01
Tooling eats the budget
A hard die or soft tool costs more than the parts themselves when you only need 200 pieces. That money never comes back if the design changes after the first fit check.
Low Volume Manufacturing
Low Volume Manufacturing Without Tooling Delays
Run 1 to 10,000 parts on 127 CNC machines. No minimum order quantity, no soft-tool investment up front. Quotation and DFM analysis arrive within 12 hours.
No minimum order quantityDFM in 12 hours±0.005 mm tolerance100% inspection
15 yearsMachining since 2011
127High-precision CNC machines
±0.005 mmAchievable tolerance
3–5 daysTypical shipping window
Where Programs Slip
What Low Volume Runs Usually Cost You
These four failures show up again and again on pilot builds and bridge orders.
02
Suppliers refuse small quantities
The quote comes back with a 1,000-piece minimum, or a setup charge that doubles the unit price. Engineering builds stall while purchasing argues over volume.
03
Prototype accuracy does not hold
Parts arrive dimensionally close but not on print. Slots run 0.1 mm tight, hole positions drift, and assembly needs hand rework to close.
04
Every revision restarts the clock
A design change means a new tool, a new setup sheet and another two weeks of waiting. The schedule absorbs the hit, not the supplier.
How We Run Small Batches
Machining Capacity Built for Short Runs
Cut directly from billet or plate. No tool amortization, no volume threshold.
Capacity
Five-Axis Cutters Sized for One-Off and Repeat Batches
GreatLight runs 127 high-precision CNC machines across three wholly-owned plants, with 16 simultaneous 5-axis machining centers, 16 mill-turn centers and 12 four-axis mills. A single setup can reach five faces, so hole patterns, pockets and angled features stay in one coordinate frame instead of five.
Maximum processing size is 4,000 mm. Travel options cover 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm for long extrusions and rails, 750 × 1,150 × 550 mm for plate work, and 500 × 500 × 450 mm for compact housings. A Ø400 mm rotary table handles round parts that need continuous indexing.
- 1No minimum order quantityOne prototype or 10,000 parts, quoted the same way.
- 2Setup shared across the batchFixtures stay on the machine for repeat orders.
- 3Material from stockAluminium, stainless, titanium, copper and engineering plastics.
Process Control
Inspection and Finishing Handled In-House
Tolerances hold at ±0.005 mm (±0.0002 in) on critical features. Surface finish runs from Ra 0.2–0.8 μm on sealing faces to Ra 1.6–3.2 μm as-machined on brackets. Every part gets raw material check, in-process monitoring and a final inspection before shipment, with reports on request.
Finishing stays under the same roof: anodizing in clear, colour, hardcoat or conductive; electroless nickel, zinc, silver and gold plating; powder coating and black oxide; bead blasting, tumbling, brushing and polishing; laser marking down to 1.5 mm character height. Qualifying four separate vendors costs more time than the run itself.
- 1±0.005 mm on critical featuresMeasured against the print, not a sample.
- 2Ra 0.2–0.8 μm availableFor seals, bearings and sliding fits.
- 3100% inspection before shipmentReports issued on request.
Choosing a Route
Which Process Fits Your Quantity
Match the method to the batch size and the geometry, not to habit.
| Quantity | Recommended route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1–20 parts | 5-axis CNC from billet | No tooling cost, design changes stay cheap |
| 20–500 parts | CNC with shared fixtures | Unit price falls, setup already amortized |
| 500–5,000 parts | Vacuum casting or die casting | Tool cost spread across a larger batch |
| 5,000–10,000+ parts | Die casting plus CNC finishing | Lowest unit cost at stable geometry |
| Sheet metal enclosures | Sheet metal fabrication | Faster than machining thin panels |
Services
Manufacturing Services Under One Roof
01
5 Axis CNC Machining
Simultaneous five-axis cutting for complex geometry, undercuts and five-face work in a single setup.
02
CNC Milling & Turning
Three-axis, four-axis and mill-turn centers covering prismatic parts and turned shafts.
03
Rapid Prototyping
Machined and printed prototypes for fit checks, before any tool is cut.
04
Vacuum Casting
Silicone tooling for 20 to 500 urethane parts when CNC unit price gets too high.
05
Metal Die Casting
Aluminium and zinc die casting for housings once the design is frozen.
06
Part Surface Finishing
Anodizing, plating, powder coating, blasting and laser marking in the same plant.
Scope
What a Low Volume Order Includes
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Quantity range | 1 to 10,000+ parts, no minimum order quantity |
| Tolerance | ±0.005 mm (±0.0002 in) on critical features |
| Surface finish | Ra 0.2–0.8 μm fine, Ra 1.6–3.2 μm as-machined |
| Maximum part size | 4,000 mm, travel to 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm |
| Materials | Aluminium, stainless, steel, copper, titanium, PEEK, HDPE |
| Quotation | Within 12 hours, with free DFM analysis |
| Production start | Within 24 hours of drawing release |
| Delivery | Parts ship in 3–5 days |
Why GreatLight
Numbers Behind the Small-Batch Work
Six figures engineers and buyers check before awarding a pilot build.
15Y
Machining since 2011
Fifteen years of short-run work across aerospace, automotive, medical and robotics programs.
127
CNC machines on site
Capacity spread across three wholly-owned plants in Dongguan and Singapore.
±0.005
Millimetre tolerance
Held on critical features and verified by 100% inspection before shipment.
12 h
Quote turnaround
Quotation plus free DFM analysis inside half a day of receiving the files.
<2%
Historical late-delivery rate
Measured across past production orders, not a forward-looking promise.
4
Quality certifications
ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016, ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 27001:2022.
7,600 m²Manufacturing space
150Technicians on staff
16Simultaneous 5-axis centers
3Wholly-owned plants
Applications
Where Short Runs Get Used
Automotive & EV
Brackets, housings and fixtures before hard tooling is committed.
- IATF 16949
- ±0.005 mm
Industrial Machinery
HDPE and aluminium components for pilot lines and spares.
- No MOQ
- 3–5 days
Medical Devices
Instrument bodies and fixtures in stainless and titanium.
- ISO 13485
- Ra 0.2–0.8 μm
Robotics & Automation
End-effector plates and gearbox housings at low quantity.
- 4,000 mm travel
- 100% inspection
FAQs
Low Volume Manufacturing Questions
What quantity counts as low volume?
Anything from one part to roughly 10,000 pieces where hard tooling has not been justified yet. Below about 500 pieces, CNC from billet usually beats a die because there is no tool cost to recover.
Above that, we compare the CNC unit price against vacuum casting or die casting and tell you where the crossover sits for your geometry.
Do you have a minimum order quantity?
No. We quote single prototypes and 10,000-piece runs on the same form.
A one-piece order carries a higher unit price because setup is not shared, and we state that plainly in the quote rather than hiding it in a line item.
How fast can parts ship?
Quotation and DFM analysis come back within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours of drawing release.
Typical parts ship in 3–5 days. That depends on material availability, finishing and inspection scope, so the quote lists the actual window for your parts.
Which tolerances can you hold?
±0.005 mm (±0.0002 in) on critical features. General dimensions follow the drawing's title block tolerance.
Surface finish ranges from Ra 0.2–0.8 μm on sealing faces to Ra 1.6–3.2 μm as-machined. Tell us which features are functional and we concentrate inspection there.
Can the design change between batches?
Yes, and that is the main reason to machine rather than tool up early. A revised pocket or moved hole costs a new program and setup, not a new die.
Send the updated model and we re-quote the affected operations only. Fixtures already built for unchanged features stay in use.
How do you handle confidentiality?
Uploads are secure and confidential. An NDA is available on request before you send files.
We hold ISO 27001:2022 for information security management, which covers how drawings, models and process data are stored and accessed.
Which materials do you machine at this scale?
Aluminium 6061, 7075, 2024 and ADC12; stainless 303, 304, 316L, 17-4PH; steel 1018, 4140, 4340; copper and brass C110, C36000; titanium TC4; plastics including POM, PEEK, PA and HDPE.
Inconel and magnesium AZ31B or AZ91D are available for parts where weight or heat resistance drives the choice.
What inspection do we get?
Raw material check, in-process monitoring and final inspection on 100% of parts before shipment.
Inspection reports are issued on request. If you need first article inspection or a specific report format, say so at quote stage.
Send Drawings, Get a Quote in 12 Hours
Upload a STEP file and we return pricing plus a free DFM analysis. No minimum order quantity, from one prototype to 10,000 parts.
12-hour quoteNo minimum order quantity100% inspectionNDA on request
