27 three-axis machines, 12 four-axis mills and 16 five-axis centers on one shop floor, so the prototype runs on the process its geometry needs rather than on whatever machine happens to be free.
None of these are machining problems. They are specification problems, and they are cheapest to fix before the first cut.
A drawing where every dimension is ±0.01 mm buys inspection time nobody needs. On a prototype, mark the dimensions that have to be right, such as a bearing bore, a locating pin or a sealing face, and leave the rest to general tolerance. The price usually drops and nothing functional is lost.
Checking fit and form in aluminium is cheap and fast. Proving a snap fit, a cycled thread or a hot environment in a stand-in material proves nothing, and the second prototype in the right alloy costs more than doing it once.
A late change means a new program, often a new fixture, and occasionally a different stock size. Send the revision marker with the file and tell us if the design is still moving; we will quote the change instead of absorbing it into a schedule that then slips.
A part cut on a one-off setup proves the shape, not the process. If the release has to be re-quoted from scratch, the first article taught you less than it should have. We plan the prototype on the route the production order will use.
Speed comes from deciding correctly before the machine starts, not from cutting the first guess faster.
One shop floor holds 27 three-axis machines, 12 four-axis mills and 16 five-axis centers. That matters because prototypes are usually quoted by what the geometry needs, and a shop with a single five-axis center tends to quote every part on it.
Flat plates and pocketed brackets come off three-axis machines at the lowest rate. Parts with features spaced around an axis belong on a four-axis mill or a lathe with live tooling. Related bores and free-form surfaces are the two cases that justify five axes.
Rapid prototyping only stays rapid if the engineering happens before the spindle turns. Our review looks at tool access, wall thickness, thread depth, tolerance and material availability, then the quote goes out with those notes attached.
That is also where a prototype gets cheaper. Moving one hole, opening a corner radius or dropping a tolerance that nothing needs is a two-minute change in the review and an expensive change after the part exists.
Once the design stops moving, nothing about the process has to be re-learned. The program stays, the fixture stays, and the production release runs on the equipment that already proved the first article.
Prototype quantities are usually quoted as machined only to keep the first article affordable. Finishing, marking and packaging are added as separate lines when the design settles, so you see the cost of each step before committing to it.
Read the part, not the price list. This is the decision we make in the DFM review, written out so you can see where the money goes.
| Part characteristic | Process | Why | Cost effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| All features reachable from one direction; flat or pocketed geometry | Three-axis milling | Short program, no rotary setup, fastest metal removal | Lowest machine rate of the three |
| Features spaced around one axis: slots, cross holes, keyways, flats on a turned part | Four-axis milling or turning with live tooling | The rotary table indexes instead of the part being re-clamped | Moderate; one fixture replaces several |
| Bores and faces on three to five sides that must relate to each other | 3+2 indexed on a five-axis center | All faces reachable without manual re-clamping, with the axes locked for rigid cutting | Higher machine rate, fewer operations and fewer fixtures |
| Free-form surfaces, undercuts, deep blends, thin blades | Simultaneous five-axis | The tool stays normal to the surface and short stiff tools reach inside the geometry | Highest rate, but it removes hours of hand polishing |
A prototype order is usually one of these, and most projects use two or three of them together.
Plates, covers, brackets and pockets quoted on the machine with the lowest rate that can hold the part.
Cross holes, keyways and flats produced by indexing the part instead of re-clamping it for each face.
Blades, impellers, organic housings and any geometry where the cutter must follow a curved surface.
Shafts, fittings and motor parts where turning and milling happen in the same program and the same datum.
Anodizing, plating, bead blasting, polishing and laser marking quoted as separate lines on one part.
Critical features measured with reports on request, and a sample part available when you want to check the finish first.
| Aspect | Prototype | Production release |
|---|---|---|
| Process | Chosen for speed on a single part | Chosen for repeatability and cycle time |
| Fixturing | Standard vise or soft jaws where the geometry allows | Dedicated fixture or tombstone so the part loads the same way every cycle |
| Finishing | Usually machined only | Anodizing, plating, painting or marking to the specification |
| Inspection | Critical features checked, report on request | Documented first article plus in-process checks across the run |
| Lead time | 3–5 days from drawing to parts | Scheduled to your release dates, on the same programs |
Prototyping is judged on whether the part arrives in time to be useful. These are the numbers we hold ourselves to.
Three, four and five-axis capacity on one shop floor, so the process is picked by geometry rather than by availability.
Price, lead time and manufacturability notes come back together, within 12 hours of uploading the model and drawing.
Once the price is approved the part is programmed and scheduled, with production able to start within 24 hours.
A single prototype is a normal order here, and it runs on the same equipment as a production batch.
The DFM analysis is part of quoting, not a separate service, and there is no setup fee that exists only because the quantity is small.
Typical delivery on standard materials, with the inspection and documentation steps included in that schedule rather than added later.
First article and production run cut from the same program, so the release does not change character.
Multi-face parts where the first article is what proves the fixturing before the volume order.
Slow-cutting alloys where the tool choice and the cutting data decide the schedule more than the machine does.
Build-support parts ahead of a production release, quoted to the tolerances that actually matter on the vehicle.
Quotation and a free DFM analysis within 12 hours of uploading the model and drawing. Production can start within 24 hours of approval, and prototype parts normally ship in 3–5 days.
Parts that include anodizing or heat treatment are scheduled with those steps included from the start, not added afterwards.
No. One part is a normal order here and runs on the same machines as a production batch. There is no setup fee that exists only because the quantity is small.
If the prototype has to prove stiffness, thread strength, wear behaviour or heat resistance, machine it in the production material. If you are checking fit and form only, aluminium or a machinable plastic is cheaper and faster.
Tell us what the prototype has to answer and we will say which material answers it.
We can, and many customers do from the second or third iteration once the geometry stops moving. Anodizing, plating, bead blasting, polishing and laser marking are available on prototype quantities, quoted as separate lines so you can see the cost before deciding.
We work to ±0.005 mm / ±0.0002 in as our stated tolerance, applied to the features you call out and to dimensions left open. Functional dimensions such as bearing seats, pilot bores and sealing faces should be marked, because those are the ones we measure and report.
Yes. Uploads are treated as confidential by default and we can work under an NDA. Information security is certified to ISO 27001:2022, which matters when the prototype is the whole value of the project.
Send the revised model and drawing with the revision marker. If the change is small we re-quote within hours; if it affects fixturing or stock size we say so before cutting.
Iterations are normal in prototyping. The point is that the quote reflects the change rather than hiding it in the schedule.
That is the usual path. Once the design is frozen the program and the fixture stay, and the same process runs the production release. Orders go from one part to 10,000+ without a re-qualification step, because the equipment and the quality system do not change.
Model and drawing in, price and manufacturability notes out within 12 hours. No minimum order quantity, nothing charged for the review, and a sample part available if you want to check the finish first.
12-hour quotation24-hour production start3–5 day deliverySample part on request
Trusted by engineers and manufacturers worldwide
Upload your 3D model or 2D drawing and get a quotation with a free DFM analysis. Maximum processing size 4,000 mm.
CNC Metals 13 grades
CNC Plastics 10 grades
Machines & processes 12 options
Surface & post-processing 10 options
Material: not selected Machine: not selected Post-process: not selected
