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Supply continuity

Mitigating 2020 Supply Chain Disruptions

Port congestion and factory shutdowns pushed lead times from weeks to months. We keep machined parts moving with 127 CNC machines in Dongguan, quotes in 12 hours, and shipments in 3–5 days.

127 CNC machines±0.005 mmNo MOQ3–5 day shipping
GreatLight Metal new factory building
127High-precision CNC machines
16Simultaneous 5-axis centers
±0.005 mmAchievable tolerance
12 hQuote and free DFM
Where it hurts

Four failures that stop a build in 2020

Most of the damage is not the shortage itself. It is the delay between discovering it and requalifying a new source.

01

Did your casting supplier just push the tool date out?

A die-casting or vacuum-casting tool that slips six weeks stalls the whole assembly. Machining from billet skips the tool. For housings under 500 mm, a 5-axis run can land before the tool would have been cut.

02

Is your approved vendor list down to one name?

When a single source shuts for a month, purchasing has no second option. We quote from your 2D drawing or STEP file and start production within 24 hours, so a backup source can be active before the primary one reopens.

03

Are the parts you need on a ship you cannot track?

Ocean freight moved from predictable to variable. Parts that could be machined close to the point of use avoid the container entirely. Air freight for a 2 kg bracket costs less than a four-week line stoppage.

04

Is your own floor short of operators?

Absences of 20–30% on a shop floor cut output even when orders are steady. Offloading the long-cycle or tight-tolerance work keeps your remaining operators on assembly and test.

The plan

A second source that is already qualified

Qualification is the slow part, not the cutting. We compress it with a DFM report before the first chip.

CNC Machining Services Online
Quote and DFM

Engineering review inside 12 hours

Send a STEP, IGES or 2D drawing with tolerance callouts. We return a quotation and a free DFM analysis within 12 hours. The DFM flags thin walls, deep pockets, thread depth, and datum schemes that will drive cost or scrap.

That report is what procurement actually needs to justify a second source. It shows the operations, the fixture concept, the stock size, and the inspection points before anyone commits a PO.

  • 1
    Free DFM analysisRed flags on geometry and tolerance before quoting
  • 2
    12-hour turnaroundQuotation and DFM back inside half a working day
  • 3
    Production in 24 hoursMaterial released and machines scheduled the next day

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CNC Lathe Technical Specifications Terminology
Capacity

Machine capacity that absorbs the spike

Three wholly-owned plants in Dongguan hold 127 high-precision CNC machines across 7,600 m². Sixteen simultaneous 5-axis centers handle contoured work in one setup. Twelve four-axis mills and sixteen mill-turn centers cover the rest.

Maximum processing size is 4,000 mm. Large travel is 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm. Medium frames run 750 × 1,150 × 550 mm and 600 × 600 × 600 mm. Compact cells cover 500 × 500 × 450 mm and 500 × 310 × 200 mm, with a Ø400 mm rotary table for round parts.

  • 1
    One setup, fewer datums5-axis work removes stacked fixtures and their error
  • 2
    Long parts without splicing4,000 mm travel for rails and structural members
  • 3
    From one part to 10,000+No minimum order quantity on any run
Selection guide

Which process fits the disruption you have

Match the constraint to the process, not the other way around.

ConstraintProcessWhy it fitsTypical lead
Tooling is late5-axis milling from billetNo tool to cut or maintain3–5 days
Volume is uncertain3-axis and mill-turnNo MOQ, no hard tooling3–5 days
Wall thickness under 1 mmCNC milling plus vacuum castingBridge parts until tooling is ready5–10 days
Thin sheet bracketsSheet metal fabricationFaster than machining flat parts3–5 days
Complex internal channelsCustom 3D printingGeometry a cutter cannot reach5–10 days
Services

One shop for the whole part family

Six routes that cover most of what a disrupted build needs.

01

5 Axis CNC Machining

Contoured and prismatic parts in one setup. Sixteen simultaneous 5-axis centers hold ±0.005 mm on complex geometry.

02

CNC Milling & Turning

27 three-axis machines, 12 four-axis mills, 16 mill-turn centers. Shafts, housings, plates and manifolds.

03

Rapid Prototyping

First-article parts before tooling is committed. Useful when a design change is still likely.

04

Sheet Metal Fabrication

Brackets, panels and enclosures. Faster and cheaper than machining flat parts from plate.

05

Custom 3D Printing

Internal channels and lattice geometry that no cutter reaches. Good for fixtures and low-volume parts.

06

Part Surface Finishing

Anodizing, plating, powder coating, bead blasting, polishing and laser marking in house.

Scope

What a job includes by default

ItemStandardNotes
Tolerance±0.005 mm±0.0002 in where drawing allows
Fine finishRa 0.2–0.8 μmGround or polished surfaces
High finishRa 0.8–1.6 μmMost mating faces
As-machinedRa 1.6–3.2 μmNon-critical surfaces
Inspection100% before shipmentReports on request
MaterialsAluminium, stainless, steel, copper, titanium, plasticsFull grade list on the materials page
Why GreatLight

Numbers that decide a second source

Six facts a buyer can check, not adjectives.

15Y

Operating since 2011

Fifteen years of production in Dongguan, plus a Singapore factory at No.3 Joo Koon Circle.

±0.005 mm

Held in production

Achievable tolerance on 5-axis work, verified by 100% inspection before shipment.

99.99%

Qualification rate

Parts that pass final inspection without rework or concession.

<2%

Historical late-delivery risk

Measured across past orders. Not a guarantee, but the base rate we plan against.

12 h

Quote turnaround

Quotation and free DFM analysis inside 12 hours of receiving a drawing.

0

Minimum order quantity

One prototype or a 10,000-part run. Same process, same inspection.

7,600 m²Manufacturing space
150Technicians
3Wholly-owned plants
ISO 9001 / IATF 16949Quality systems
Industry fit

What each sector requires, and what we deliver

CNC Machining Services Comparison 2026 Fictiv vs Xometry vs GreatLight

Aerospace brackets

Lightweight pockets, tight datums, full traceability of material and inspection records.

  • ±0.005 mm
  • 100% inspection
Leader in Cnc Machining Service China

Automotive and EV fixtures

IATF 16949 process control for jigs, motor housings and battery-pack hardware.

  • IATF 16949
  • 3–5 day shipping
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Medical instrument parts

ISO 13485 process discipline, fine finishes, and clean deburring on stainless and titanium.

  • Ra 0.2–0.8 μm
  • ISO 13485
cnc machining

Robotics and automation

Repeatable link arms, end-effector plates and gearbox components in short runs.

  • No MOQ
  • 12-hour quote
FAQs

Questions buyers ask before switching

How fast can you actually start on a new part?

Quotation and free DFM analysis come back within 12 hours of receiving a usable drawing. Production can start within 24 hours after the order is released and material is confirmed.

Parts ship in 3–5 days for most milling and turning work. Finishing and outside processes extend that, and we tell you the number before you order.

What tolerance can you hold on a 5-axis part?

±0.005 mm is achievable in production on 5-axis work, with ±0.0002 in for drawings written in inch units.

The deciding factor is usually the datum scheme, not the machine. If a drawing stacks tolerances across three faces, we will ask to change the datums before quoting.

Do you require a minimum order quantity?

No. Runs go from one prototype to 10,000+ parts using the same process and the same inspection routine.

For a supply-chain backup, a single qualifying part is often all a buyer needs to add a source to the approved vendor list.

Which materials do you machine most often?

Aluminium 6061 and 7075, stainless 303, 304, 316L and 17-4PH, steel 1045 and 4140, plus brass C36000 and titanium TC4.

Plastics including POM, PEEK, PC and ABS are also cut regularly. Material certificates are available on request.

How do you protect our drawings?

Uploads are secure and confidential. We sign an NDA on request before any file is shared with the shop floor.

We hold ISO 27001:2022 for information security, which covers how drawings and production data are stored and accessed.

Can you take over a part another shop was making?

Yes, and it is the most common request in a supply disruption. Send the drawing, the material spec and any inspection report from the previous source.

We will flag anything in the drawing that looks like it was written around a different process, such as a tolerance that needs a grinder rather than a mill.

What happens if a dimension is out?

Every part is inspected before shipment. Out-of-tolerance features are reworked or replaced before the box is closed.

Inspection reports are available on request, covering raw material check, in-process monitoring and final inspection.

Do you handle finishing as well as machining?

Yes. Anodizing, plating, powder coating, black oxide, bead blasting, polishing and laser marking are all part of the scope.

Keeping finishing in the same chain avoids the second lead time that usually causes the delay, and it keeps one team responsible for the final surface.

Add a second source before the next delay

Send a drawing and get a quotation with free DFM analysis within 12 hours.

12-hour quote100% inspectionNo MOQNDA on request

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