Pick the right process before you cut metal. We run 5-axis milling, turning, EDM, wire cutting and sheet metal forming under one roof in Dongguan, with ±0.005 mm tolerance and a DFM review inside 12 hours.
Most late or scrapped parts are decided before the first cut. These are the four we see most.
A drawing calls out ±0.01 mm across a 300 mm bore but leaves the mounting holes loose. The shop chases the tight callout, the holes drift, and the assembly will not close. Print the datum scheme with the tolerance block, not after the first article fails.
A housing with a deep pocket, a cross hole and a thin wall goes to a 3-axis mill because that is what the last shop had free. Setup count climbs, wall thickness varies, and you pay for three fixtures to hold what one 5-axis cycle could reach.
Smooth, cosmetic, no tool marks. Without a number, the shop guesses. Ra 0.8–1.6 μm is a normal machined finish; Ra 0.2–0.8 μm needs extra passes and a different tool path. The gap shows up on the invoice and in the lead time.
A printed bracket looks fine until you cut it from 6061. Sharp internal corners, no tool radius, a 0.5 mm floor. The CAM programmer adds radii, the drawing no longer matches the part, and the second run costs more than the first.
Four decisions cover most parts we quote: which machine, which setup, which material condition, which inspection.
Every re-clamp adds error. On a 5-axis center the tool reaches five faces in one setup, so a bore and its mating face stay in the same coordinate frame. For a bracket with holes on four sides, that is the difference between ±0.005 mm and a stack of three fixtures each holding ±0.02 mm.
We hold 16 simultaneous 5-axis machining centers, 12 four-axis mills, 27 three-axis machines and 16 mill-turn centers. Small prismatic parts with one critical face still run fastest on 3-axis. We say so when that is true. The 5-axis capacity goes to parts that actually need it.
6061-T6 cuts clean and holds a thread. 7075 is stronger but moves more after roughing, so we leave stock and take a finish pass after stress release. 304 stainless work-hardens if the feed is too light; 316L galls on a dull tool. Inconel and TC4 (Ti-6Al-4V) need low surface speed and a rigid setup, and they eat tool life.
Plastics behave differently again. POM holds ±0.05 mm easily but moves with temperature. PEEK needs sharp tools and a coolant decision made per part. ABS and PC scratch if the fixture pressure is high. We list material grades on the quote so the machinist and the buyer are reading the same line.
Use this as a starting point. The quote flags it when the geometry says otherwise.
| Feature | First choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Deep pocket, 5 faces | 5-axis milling | One setup, no re-clamp error |
| Cross hole in a shaft | Mill-turn | Concentricity kept in one cycle |
| Thin wall under 1 mm | 3-axis with light passes | Low radial force, less chatter |
| Sharp internal corner | Wire EDM | Square corner a cutter cannot reach |
| Hardened 440C detail | EDM after heat treat | Cuts after hardening, no distortion |
| Flat panel with bends | Sheet metal | Faster and cheaper than milling |
| Round part under Ø60 mm | CNC turning | High volume, tight diameter control |
| Draft and ribs, 500+ pcs | Die casting | Tooling pays back at volume |
One supplier from prototype to 10,000+ part runs. No minimum order quantity.
16 simultaneous 5-axis centers for contoured faces, deep pockets and off-axis holes. One setup holds the datum, so bores and mating faces stay aligned.
3-axis and 4-axis mills plus 16 mill-turn centers. Prismatic parts, shafts, bushes and fittings from one piece to a 10,000+ run.
Machined prototypes in 3–5 days from your STEP file. Quotation and free DFM analysis within 12 hours, production start inside 24 hours.
Laser and plasma cutting, waterjet, bending, welding and stamping. Brackets, panels and chassis with the same inspection standard as machined parts.
Aluminium die casting for ribbed housings at volume, vacuum casting for small batches in a cast surface finish.
Anodizing, plating, powder coating, bead blasting, polishing and laser marking. Marking holds a 1.5 mm minimum character height.
| Item | Standard | Available on request |
|---|---|---|
| General tolerance | ISO 2768-f (metals) | ISO 2768-m (plastics) |
| Tightest tolerance | ±0.005 mm | Feature-specific callouts |
| Surface finish | Ra 1.6–3.2 μm as machined | Ra 0.2–0.8 μm on request |
| Inspection | 100% before shipment | Full report pack |
| First article | On request over 50 units | Also over USD 5,000 order value |
| Certifications | ISO 9001:2015 | IATF 16949, ISO 13485, ISO 27001 |
| Order size | No minimum | 1 prototype to 10,000+ parts |
| Confidentiality | Secure upload | NDA on request |
Numbers we can back with a machine list and an inspection record.
Three wholly-owned plants and 150 technicians. The process knowledge sits on the floor, not in a sales deck.
±0.005 mm (0.0002 in) on qualified features, with a finish down to Ra 0.2–0.8 μm when the drawing asks for it.
A real quotation plus a DFM analysis of your file. Production can start within 24 hours of approval, and parts ship in 3–5 days.
Raw material check, in-process monitoring and final inspection on every order. Reports are issued on request, not held back.
ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016, ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 27001:2022 cover automotive, medical and information security requirements.
One prototype or 10,000 parts run on the same machines and the same inspection plan. Tooling cost is not hidden in the unit price.
Thin-wall brackets and titanium fittings where setup count drives accuracy.
Housings, busbars and fixtures that need a repeatable process window.
316L and PEEK components with a documented inspection trail.
Joint housings and end-effector plates machined on five faces in one setup.
Count the faces that carry a tolerance. If a bore, a mating face and an off-axis hole must stay in one coordinate frame, 5-axis removes the re-clamp error between them.
If the part is a simple plate with one critical face and holes through it, 3-axis is faster and cheaper. Send the STEP file and the DFM analysis will say which one we would run.
We quote ±0.005 mm on qualified features, and our long-bed machines take parts up to 4,000 mm on a 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm travel.
On long parts the limit is usually thermal and fixture-related, not the machine. A 4,000 mm aluminium rail will move more with temperature than a 100 mm bracket, so we agree the datum and the measurement temperature before cutting.
Sharp internal corners, hardened material and thin slots. A cutter leaves a radius equal to its diameter; wire EDM leaves a square corner the cutter cannot reach.
It is also the answer after heat treat. A 440C detail that distorts in hardening gets its final form cut by EDM instead of being milled soft and hoping it stays flat.
If the wall thickness is roughly constant and the shape is a bend, sheet metal wins on cost and speed. Laser or waterjet cut, then bent.
Milling wins when the part needs bosses, pockets, a machined sealing face or a wall thicker than the sheet gauge. A flat panel with four bends is not a milling job, even if the drawing allows it.
As-machined, which we classify at Ra 1.6–3.2 μm. That is fine for brackets, fixtures and internal parts.
Ra 0.8–1.6 μm covers most visible covers and sliding surfaces. Ra 0.2–0.8 μm is a finishing pass with a different tool path, so it affects both price and schedule. Put the number on the drawing and the shop stops guessing.
We machine the first article on the same equipment the production run will use, so the process window transfers. No minimum order quantity applies, from one piece to a 10,000+ run.
If the part will move to die casting or vacuum casting later, say so at the quote stage. The machined version can then be adjusted for draft and shrinkage.
Every order gets a raw material check, in-process monitoring and 100% inspection before shipment. The standard report comes with the parts.
First article inspection is available on request for orders over 50 units or over USD 5,000 in total value. Certifications in scope are ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016, ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 27001:2022.
Yes, if the drawing carries the tolerances, the datums and the material condition. A 2D drawing plus a PDF is enough to quote.
A STEP file makes the DFM analysis faster because we can check tool access, corner radii and wall thickness directly. For a first article we would ask for both if the part has tight callouts.
Upload a STEP file or a 2D drawing. You get a quotation and a free DFM analysis within 12 hours, and production can start within 24.
12-hour quote100% inspectionNo minimum orderNDA 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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