GreatLight machines prototypes and production runs in aluminum, stainless, titanium, and engineering plastics. 127 CNC machines, 16 simultaneous 5-axis centers, ±0.005 mm tolerance. Quotes and DFM feedback within 12 hours.
Most of these surface after a supplier has been picked. They cost weeks.
A drawing goes out to three shops. One replies in six days with a number that later climbs after the first article. You lose the week and still cannot commit to your own customer's schedule. We return a quotation and a DFM note within 12 hours, and the quoted price holds for the process we described.
Setup parts measure fine. Then a tool wears, a fixture shifts, or the second operator runs a different offset. Dimensions drift past the callout and you find out at incoming inspection. Our inspection plan checks raw material, monitors in process, and inspects 100% before shipment, with reports on request.
The prototype needs to exist before the tooling decision. Many shops push a minimum order or a setup charge that makes a single part uneconomic. There is no minimum order quantity here, so the same process runs from one piece to a 10,000+ part run.
A housing with angled ports, or a bracket with bores on four faces, gets split across multiple vises and re-datumed at each move. Every re-clamp adds stack-up error and a day of queue time. Simultaneous 5-axis work cuts most of those setups down to one or two.
Send the model and the tolerance callouts. We decide the setups, the tooling, and the inspection method.
Every re-clamp adds error. A part that moves through three vises accumulates positional error at each move, and the tolerance you can hold shrinks with it. We plan the setup count before quoting, not after the first article fails.
For a housing with features on five faces, one simultaneous 5-axis operation replaces two or three separate fixtures. For long parts, our large-travel machines take work up to 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm, so a single setup covers a profile that would otherwise be split in half.
Material choice drives the finish, and the finish drives the tolerance. Hardcoat anodizing builds a layer that shifts a tight bore. Electroless nickel adds a few microns per side. We flag those interactions during DFM, while the geometry can still change cheaply.
We machine 6061, 7075, 304, 316L, 17-4PH, C36000 brass, Ti-6Al-4V, Inconel, POM, PEEK, and HDPE. Cutting parameters differ a lot across that list. Titanium and Inconel need low surface speed and rigid tooling; plastics need sharp edges and air blast instead of flood coolant.
Use this as a starting point. The final call comes from the feature list and the quantity.
| Part situation | Suggested route | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Prototype, one to ten pieces | 3-axis milling and turning | Fast setup, lowest cost at low volume |
| Features on four or five faces | 5-axis simultaneous | One or two setups instead of four |
| Round parts with cross holes | Mill-turn center | Turning and milling in one clamping |
| Part longer than 1,500 mm | Large-travel 3-axis | Up to 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm in one setup |
| Thin walls under 1 mm | 3-axis with custom soft jaws | Light passes control deflection |
| Quantity above 5,000 | Machining plus die casting review | Compare cycle cost against tooling cost |
One purchase order covers the cut part, the surface, and the paperwork.
Sixteen simultaneous 5-axis centers cut angled faces and compound bores without re-fixturing. Suited to housings, brackets, and impeller-type geometry where datum transfer would eat the tolerance.
27 three-axis machines, 12 four-axis mills, and 16 mill-turn centers. Shafts, bushings, and threaded bodies come off the lathe; pockets and bolt patterns come off the mill.
Machined prototypes in the production alloy, not a substitute. You test the real material and the real wall thickness before committing to a run.
Enclosures, chassis, and brackets. Laser cutting, forming, and hardware insertion, then the same anodizing or powder coat line as the machined parts.
For geometry that cannot be cut, or for a small bridge batch before the mold is ready. Useful for form checks and fit trials.
Anodizing in clear, color, hardcoat, and conductive types. Electroless nickel, zinc, silver and gold plating, powder coat, black oxide, blasting, brushing, and polishing.
Three plants in Dongguan plus a Singapore factory.
| Machine type | Count | Typical work envelope |
|---|---|---|
| Simultaneous 5-axis centers | 16 | Complex housings, angled ports |
| 4-axis mills | 12 | Multi-face parts, rotary work |
| 3-axis machines | 27 | Plates, brackets, simple pockets |
| Mill-turn centers | 16 | Shafts with cross features |
| Large-travel machines | Included in the 127 | Up to 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm |
| Medium and compact travel | Included in the 127 | 750 × 1,150 × 550 mm down to 500 × 310 × 200 mm |
These are the figures we are willing to be measured against.
Fifteen years of cutting metal and plastic, across three wholly-owned plants covering 7,600 m² in Dongguan, plus a factory in Singapore for regional supply.
A quotation and a free DFM analysis come back within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours of approval when material is in stock.
That is ±0.0002 in. Not a one-off best result. The figure holds across a run when the feature carries the callout and the setup plan supports it.
Raw material check, in-process monitoring, and final inspection on every order. Dimensional reports and material certificates on request.
ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016, ISO 13485:2016, and ISO 27001:2022. The last one covers how your drawings and models are handled.
From one prototype to 10,000+ part runs on the same process. No setup surcharge that makes a single part uneconomic.
Housings, brackets, and thermal parts. PPAP-style documentation is the norm.
Chassis, heat sinks, and RF housings. Flatness and finish drive the spec.
Instrument bodies and fixtures. Cleanability and traceability are checked.
Joint housings and end-effector plates. Bore alignment matters more than looks.
A STEP or IGES model, plus a 2D drawing if any feature carries a tolerance, a finish, or a fit. The drawing is where the real requirements live. A model alone tells us the shape, not where the tight callout sits.
If there is no drawing, send the model and tell us the critical fits. We will mark up what we plan to hold and send that back with the quote.
±0.005 mm, or ±0.0002 in, on features that carry the callout. That is a repeatable figure across a run, not a best-ever result from one part.
Tighter than that is possible on a specific feature, but it changes the process. It usually means a temperature-controlled room, more frequent in-process checks, and a higher piece price. Tell us which dimension actually matters instead of tightening the whole drawing.
No. One prototype and a 10,000+ part run go through the same process. There is no setup surcharge that makes a single part uneconomic.
At the low end the per-part price is dominated by programming and setup. Above a few hundred pieces the cycle time takes over. We can show you where that curve bends for your part.
Aluminum 6061 and 7075, stainless 303 and 316L, 17-4PH, C36000 brass, and POM or PEEK in plastics. Those cover most of what comes through the door.
We also cut Ti-6Al-4V, Inconel, and magnesium AZ31B or AZ91D. Those need lower surface speed and more rigid tooling, so they carry a different cycle time and a different price.
Uploads are secure and confidential. An NDA is available on request, and we hold ISO 27001:2022 for information security.
If your program needs it, we can keep your drawings off shared drives and restrict access to the assigned programmers and machinists.
Quotation and free DFM analysis come back within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours, and parts typically ship in 3–5 days.
Those windows assume material is in stock and the drawing is released. A hardcoat anodize or a plating step adds days because it leaves the building. We will tell you that at quoting, not after.
Inspection is 100% before shipment, with a raw material check at the front and in-process monitoring during the run.
Inspection reports and material certificates are available on request. If your quality plan calls for a first article report or a specific sampling scheme, say so at quoting so we build it into the routing.
Yes. The prototype is machined in the production alloy, so the material and wall thickness you test are the ones you get later.
When the design freezes, we re-quote against the real quantity. If the annual volume is high enough, we will also compare machining against die casting or vacuum casting so you can see the crossover point.
No minimum order quantity. 100% inspection before shipment. Uploads stay confidential, and an NDA is available on request.
12-hour quote100% inspectionNo MOQNDA on request
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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
