As a small or large Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), subcontracting specific types of jobs, including machining, is often a cost effective and efficient option. It saves the OEM from having to set up a metal machining shop, hire machinists, purchase and maintain equipment and also deal with all the handling of raw materials.
Today, metal machining is more precision-based than ever before. In a top machining shop, the equipment will include CNC or Computer Numerical Control. This allows for a precision computer (CAD/CAM) file to be loaded into the equipment to provide precision measurements and details of the machining process.
The equipment then machines the part to the exact specifications of the computer specifications, not to a jig or to other references. This ensures each part is not only identical to others but also identical to the specifications of the original. These CAD/CAM drawing files can also be stored, ensuring that all production runs in the future will be identical to the original.
Capacity
While it will be essential to choose a metal machining shop with the capabilities of CNC equipment, the shop’s capacity is also a factor. The capacity is the volume or the size of the order that the shop can complete to meet delivery deadlines.
Smaller shops are often not equipped to work with large OEMs while the very largest shops may not be a good match for small OEMs as the bigger orders take priority.
Equipment
While expertise in metal machining is a given, a review of the equipment the shop has and will use on a project is another factor to review. The best companies will provide information about the equipment they use and the ability of the equipment to get the job done.
Take the time to consider the options for machining companies. There are differences that are important to know before starting production.
