The second criterion – standards
Certain fields (aviation, medicine, etc.) require standards such as ISO as a necessity. Some companies require their vendors to uphold certain standards, clearly making them into mandatory criteria.
Achieving and maintaining such standards clearly indicates the relatively high quality of the vendor’s products. However, they also cost a considerable amount of money, and this must be taken into account. Therefore, when contacting a machining vendor with high standards, it is recommended to take into account that if they are not mandatory, you me be paying for something that is unnecessary.
The third criterion – types of raw materials
Raw materials can be divided into three categories: aluminum, steel and plastic.
Most machining plants are constructed for the use of aluminum as raw material and prefer doing so. This is because its processing is easy due to its softness, and does not require frequent replacement of processing tools as a result of increased wear and erosion. Additionally, with aluminum the manufacturer can streamline its technology and significantly reduce the time consumed by each machine.
Aluminum processing machines work at high speeds of at least 8,000 rpm. In comparison, steel processing machines (and machines for other hard metals) run at no more than 6,000 rpm and have a high torque property (the power applied to removing a chip). To illustrate, it is relatively easy to cause the motion of the processing tool to stop in an aluminum processing machine, if you overstrain it.
Therefore, if the products you need to produce are based purely on steel and other hard metals, you should select a machining vendor who can work with these raw materials.
As to the category of plastic raw materials (peek, Teflon, PVC, epoxy glass, etc.), the manufacturer should be experienced in processing them, as some of these materials change their dimensions after processing is complete, which must be taken into account in advance.
In addition, certain materials in this category lead to the accumulation of minute dust particles, requiring a special drawing device that prevents them from penetrating the machine so as to ensure distorted products and possible damage to equipment do not occur.