How to Avoid Confusion with Your Machine Shop and Get Your Parts Faster
Time is the most valuable commodity in manufacturing. Every second matters. The longer a machine shop spends on your project, the longer it takes for you to get the parts you need.
If you want to speed up the manufacturing process, we have a simple solution for you: Be up front and specific about your requirements from the beginning.
When a print has vague callouts that are unclear or confusing to the people making the part, the back-and-forth communication that follows can affect lead time and potentially even cost.
Let’s look at a few points of clarification that can help you get your parts as fast as possible.
Quick Tips for Conveying Information Clearly
So many different people interact with your print from the moment you submit a quote. If it’s easy for each of them to understand the part requirements, they can complete each necessary process or operation without issue.
Follow these suggestions to prevent confusion and streamline your project:
Use accurate and consistent terminology. Choose precise language throughout your print to minimize the risk of misinterpretation. Terms like “as machined” and “no post-machining finish” may seem similar enough, but a machine shop could interpret each one differently.
Define the processes you want. The marking techniques engineers use to represent different manufacturing processes can vary considerably. If, for instance, you put “Method 9” on your print to describe stamping or engraving, your machine shop may not know which process you’re referring to. Rather than assuming they’re familiar with your specific markings, define the exact process you want.
Specify material. It’s essential to be specific about the material you need for your part. Engineers are generally great about clarifying the aluminum alloy they want, but they can be vague about plastics and even stainless steel grades. Requesting a 300 series stainless steel is too vague because each material in the series has different properties.
Call out hardware and suppliers. Hardware callouts are much more useful for machine shops when they include the supplier’s name. Hunting down this information can be a major time suck during quoting, so it’s best to have it up front.
If we’re ever missing critical information or unclear about a requirement, we’ll reach out as soon as possible to clarify. But providing comprehensive information in your print allows us to move forward efficiently and deliver your parts faster.
At Armstrong Machining, customer satisfaction is our number one priority. We’re always looking for ways to save you time and money, and we’ll continue to share tips with you to that end. In the meantime, go ahead and request a quote to work with us!