What To Look For In A Machine Shop

Choosing a Machine Shop for Special Fasteners and Machined Components

Occasionally we hear from customers that they are passing on quoting "specials" because they are not confident in their ability to properly identify what their customer needs.  Many of our customers do not realize they are dealing with a special until they send an RFQ to their standard supply sources and all of them end up no quoting.

Once you determine that the item you are trying to source is a special, the next choice is to contact a machine shop to see if they can make it.  We all understand that any machine shop you deal with must be able to provide quality products at a cost effective price with reasonable lead times, but how do you go about choosing a machine shop for your special fastener and machine component needs?

The term "special" (or a non-off-the-shelf item) in the fastener world can mean different things to different people:

  •  A standard type of fastener but in a size that is not commonly stocked
  •  A standard type of fastener with a special feature added
    • longer than standard thread length 
    • center drilled thread
    • center drilled head (etc.)
  • A unique design that is not commercially available

Four areas that I feel our machine shop excels at are:

             1.  Providing technical expertise

             2.  State of the art equipment

             3.  Expertise in the manufacture of threaded products

             4.  Ability to machine a wide variety of materials

1.  Technical Expertise

Many machine shops expect you to provide them with a "fully detailed drawing" that shows all the dimensions and tolerances that define a part.  Here at Earnest, we can work with you even if you just have a rough sketch of the part you are looking for.  Our technical staff can provide recommendations on basic dimensions and tolerances that will make the most cost effective product.  We have a large technical library of industry standards to determine all the requirements that are listed on a drawing.

2.  Equipment

Modern machine shops need to keep up with the advances in machinery.  Our machine shop includes CNC (computer numerical control) Lathes and Vertical Mill that are capable of holding tight tolerances on every part machined.  To go along with the equipment needed to make the part are the gages required to inspect them.  Earnest has a wide selection of thread gages to ensure quality parts are made.

3.  Experience in manufacturing threaded parts

To go along with the equipment, a good machine shop needs quality operators that understand the nuances that are required in the manufacture of fasteners.  Earnest's machine operators have years of experience in the manufacturer and inspection of threaded parts. One of the most critical components in a threaded fastener is the threads. Earnest has a large selection of gages to ensure the accuracy of the threads.

4.  Ability to machine (and have access to) a wide selection of materials

In order to deal with a machine shop, they need to be versatile enough to be able to quote making specials for a wide variety of material (steel, alloy steel, stainless steel, Inconel, Monel, 17-4PH, etc).  Hand in hand with a machine shops ability to machine a wide variety of materials is the availability of the material.

Many machine shops specialize in a certain segment of the industry, choose a machine shop that has experience making fasteners.