium, stainless, titanium and plastics checked against stock.

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CNC Machining Services Online
Step two

Production starts in 24 hours, parts ship in 3–5 days

Once the order is released, machining can start within 24 hours. 127 CNC machines sit across three plants, so a job does not wait behind a single spindle. Sixteen simultaneous 5-axis centers cover the tight-tolerance work, sixteen mill-turn centers handle parts that would otherwise need two setups and two fixtures.

Parts ship in 3–5 days for the work that fits our standard routing. That window covers milling, turning, deburring and most finishing. When a part needs plating or anodizing, the finish step gets quoted with its own timing so the ship date reflects the whole chain.

  • 1
    No minimum order quantityOne prototype or a 10,000 part run, same process.
  • 2
    100% inspection before shipmentRaw material check, in-process monitoring, final inspection.
  • 3
    Reports on requestInspection data and material certs travel with the parts.

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Routing choice

Which process fits which part

Use this to pick the route before you quote.

Part typeRecommended routeWhy
Prismatic housing, tight bores3-axis + 4-axis millSimple setups, easy to inspect
Complex organic geometrySimultaneous 5-axisOne setup, no repositioning error
Shaft with cross holesMill-turn centerTurning and milling in one setup
Long frame up to 4,000 mmLarge-travel 3-axis4,000 × 400 × 150 mm envelope
Thin-wall prototype, low volumeRapid prototypingFast geometry check before tooling
What we run

Machining and finishing under one roof

One purchase order covers the route from stock to finished part.

01

5 Axis CNC Machining

Sixteen simultaneous 5-axis centers for contoured surfaces, deep pockets and parts that would need three fixtures otherwise.

02

4 Axis and 3 Axis Milling

Twelve 4-axis mills and twenty-seven 3-axis machines for prismatic work, plates and housings.

03

CNC Turning and Mill-Turn

Sixteen mill-turn centers handle shafts, bushings and fittings with cross holes and flats.

04

Rapid Prototyping

One-off parts before you cut tooling, so geometry errors surface early.

05

Sheet Metal and Die Casting

Enclosures, brackets and cast housings for programs that mix processes.

06

Surface Finishing

Anodizing, plating, powder coating, bead blasting and laser marking, quoted as a step in the route.

Scope

Capability and inspection at a glance

Numbers we can hold, not ranges we hope for.

ItemCapabilityNotes
Tolerance±0.005 mm (±0.0002 in)On qualified features
Surface finishRa 0.2–0.8 μm fineRa 1.6–3.2 μm as-machined
Maximum part size4,000 mm4,000 × 400 × 150 mm travel
Quality rate99.99%Across shipped production
CertificationsISO 9001, IATF 16949ISO 13485, ISO 27001
ConfidentialityNDA on requestSecure uploads
Why this shop

Six numbers that decide the schedule

Capacity, tolerance and paperwork, in that order.

15Y

15 years in business

Founded in 2011. Three wholly-owned plants and 150 technicians on staff, so a job does not sit waiting for a person.

127

CNC machines

Sixteen 5-axis, twelve 4-axis, twenty-seven 3-axis and sixteen mill-turn centers spread across the plants.

±0.005 mm

Tolerance

Held on qualified features and confirmed with inspection data before the parts ship.

7,600 m²

Manufacturing space

Room for long parts and for jobs that need a separate finishing line.

12 h

Quote turnaround

Price and free DFM analysis, so a decision does not wait on a sales call.

<2%

Late-delivery rate

Historical probability across shipped orders. We quote windows we can keep.

4,000 mmMaximum processing size
Ra 0.2–0.8 μmFine surface finish
16Simultaneous 5-axis centers
99.99%Qualification rate
Industry fit

What these programs require and what we deliver

CNC Machining Services Comparison 2026 Fictiv vs Xometry vs GreatLight

Aerospace brackets

Titanium and 7075 brackets where setup count drives cost.

  • ±0.005 mm
  • 5-axis
  • Ti-6Al-4V
Leader in Cnc Machining Service China

EV and automotive fixtures

Aluminium housings and fixtures that need IATF 16949 paperwork.

  • IATF 16949
  • 6061-T6
  • 3–5 days
oplus_262178

Medical instrument parts

Stainless components with clean finishes and traceable inspection.

  • ISO 13485
  • 316L
  • Ra 0.8 μm
cnc machining

Robotics and automation

Mill-turn parts with cross holes that would need two fixtures otherwise.

  • Mill-turn
  • One setup
  • 100% inspection
FAQs

Questions engineers ask before they send a file

What does flying blind during a shortage actually cost?

The cost is usually schedule, not price. A late material shipment or an unanswered status request moves the build out by weeks, and the downstream assembly absorbs the delay.

Visibility fixes the same problem at low cost. A 12-hour quote with DFM notes and a firm ship window tells you in one day whether the route works.

How fast can you return a quote?

Quotation and free DFM analysis come back within 12 hours. Send a STEP file or a 2D drawing with tolerance callouts and material.

If the geometry needs a 5-axis or mill-turn setup, the reply says so and shows the alternative route.

When does machining start and when do parts ship?

Production can start within 24 hours of order release. Standard routing ships parts in 3–5 days.

Finishing steps such as anodizing or plating are quoted with their own timing, so the date covers the whole chain rather than just the cut.

Do you have a minimum order quantity?

No minimum. We run one prototype and we run 10,000+ part runs on the same process.

For a single part, the setup dominates the price. That is a cost fact, not a policy.

Which tolerance and finish can you hold?

±0.005 mm (±0.0002 in) on qualified features. As-machined finish runs Ra 1.6–3.2 μm; fine finishes reach Ra 0.2–0.8 μm with the right tool path and material.

We confirm the values with inspection data before shipment rather than quoting a best case.

How do you handle tight-tolerance or hard-to-hold parts?

Those go to the 5-axis or mill-turn route so the part stays in one setup. Sixteen simultaneous 5-axis centers and sixteen mill-turn centers are available.

We also flag features that need a special fixture or a longer cycle before you place the order.

Is my design kept confidential?

Uploads are secure and confidential. An NDA is available on request before you send files.

We hold ISO 27001:2022 for information security, alongside ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016 and ISO 13485:2016.

What materials do you machine?

Aluminium including 6061, 7075 and ADC12; stainless including 303, 304, 316L and 17-4PH; steels such as 1018, 4140 and 4340; copper and brass; titanium TA1, TA2 and TC4; Inconel and magnesium; and plastics including POM, PEEK and PC.

If a job calls for a material outside that list, tell us and we will say whether we can run it.

Send the drawing and get a real date

One upload returns the price, the DFM notes and a ship window you can plan around.

12-hour quote100% inspectionNo minimum orderNDA on request

Trusted by engineers and manufacturers worldwide

Tesla Ford Motor Company BYD Auto Denso Magna International Boeing Airbus Medtronic KUKA FANUC