This page will outline how you can achieve the optimal price for the parts you want made.
The basic factors that influence the per-part price are:
- Quantity of parts
- Delivery time
- Tolerance requirements and high precision features
- Secondary operations such as grinding, wire cutting, or EDM
Quantity of parts
The quantity of parts is, in essence, equates to economy of scale. Without getting needlessly complicated, in essence, this means that the greater number of a particular part we make, the cheaper the per part cost will be. In our case this is largely driven by setup time, as each part needs to be set up in a machine and programmed. Once this is done, it is very easy to repeat the process to create many identical parts. If you plan on ordering a small number of a particular part now, and then a few more in the future, consider perhaps ordering as many as you need at once in order to avoid extra costs related to setup.
Delivery time
We offer delivery times ranging from 1-6 weeks. As a general rule when requesting a delivery schedule, we advise you to choose as long of a lead time as you reasonably can. Note that we complete work as resources come available, this means that a part that you may have requested a 4 week delivery for may be completed any time before that date. The time you choose is the latest possible time in which parts will be finished. Parts which require a faster delivery (2 weeks or less) may incur additional cost. This largely depends on the number of parts, their complexity, and our currently work load. If you require a large number of parts with multiple features, we may have to allocate additional resources to your project to get it done in a short time. This may result in a higher price per part. If it is the case that you require a part in less than a week and we are currently under a high work load, it may be the case that in order to meet your delivery deadline we will have to displace other work in progress. The costs incurred as a result of this will be reflected in the quoted price you receive.
Tolerance requirements and high precision features
Addley Precision, as the name implies, is a precision machine shop. All parts we make will be based solely on the CAD that you provide us, and the tolerance of all features will be interpreted based on your selected requirements, as well as industry standards. It is important that you specify any special requirements when submitting your request because this is what we base our estimates on. We only send you parts that meet your tolerance requirements – simple – regardless of what they are. Even with the best equipment and software tight tolerances on certain parts can be a challenge, and as a result take extra time to get right. When selecting your tolerance range it is advisable to give as large of a tolerance as you can allow, for this will result in a much faster part to produce. Tight tolerances take more time to meet, and as such, will result in a higher per part cost.
Secondary operations
Secondary operations happen after machining. These can be either grinding, wire cutting, or EDM work. These processes are high precision finishing operations where very tight tolerances are required. Secondary operations add to the per part cost due to additional setup time on a new machine, as well as the labour to perform these operation. It is best to avoid such operations if possible through design considerations – but if not, its not an issue, we can handle pretty much anything. Depending on the size of the part and features, wire cutting or grinding to meet tolerance requirements may be necessary, in which case we will take this in to consideration when preparing your quote.