Author Archives: Peerless Precision

  1. A One-Stop Shop for Prototypes and Low-Volume Production

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    Has a job shop ever turned down your order because you only needed 10 parts—not 10,000?

    You’re not alone.

    Our team talks with many prospective customers at networking events and trade shows. One point of frustration that comes up over and over again is that businesses struggle to find a manufacturing partner to take on orders of five, 10, or 25 parts because most shops only want high-volume work.

    We assure these prospective customers that Peerless Precision will never no-quote small-quantity jobs. In fact, prototyping and low-volume production are our specialties, and we’ve excelled at these projects for years.

    When our prototype machine shop works on a small order, we can build a partnership with the customer and learn the best way to support their overall manufacturing needs—a winning situation for everyone involved.

    Prototypes and Low-Volume Production

    3 Reasons to Work with Peerless Precision for Prototyping and Low-Volume Production

    Our prototype machine shop has the passion and expertise to take your project from prototype to low-volume production. Here are some of the advantages of working with our team:

    1. Quality and efficiency

    Prototyping is a challenge our shop enjoys. We know the first version will never be the last. This intimate, repetitive process allows our team to work with a customer through several iterations to create the highest-quality part.

    When it’s time to move from prototype to low-volume production, the transition is seamless and efficient because we’ve already solved the design challenges and know the part well.

    2. Flexibility and speed

    Low-volume production keeps Peerless Precision team members on their toes. Taking on small-quantity orders one after the other creates agility and flexibility, improving our ability to meet customer requirements and delivery schedules.

    Since a single part doesn’t tie up our machines for six months, we can easily find a spot in the schedule to fit in the next job.

    3. Intellectual property protection

    Prototyping requires access to a customer’s intellectual property (IP). Protecting this sensitive information is a responsibility our AS9100 and ISO-certified machine shop doesn’t take lightly. We adhere to high standards to secure your IP.

    For instance, we only allow authorized team members to see your prototype information. If an employee isn’t directly involved with your project, they don’t get access to the prints.

    Your One-Stop Prototype Machine Shop

    Some customers want to get prototypes and low-volume parts the fastest and cheapest way possible. Unfortunately, rushing the process often means bypassing critical steps, which can result in low-quality parts. Remember: it’s almost always more expensive to rework parts than to get them right the first time.

    If you want top-quality prototypes optimized for manufacturing, work with a prototype machine shop like Peerless Precision. With decades of experience specializing in prototypes and low-volume production, we’ve developed strong problem-solving and critical-thinking skills that enable us to provide optimal value to our customers.

    There’s very little we can’t do—and in the rare event that we don’t feel confident about a project, we’ll be honest with you about it up front.

    Request a quote today!

  2. How Peerless Precision Facilitates Flawless Anodized Finishes

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    Anodizing is a common finishing service that many customers request from our AS9100 machine shop.

    The electrochemical anodizing process applies an anodic oxide finish to the metal surface of parts made from aluminum or other nonferrous metals to enhance corrosion resistance, durability, and aesthetic appearance. Standard anodizing types include Type I-Chromic Acid Anodize, Type II-Sulfuric Acid Anodize, and Type III Hard Anodize.

    Anodized finishes

    Customers typically request anodizing for two reasons:

    1. To protect a part’s surface from the effects of harsh weather, salt, temperature extremes, and other environmental factors.
    2. To provide an aesthetically appealing coating. Anodize is available in a wide variety of beautiful colors.

    Anodizing is a specialty service that Peerless Precision outsources to trusted plating vendors. When a customer needs this service, we project manage the entire process, maintaining open communication with the customer and the plating shop to ensure high-quality results.

    A Network of Trusted Anodizing Vendors

    Our AS9100 machine shop has a network of approved vendors who we trust to anodize parts to our high standards. Due to the size of this network, we have the opportunity to select the vendor best suited for each customer’s anodizing specifications.

    Many of our defense and aerospace machining customers must verify that a plating shop meets specific criteria before we can send parts for anodizing. We’re happy to work with plating companies to obtain these customer approvals when necessary.

    Maintaining Our High Standards

    Anodizing draws out any flaws on the material’s surface. Even the slightest fingerprints could become permanent eyesores after the finish is applied. This issue is most prevalent with clear or light-colored anodized finishes.

    To proactively avoid receiving parts from anodizing vendors that don’t meet our standards, our team is strict about how vendors handle our customers’ parts. For example, we only work with plating houses whose employees wear cotton gloves on top of nitrile gloves. Doubling up on gloves prevents fingerprints from “sweating” through and affecting the part’s surface.

    Our shop also performs annual quality surveys with each vendor as part of our ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100 certifications. We assign quality and on-time delivery scores to ensure our anodizing partners continuously meet our high standards.

    Most importantly, we approach vendor relationships collaboratively and communicatively. We’re fully invested in our vendors’ success because if one of us fails, we all fail (our shop, our vendor, and our end customer).

    If you need an anodized finish for your parts, you can trust Peerless Precision and our vendor network to deliver. Request a quote from our AS9100 machine shop today.

  3. How AS9100 and ISO Certifications Benefit Every Peerless Precision Customer

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    Peerless Precision is proud to be AS9100 and ISO 9001:2015-certified through 2024.

    That statement may not mean much if you don’t require your manufacturing partner to uphold these certifications. But the truth is that all our customers benefit from the standards we must meet to secure and maintain these credentials.

    Here’s what our status as an AS9100 and ISO-certified machine shop means for you.

    What Are AS9100 and ISO Certifications?

    AS9100 and ISO certifications Tight Tolerances

    AS9100 is the standard for designing, developing, or providing products and services specifically for the aviation, space, and defense industries. This includes parts, components, and assemblies.

    ISO addresses various aspects of quality management for organizations regardless of industry. This standard is based on “principles including a strong customer focus, the motivation and implication of top management, the process approach, and continual improvement.” More than 1 million organizations and companies in more than 170 countries are ISO-certified.

    Both AS9100 and ISO offer guidelines for organizations that want to improve the quality of products and consistently meet customer expectations. These standards establish rules throughout the entire manufacturing process, from providing a quote to the final part inspection.

    When are AS9100 and ISO certifications essential?

    Maintaining AS9100 and ISO 9001:2015 certifications is critical for businesses whose customers require these certifications. For example, aerospace and defense customers won’t partner with shops without AS9100 certifications. These standards guarantee customers get the same quality management procedures no matter which shop they choose.

    How AS9100 and ISO Certifications Benefit Every Customer

    Peerless Precision started the process of becoming an ISO and AS9100 machine shop before our customers required such standards. Our president Kristin Carlson’s late father saw the demand for these certifications coming and knew that Peerless should get ahead of the game.

    Not every customer requires us to possess ​​AS9100 and ISO 9001:2015 certifications. However, because we already have processes in place to maintain these standards, we follow ​​AS9100 and ISO guidelines for every part we make to achieve the highest quality.

    Our shop adheres to AS9100 and ISO standards in the following areas:

    • Contract reviews
    • Material purchasing
    • Raw material certifications
    • Traceability
    • Inspection point guidelines (first part approvals, in-process inspections, and final inspections)

    AS9100 and ISO standards are so ingrained into our services that our shop won’t even quote a part if we can’t inspect it properly! In some cases, that means acquiring specialized gauging or equipment for the inspection process.

    AS9100 and ISO-Certified Machined Shops Produce High-Quality Parts

    Being an AS9100 and ISO-certified machine shop allows Peerless Precision to provide the highest quality parts for all our customers.

    Even if your business isn’t in the aerospace and American defense manufacturing industry, you can take advantage of the exceptional standards set by these certifications.

    Use our secure form to request a quote for our CNC machining services today. We’ll respond to you within 24 hours.

  4. Work Hard, Play Harder: A Look Inside the Culture of Peerless Precision

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    “I had no idea how many closet bakers I had in this company who are making recipes from the heart—not reading recipes like I do.”

    That’s what Peerless Precision’s president, Kristin Carlson, discovered during the company’s three-week holiday bake-off. The event is one of many fun activities the MA machine shop plans to repeat for its workers.

    As a Peerless Precision employee, you don’t just clock in and clock out. Instead, you become part of a team that works hard and plays harder. Take a look inside the culture of our ISO-certified machine shop.

    What Distinguishes Peerless Precision’s Culture

    Here’s a brief overview of what sets our culture apart:

    Fun events

    The team at Peerless Precision gets the job done while having a little fun in the process. In addition to the holiday bake-off—which had 95% participation from our MA machine shop— employees also enjoyed holiday parties and time off between Christmas and New Year’s Day. These perks give employees a chance to get to know each other better at work and unwind with their families at home.

    We’re planning more fun events on our calendar, too. There’s talk of a chili cookoff for the Super Bowl in February and a rib cookoff during the summer. Plus, it’s not unheard of for Kristin to shut down the shop for an afternoon and take the team ax throwing as a stress reliever.

    Interesting work

    The work at Peerless Precision is interesting because it’s not monotonous. We don’t do high-volume production, so moving on to the next job is always a new experience.

    Our management team continuously looks for ways to improve our aerospace machining and American defense manufacturing services—and we always welcome new ideas from our workers. We’re even introducing an employee engagement survey to learn how to enhance the work environment.

    Continuous growth

    Peerless Precision is constantly growing. As we bring in new customers—and get more work from current customers—we plan to expand our team.

    Although we have employees in our ISO-certified machine shop getting ready to retire, new hires can learn from these experienced workers before they leave and complete a smooth transition.

    Team-Building Is a Priority a Peerless Precision

    We designed Peerless Precision’s culture this way to promote team-building. Exciting projects and growth opportunities keep employees engaged. Fun activities allow them to find common ground and interests.

    Let’s face it: when employees like each other, they work together better. And a team with a long history of collaboration takes excellent care of its customers.

    How Our Culture Benefits Precision Machining Customers

    Fostering a positive culture unites Peerless Precision employees as a team. Personal connections make workers want to stick around the shop for a long time. Our employee tenure ranges from three to nearly 30 years, with an average span of 10 to 15 years.

    The longer employees stay with us, the more experienced they become with our equipment. They also learn more about our customers and the best ways to meet their needs. Over time, employees become more efficient at producing quality parts.

    Quality begins with employees who care, and our employees care about the work, their team, and our customers.

    Join Our Team!

    Peerless Precision is the place for you if you’re looking for a shop that has fun, values hard work, and encourages growth.

    Check out our careers page for the latest openings at our ISO-certified machine shop.

    Or contact us to learn how to start your career at Peerless Precision.

  5. How Lean Office Training Benefits Manufacturing Customers

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    When you think of Lean manufacturing, you probably associate it with improving efficiency and productivity on the precision machine shop floor. But manufacturers actually apply this methodology to many business areas.

    Peerless Precision began incorporating Lean manufacturing principles on the shop floor in 2014, and we’ve been continuously improving ever since. Now, we’re expanding these ideas by conducting Lean office training, with plans to progress to Lean leadership training next.

    This efficiency boost will impact our business and, more importantly, customers like you. Here’s how.

    Lean Manufacturing in Practice

    We use the Lean methodology to identify, reduce, and eliminate waste, which speeds up our response times and increases product value for our customers.

    The Lean methodology inspires us to ask questions, such as:

    • How are we doing this task?
    • Why are we doing this task this way?
    • Is there a better way to complete this task?

    Questioning the status quo and being open to new ideas enables us to see the full scope of what’s possible with our internal processes.

    We can’t alter some processes because of quality certifications and customer requirements. Nevertheless, there are still plenty of opportunities to reduce waste in precision machining.

    Here are eight areas of waste, according to Lean manufacturing principles:

    • TransportLean Office Training
    • Inventory
    • Motion
    • Waiting
    • Overproduction
    • Over-processing
    • Defects
    • Under or unutilized talent

    When we use Lean manufacturing principles to eliminate waste in these areas, we streamline processes, reduce overhead, and cut costs. Benefits from these improvements inevitably trickle down to our customers.

    Lean Office Training Examples

    Here’s how we’re using Lean to optimize office workflows and improve customer service.

    Example #1: Revamping our quoting process

    Peerless Precision takes pride in our customer-friendly precision machining quoting process. We aim to have all the necessary information before quoting a part. This effort takes time, but we’re working to accelerate the process wherever possible.

    Using Lean to review all the steps we take to provide a quote, we can see where to replace or cut steps that don’t offer substantial value. As a result, you get your quote faster. But rest assured, we’ll never sacrifice quality and accuracy for speed.

    Example #2: Providing job status updates

    Several years ago, Peerless Precision began using an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to automate and manage our core processes. This significant upgrade from Excel spreadsheets gave us greater job status visibility. Now, we’re going a step further.

    Lean manufacturing principles help us speed up our customer response time. For example, if you request an update on the status of your job, a manager can reference the ERP system for this information. Then, they can determine the next steps and send you a plan of action. We’ve found that this level of transparency greatly improves customer satisfaction.

    Simply put, with Lean training, you can expect better service from Peerless Precision—from the shop floor to the back office.

    When our team runs like a well-oiled machine, we can serve our customers faster and more efficiently.

    Request a quote for our precision machining services today using our secure form. We’ll respond to your request within 24 hours.

  6. Is A286 Stainless Steel Right for Your Application?

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    At Peerless Precision, we know quality when we see it. If a material offers superior strength and functionality for our customers’ critical applications, we’ll always learn how to work with it—even when machining it can be a bit of a bear.

    Take, for example, A286 stainless steel. Like most extremely strong materials, this precipitation-hardenable superalloy is challenging to machine. However, for many applications, its benefits far outweigh its drawbacks.

    A286 Stainless Steel

    Common A286 Stainless Steel Part Types

    A286 stainless steel is commonly used for parts such as:

    • Bushings
    • Cryogenic components
    • Gas turbines
    • Jet engine components
    • Screws
    • Strainer caps

    Benefits of A286 Stainless Steel

    There are a few properties that make A286 a popular choice for aerospace and defense applications in particular.

    Strength

    A286’s exceptional strength enables it to withstand the extreme conditions to which aircraft parts are frequently exposed. Strong materials have excellent longevity, so aerospace manufacturers can rest assured they won’t have to replace A286 parts often.

    Corrosion resistance

    A286 resists corrosion at temperatures up to 1,300 degrees Fahrenheit—a must for critical aerospace parts such as jet engine components. If your steel part will be in a corrosive environment, A286 is an ideal choice.

    Nonmagnetic properties

    A286 is nonmagnetic, making it a great option for cryogenic components, like the submicro cryogenic cooling systems we manufacture for the US military. Using a nonmagnetic material ensures that the end assembly will function properly.

    Drawbacks of A286 Stainless Steel

    Just as every rose has its thorn, every strong material has various drawbacks to consider.

    Weight

    One thing A286 stainless steel isn’t is lightweight. Although materials like aluminum and titanium are far lighter, A286 is still commonly used due to its many beneficial properties.

    Sourcing

    Like many materials, A286 is fairly difficult to procure given current supply chain challenges. Depending on the size and amount needed, you could face a lead time of six months or longer when ordering A286.

    Cost

    A286 is up to 5x more expensive than other stainless steel grades. For this reason, we recommend reserving it only for parts that require its specific properties rather than using it as a go-to for generic parts.

    The cost of using A286 is further increased by its slow precision machining runtime. This material can take up to 3x longer to machine than aluminum and other stainless steel alloys. And because A286 wears tools down quickly, pricing for machined parts also includes the cost of the additional tooling that will be required.

    Finally, A286’s nonmagnetic properties extend how long it takes to perform secondary operations, such as surface grinding, since the material must be ground with a coolant. This process requires custom fixturing, which further increases cost and lead time.

    Peerless Precision Specializes in Machining A286 Stainless Steel

    At Peerless Precision, we’re no strangers to working with challenging materials like Inconel, tungsten, titanium, and A286. While some precision machine shops might no-quote projects involving these materials, we’ve found a way to master them for the benefit of our customers.

    We recognize that A286 is essential to the industries we serve, so we’ve made it our business to machine it skillfully. And because we’ve been working with A286 for more than two decades, we know how to make the precision machining process as cost-effective and efficient as possible.

    If you’re looking for a shop that won’t be intimidated by a challenge, give us a try. Request a quote today.

  7. Why Are Precision CNC Machining Services So Expensive Right Now?

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    If you’ve requested quotes for precision CNC machining services over the past two years, chances are you’ve experienced sticker shock. High inflation rates and supply chain disruptions in the wake of the pandemic have affected all industries, including defense and aerospace machining companies like Peerless Precision.

    We’ve done our best to maintain our standard prices for as long as possible, but the point has come where we have no choice but to charge more so that we can continue creating high-quality parts and stay in business.

    However, one thing that hasn’t changed (and will never change) is our dedication to our customers. In the context of price increases, that means providing full explanations of any factors that may impact your quote.

    With this brief explainer, we hope to shed light on the reasons behind price increases at Peerless Precision and instill confidence that we have your best interests at heart.

    What’s Driving Price Hikes in Precision Machining?

    In the spirit of full transparency, here’s a look at the factors driving our increased prices:

    Material costs price increases

    • Material pricing patterns have become hard to predict. The cost of materials has increased dramatically since 2021—anywhere from 50% to a staggering 1,000%, depending on the material. What’s more, raw material prices that once remained stable for at least 30 days can now change overnight. Due to this constant state of flux, we cannot depend on historical pricing when creating a quote. Each time we quote a job, we have to review material costs and quote the material at its most current price.
    • Materials for aerospace and military applications can’t be purchased in advance. Specifications for aerospace and defense materials are frequently revised, and once a revision occurs, we have only 18 months to use the material purchased pre-revision. As a result, we can’t always buy materials in advance for parts in these industries. This makes our own pricing more variable because we have fewer opportunities to plan and purchase ahead.

    For instance, the pre-pandemic cost of this ⅛” diameter, 12’ bar of 440C stainless steel was $18. Today, the same raw material costs more than $400.

    Vendor, employee, and utility costs

    • Vendor prices have risen significantly, often without warning. Met with the same pricing uncertainty impacting our precision machine shop, our trusted subcontractors for services such as heat treating, plating, and non-destructive testing (NDT) often have to raise their prices abruptly. Because orders are placed well before these services are completed, the final price may be significantly higher than the quoted price. In fact, over the past six months, we’ve seen vendor pricing double in some cases. Even if you’re placing an order for a repeat part, you may see an increase in the price of outside finishing services to accommodate vendor costs.
    • Employee expenses continue to rise. We are committed to paying our highly skilled team members the wages they deserve, which means keeping up with regular pay raises.
      We’ve also absorbed cost increases in health insurance and Massachusetts paid family and medical leave (PFML) insurance as well as worker’s compensation and unemployment insurance. Our company’s health insurance plan alone costs nearly $5,000 more per month than last year.
    • Escalating utility and fuel costs impact our daily operations. Since the beginning of 2022, our electric bill has risen by 30%. We’ve also seen delivery costs spike to more than 3x the cost of the supply due to high gas prices. While we’ve implemented cost-saving measures such as closing the office for half a day on Fridays and filling our vehicles at the cheapest gas stations, utility and fuel costs still have a considerable effect on our bottom line.

    How We’re Minimizing the Impact of Price Increases on Customers

    Although high precision machining costs are often unavoidable, we’re taking steps to minimize the impact on our customers in small but meaningful ways.

    Internally, we’re managing expenses by improving our efficiency to manufacture parts faster and tightening our belt for our own “nice-to-have” extras.

    Peerless Precision will never compromise on quality when it comes to purchasing top-tier raw materials, paying our expert machinists the wages they deserve, or subcontracting trusted vendors for finishing and testing services. These costs will continue to be baked into our pricing.

    However, we’ve found creative ways to cut costs internally for inessential but “nice-to-have” amenities. Rather than hiring vendors for office supplies and coffee services, for example, we’re buying office staples from big-box stores and purchasing and making coffee in house.

    Cost-Saving Tip: Place Your Purchase Order ASAP

    As a customer, one of the best ways for you to save costs and help control pricing is to place a purchase order as soon as possible after receiving a quote. If you wait a month between requesting a quote and submitting a purchase order, you may encounter vastly different pricing when you place the order. Moving quickly will minimize your risk of incurring additional price increases amid ongoing unpredictability.

    To help underscore this point, we’ve added language to our quote form stating that pricing is subject to change at the time of order based on the volatility of raw material prices. We’re proud of our reputation for transparency, and we’ll always do our best to ensure you’re informed about any factors that could affect the cost of your order.

    There Is a Price to Pay for Quality

    Our quotes may be higher than some of our competitors’ quotes, but you can be confident that we will never cut corners.

    There’s always a price to pay for quality. If a shop quotes you a low price right now, the quality of the part will likely be less than optimal. It’s also possible that the shop has missed something in the quote, which could require them to submit a change order or increase the price when you go to reorder.

    We take great pains to make every quote as accurate as possible on the front end and encourage you to ask any questions you have about our pricing. If any other shop isn’t willing to do the same, it’s a red flag. A customer should never be afraid to ask questions.

    Request a quote from Peerless Precision, and we will do everything in our power to give you an excellent experience.

  8. What’s REALLY Involved in Manufacturing a Precision Machined Part?

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    Customers who place an order with our tight tolerance machine shop understandably want their parts as quickly as possible. But lightning-fast turnaround times aren’t always realistic, especially at shops like ours that emphasize precision and quality.

    There are various factors at play that impact part turnaround. From the time we receive a PO until the part is shipped to your door, we complete several steps that ensure the high level of quality you’ve come to expect from Peerless Precision.

    Still, we know waiting for a part to be manufactured can be frustrating. In the spirit of transparency, here’s a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into manufacturing your parts so you can be confident that we’re spending every minute wisely.

    Your Part’s Journey from PO to Delivery

    Manufacturing a part at an AS/ISO-certified machine shop involves much more than simply running it through a mill or a lathe and sending it out for delivery. You can expect your project to follow this standard journey at Peerless Precision:

    part journey

    1. Contract review

    Before physically making your part, we must develop a process and plan to ensure that we complete your order correctly the first time.

    Conducting a contract review at the beginning of your project gives us an understanding of key requirements such as:

    • Part specifications
    • Materials
    • Hardware
    • Inspection
    • Finishing, including operations that may require outside vendor services

    2. Order approval

    During the approval stage, our internal team has the opportunity to finely tune our internal router/traveler and ensure that everyone is aligned on the manufacturing process.

    The plan goes out to our engineering, quality, and production departments for review. They may, for example, identify unnecessary operations or add operations that were initially overlooked. We’ll make any adjustments to the manufacturing process at this stage before finalizing your order.

    3. Sourcing materials

    With the necessary approvals, it’s time to start ordering materials. Years ago, this part of the process was relatively straightforward. However, due to ongoing global supply chain challenges, lead times for materials are far more unpredictable and can change at a moment’s notice.

    No matter what, we communicate openly every step of the way and will notify you if lead times are different than initially anticipated.

    4. Programming

    Programming is the final step before we begin physical work on your parts. We give our programmers the part design and traveler in advance so they can set up and program the machines to prove out the precision machining process.

    Depending on the complexity of your part, this step could take anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

    5. Sawing and machining

    Now the fun begins! Once we receive the material, we send it to our sawing department to be cut into lengths or slugs.

    If the material we ordered is pre-cut, it will go directly to the applicable machining department—typically milling or turning.

    6. First piece approval

    Whenever we run an operation—whether on a repeat or new part number—the first part goes through First Piece Inspection with our inspection department.

    Our inspection team compares their measurements to the measurements recorded by the operator and the dimensions on the part drawing. If all measurements are in alignment, they give their stamp of approval to continue production. This thorough approach aims to ensure that the part is entirely within spec.

    Once the operator has received the approval, they inspect each part that comes off the machine 100% to ensure that all parts are identical to the approved part.

    7. Next machining operation

    If a part requires precision machining operations on multiple pieces of equipment (e.g., starting on a mill and then being moved to a lathe), it won’t just jump the line when it goes to the second machine! Instead, it will be added to the queue of orders.

    8. Outside vendor services

    Heat treating, plating, and other outside finishing services add time to an order—anywhere from two days to two weeks to three months, depending on the vendor.

    To ensure the highest level of quality, we inspect all parts before and after these services are performed.

    9. Cylindrical or surface grinding

    We perform cylindrical or surface grinding to work down tolerances and achieve surface finishes as low as 6 or 8 Ra.

    When a customer requires exceptionally tight tolerances (down to one-millionth of an inch and/or a 2 Ra Surface Finish), we may send their part to our honing or lapping departments, where our experts perform these manual, time-intensive operations. If assembly is involved, the parts will go in to our assembly department before going through a final inspection.

    10. Shipping

    Finally, we ship parts according to our customer’s requirements. Customers will often indicate that a part could arrive to them a specified number of days early or late and still be considered on time. We’ll ensure delivery falls within that window, even if it means we have to hold parts in our inventory.

    High-Quality Parts Are Worth the Wait

    In a perfect world, we’d be able to machine parts that are perfectly in spec and ready for use with the snap of our fingers.

    But precision machining isn’t so simple—at least not when you’re dealing with tight tolerance parts for high-risk industries. Waiting a little longer to get a high-quality part from an AS/ISO-certified machine shop is almost always worthwhile because you can be confident that they won’t cut corners.

    If you’re concerned about long lead times, we recommend checking your design for opportunities to simplify features or loosen tolerances. You’re the expert on your part design, but we’re happy to engage in a conversation with you about optimizing the manufacturability of your part to streamline our process.

    Request a quote to work with us!

  9. No-Quote? No Way! How We Solve Precision Machining Problems

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    No-quoting is an unfortunate reality of the precision machining industry. But at Peerless Precision, we do everything possible to avoid no-quoting our customers.

    Instead of seeing projects through the black and white lens of quoting or not quoting, we like to focus on how we can solve our customers’ manufacturing problems, particularly if a project can’t be quoted in its original state.

    We gain immense fulfillment from sharing our hard-earned knowledge with customers—so much so that we’re willing to find a solution even when we aren’t guaranteed a high return on our investment.

    It’s impossible to recount all the problems we’ve solved over the years, but we want to highlight several recent examples.

    Behind the Scenes: Solving Precision Machining Problems

    Precision machining isn’t always straightforward. But we love a challenge and relish the opportunity to grow with our customers! Here are some ways we’ve collaborated with our customers to work through their manufacturing challenges instead of no-quoting them.

    Example #1: Making a turret base easier to manufacture

    Our customer needed a turret base made to support a camera. Initially, they requested that we order a large, solid block of expensive material and machine features and bores that would be incredibly difficult to access. We worked with them to transform their part into a 3-piece assembly instead.

    This adjustment made it easier for us to keep the bores and features within tolerance and lowered the overall material cost by allowing us to buy three smaller plates of aluminum instead of one large block.

    Example #2: Changing the material requirement for cells

    No quoting

    A customer came to us with a design for cells, requesting that they be manufactured from tubes of extruded aluminum rather than solid round bars.

    This specification posed a significant challenge because the tubing and extrusion process that shapes the aluminum into a tube emphasizes the material’s inconsistencies. In this case, the tube had black striations throughout. While we were able to temporarily remove them with matte blasting, the plating process brought out the imperfections once again.

    We collaborated with the customer’s engineering department to change the requirement from a tube to a solid aluminum bar. We then worked with them to select a material supplier we could trust to produce high-quality material, avoiding future issues.

    Example #3: Selecting a different grade of brass

    Recently, a customer requested a quote for a part and asked for a specific grade of brass in sheet form. There was just one small problem: the grade they needed didn’t exist in sheet form.

    We can’t quote a project unless we can get the material, so we were temporarily stuck. We explained to our customer that if getting the material in sheet form was the top priority, they would need to consider a different grade of brass. If the grade of brass was more important, we could order the material for them in plate or round bar form.

    Instead of saying “It can’t be done,” we provided options. Our customer ultimately decided to select a different grade of brass in sheet form, allowing us to finalize the quote and make their parts.

    Example #4: Connecting a customer with a plating supplier for support

    One of our customers asked for a specific plating technique for their part that hasn’t existed in 20 years. We presented them with viable alternatives that would yield equivalent outcomes and asked them to pick the one they preferred.

    We even connected the customer with our plating contractors so they could talk to their teams about each process and ask specific questions. Unlike many other precision machine shops, we have no problem being transparent about the suppliers we work with—especially when doing so benefits our customers.

    Example #5: Negotiating prices to stay within budget

    There are times when we’re willing to negotiate prices to meet our customers’ needs.

    Recently, we quoted a job that ended up costing significantly more than our customer hoped to spend. They called us to discuss their programming and tooling needs and said if we could get as close to their desired price as possible, they’d award us the bid. We collaborated with them and found an opportunity to lower our original price—and win the contract.

    Example #6: Loosening tolerances to make parts more machinable

    As a tight tolerance machine shop, we’re used to quoting parts with precision tolerances. We trust our customers to design the parts they need, but we’re always happy to discuss whether tolerances might be unnecessarily tight.

    For example, if the wall thickness you specify is too thin, it may be impossible for us to hold the tolerance and maintain the part’s functionality. At that point, we’ll engage in a conversation with you about why you need the specified tolerance to see if there’s an opportunity to loosen it.

    Why settle for no-quotes when you can work with a precision machining partner who will go the extra mile to solve your manufacturing challenges? Request a quote from Peerless Precision today!