Author Archives: Peerless Precision

  1. In-House Laser Marking Services for Machined Parts

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    When the police caught the Boston Marathon bombers, we learned that the camera that identified them contained parts made by Peerless Precision.

    How did we know that?

    The parts had laser-marked serial numbers that could be traced back to our shop.

    From security cameras to jet engines, serial numbers are vital in ensuring traceability and accountability for machine shops like Peerless Precision that specialize in medical, defense, commercial optics, and aerospace machining.

    Over 90% of the parts we machine require serial numbers. So, 15 years ago, we added laser marking to our list of in-house finishing capabilities.

    Benefits of In-House Laser Marking

    Peerless Precision’s in-house laser marking capabilities do more than empower customers to utilize parts confidently. We achieve faster lead times and cheaper production by removing a third-party laser marking company.

    Parts stay in our capable aerospace machine shop from start to finish, ensuring truly peerless results.

    Improved lead times

    We brought laser marking in-house to make life easier for customers. Without the back-and-forth shipping, we streamlined our process and improved customer lead times.

    Cost-effective production

    Our direct control over the laser marking process allows us to manage costs more effectively. Our customers also avoid potential markup costs or additional shipping fees associated with outsourced laser marking services.

    Precise customization

    We can customize laser markings based on customer requests, from specific fonts to intricate pictures.

    Our laser marking machine is on the small end, but it’s adaptable. We’ve optimized the settings to handle all the parts we produce, and the machine can laser mark letters and logos as large as 4”.

    Fun fact: Our machine once engraved a Grateful Dead poster on a 0.5” square, and we needed a jeweler’s loupe to see all the details!

    Ensured quality and traceability

    Laser marking isn’t just about branding. In defense and aerospace machining, part traceability is required to meet AS9100 standards. Traceability is also important in the medical industry.

    If parts malfunction in these high-stakes industries—for example, if a pacemaker fails or a jet engine quits—tracing the origin of parts is crucial to preventing future crises.

    The serial numbers and logos we laser mark ensure this traceability.

    Designed to Meet Customer Needs

    Laser marking

    Our thorough laser marking process enables us to work with detailed customer instructions. We can accommodate specific font sizes, font types, and even guidelines regarding the appearance of serial numbers. For highly customized orders, we appreciate detailed requests so we can get your order right the first time.

    We’re equipped to meet nuanced needs like adding a starting letter or number to serializations. For example, if parts for a customer’s shop in San Francisco need to start with SF and parts for their second shop in Cleveland need to start with CL, we can make it happen.

    Enhanced data security

    We’re committed to protecting customer data. Our laser marking system is controlled through a dedicated computer that’s isolated from our primary network. We also perform monthly backups to an external hard drive, ensuring that all new programs and serial numbers are stored securely.

    Complete Machining Solutions

    Many companies only offer laser marking services, but Peerless Precision proudly provides an all-in-one solution. We can machine and laser mark parts in our aerospace machine shop, helping clients avoid the hassle of coordinating between different vendors and services or facing potential quality issues.

    Our one-stop-shop approach reflects how much we value customer satisfaction. By manufacturing and laser marking parts under one roof, we ensure parts are on time, high quality, and designed to meet every need, no matter how specific.

    You know what they say: happy customer, happy manufacturer.

    Request a quote today for your next medical, commercial optics, defense, or aerospace machining project.

  2. Peerless Precision is a Top Supply Chain Manager for Tier 1 Suppliers

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    AS9100

    Tier 1 suppliers know the advantages of reducing their supply chains: a more streamlined process, time and cost savings, and less stress.

    But not every machine shop in MA has the ability to successfully manage a supply chain, particularly for aerospace manufacturing, medical manufacturing, and defense manufacturing, which carry the highest quality standards. Some shops simply don’t want to be the middleman. Others don’t want the responsibility of managing the work of other vendors.

    Peerless Precision is uniquely poised to be an excellent supply chain manager for Tier 1 suppliers. Our experience, organization, and fanatical commitment to quality set us apart from other shops.

    What’s involved in supply chain management?

    A finished part may look simple enough, but most machined parts go through multiple steps (and many more operations) before they’re complete.

    A typical part might go through the following processes, all of which could be managed by the customer—or outsourced to a supply chain manager:

    • Material sourcing and purchasing
    • Heat treating
    • Machining (i.e., CNC milling and CNC turning)
    • Finishing
    • Laser engraving or marking
    • Mechanical assembly or hardware insertion
    • Quality inspection

    There is often shipping, transport, and coordination between every single phase! That’s a lot of moving parts for an engineer or buyer to keep track of. And if there’s any lag time or lack of communication between vendors, it can cause major delays.

    Benefits of Supply Chain Management

    Working with a manufacturer who also manages the supply chain has significant advantages. You’ll reduce quality issues, decrease lead times and even cost, and save a whole lot of energy. Key benefits of supply chain management include:

    Project Management. Instead of directly managing several different manufacturers and subcontractors, we can manage part or all of the process for you. Those services could include:

    • Maintaining and managing inventory
    • Coordinating shipping and tracking
    • Managing deadlines and providing just in time delivery

    The administrative pieces of supply chain management add up quickly, and delegating your project management to Peerless Precision can save you valuable time and energy.

    Quality Control. Supply chain management only works effectively if you trust that the end result will be perfect parts, delivered on time—every time. That’s why quality is so important to us. We perform all inspections (source inspection, first article inspection (FAI), final inspection) in house.

    Everything that enters and exits our shop is personally inspected by our team, and nothing leaves our facility that isn’t 100% perfect. We also hold several quality certifications: AS9100D and ISO9001:2015 for aerospace machining and medical machining, as well as ITAR registration for defense machining.

    Cost Reduction. At Peerless, we can save on cost in a few ways. First, we have the ability to do many operations in-house (ask us about the laser we invested in so that we could provide an in-house solution for customers and expand our capabilities). We may be able to negotiate better pricing with subcontractors based on the overall volume of work we send to them, where you may only have leverage based on your own order. And by working with local vendors, we can often cut down significantly on transportation and shipping costs.

    Shorter Lead Times. Time is money. When we manage all or part of your supply chain for you, we’re always looking ahead to anticipate the next step in the process. We do all of our laser engraving in-house, so that cuts out the outside step and reduces lead times significantly (by as much as 50%!).

    The bottom line: if you need supply chain management, contact our MA machine shop to see what we can do for you. Get a quote.

  3. Peerless Precision Achieves Tight Tolerance Manufacturing for Top Quality Performance

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    What it Takes to Produce Extremely Tight Tolerances

    What do landing gear for an airplane, an aerospace fuel engine, and a medical device have in common?

    They’re all delicate pieces of equipment that perform vital functions—and they have no room for error.

    From a manufacturing standpoint, no room for error means that these parts need extremely tight tolerances to function properly.

    Technically, a part has a tight tolerance if its permitted variance is plus or minus .002-.001 inches. A variance of even .005 inches causes the part to fail, which can cause serious damage. At Peerless Precision, we’re able to achieve tolerances ranging from .0001”-000005,” which industries like aerospace, aeronautics, and medicine often require.

    How to Achieve Extremely Tight Tolerances

    When it comes to parts that require the utmost precision, here are some things you should consider in order to achieve the tolerance that works best for your machined parts.

    1. Request a tolerance analysis. Manufacturers love to say that adding another decimal point to your tolerance adds another zero to your cost. If you think there’s (literally) wiggle room, submit your design to your manufacturer for review. At Peerless Precision, we can work with your engineering and quality team members to analyze whether or not you can loosen your tolerances to create a more practical, replicable design at a lower cost.
    2. Check out the manufacturing environment. It’s natural for material to contract and expand with changes in temperature, but those changes can throw off tolerances in the millionths of an inch. In our MA machine shop, we thermally stabilize our workspace to prevent any issues.
    3. Look for a shop with manual machining experience. A CNC Machine can only go so far toward achieving high tolerances. Peerless Precision has 30+ years of manual machining experience with expert machinists who know what true precision means: how the material “feels” when the part is ready.

    The Magic Behind Peerless Precision’s Manual Machining

    At Peerless Precision, our talented team has something they don’t teach at school: the craft and experience to learn tolerances by machine and by hand. Our customers call it “magic.” We call it expertise.

    In addition to CNC machine services, we offer grinding, honing, and lapping. These capabilities have a slower rate of manual material removal, allowing us to shape a part up to the exact tolerance required. The expert hands of our machinists perfect what a machine can’t. You can’t automate artistry.

    At Peerless Precision, we’re proud that we can achieve tolerances ranging from .0001”-000005,” while maintaining our top-notch quality standards.

    Have a part that needs an extremely tight tolerance? Contact us for a quote!

    P.S. We are ITAR-certified for defense machining in MA (and 49 other states too)!