From your drawing to a measured part
Eight steps, every one of them written down. Nothing depends on the memory of whoever happens to be on shift that day.
Enquiry and NDA
Send the drawing or the STEP file, the quantity and the date you need it. If your drawings are controlled, we sign your NDA first — or send ours — before anything moves.
- Files acknowledged the day they arrive
- NDA signed before drawings are opened, if required
- Enquiry logged against a reference number
Feasibility and DFM review
An engineer reads the print properly: datum scheme, tightest features, wall thickness, tool access, the order operations have to run in, and where the material will move.
- Tolerance and GD&T reviewed against our capability
- Suggestions where a small change saves you real money
- Honest answer if the part is outside our envelope
Quotation
A price broken down by material, machining, inspection and any special processes, with a delivery date we have actually checked against the machine schedule.
- Price per piece and per batch
- Lead time, and what would shorten it
- Which inspection documents are included
Order and planning
On your purchase order we raise a job number, a route card and a control plan. Material is ordered against the specification on your drawing, with the mill certificate filed before the bar is cut.
- Route card with inspection stages defined
- Material ordered to specification, MTC on file
- Slot booked on the machine schedule
Programming and fixturing
CAM programmes are written and simulated, and workholding is designed to locate on the part's own datums. Fixtures are machined in-house so the schedule does not depend on somebody else's queue.
- Toolpaths simulated before proving on metal
- Dedicated fixtures where a vice will not hold tolerance
- Datum scheme agreed with you if the print is open to interpretation
Machining and in-process inspection
First-off is inspected and signed before the batch runs. Checks continue at the stages set out in the control plan, so drift is caught while there is still stock to correct it.
- First-article inspection before batch release
- In-process checks recorded against the job number
- Stress relief staged into the route where the material needs it
Final inspection and documentation
Dimensions come off the Zeiss CMM, surface finish off a calibrated profilometer. The documentation pack is assembled and checked against what your goods-inward needs to accept the part.
- CMM dimensional report, GD&T verified
- AS9102 first-article report where required
- Certificate of conformance and material certificate
Preservation, packing and dispatch
Parts are cleaned, preserved and packed so that they arrive in the condition they left in. Documentation travels with the consignment and a copy is emailed ahead of it.
- VCI and preservation appropriate to the material
- Labelled by part number, revision and quantity
- Export documentation where the consignment needs it
Questions we get asked before the first order
How fast is the quotation, really?
Within 24 working hours of a complete enquiry — drawing, quantity, material and the date you need it. If something on the print needs a decision from you before we can price it, you will hear that inside the same 24 hours rather than at the end of the week.
What is the minimum order quantity?
One. We quote single prototypes and we quote repeat batches. Setup cost is shown separately so you can see exactly what a second batch would cost.
Will you sign our NDA before we send drawings?
Yes. Send it with the enquiry and it comes back signed the same day. If you would rather use ours, ask and we will send it.
Can you work from a sample instead of a drawing?
Yes. We will measure the sample, produce a drawing and model, and send them for your approval before cutting anything. The drawing becomes yours.
What happens if a part is out of tolerance?
It does not ship. Non-conforming parts are quarantined, and you get a written report with the measurements, the cause and what we are doing about it. If a batch has already left, we recall it at our cost.
Do you handle heat treatment, plating and NDT?
Through approved subcontractors, controlled by our purchase order and inspected on return. The part remains our responsibility from your order to your goods-inward, whoever performed the intermediate process.
Can we audit the facility or witness inspection?
Yes, and we would rather you did. Arrange a visit and we will set aside the time properly.
Send the drawing. Get a price in 24 hours.
Tell us the material, the quantity, the tightest tolerance on the print and which inspection documents you need. We come back inside one working day with feasibility, price and a date.