Choosing A CNC Machine Shop

Plan your method for choosing the best machine shop for your company’s needs to reduce the time it takes to make the decision and avoid costly, time-wasting mistakes in the future. Your plan should include finding the answers to specific questions that address the shop’s operations, efficiency, long-term value and reputation. Once you answer these questions, finding the best shop for your needs will be fast and easy.

Tips for Choosing a Machine Shop

When choosing a machine shop, focus on the big picture instead of one or two attributes of the company. You cannot evaluate a shop’s entire body of work based on price alone. Instead, examine operations from multiple angles to see the value you get for the price. In doing so, you will find a great machine shop that will fill your orders with high-quality work delivered when promised.

1. Look for Long-Term Value, Not Just the Cheapest Price

When you send orders for machining, you make investments in your company’s time and money. Going with a shop based on price alone could waste your time, money and effort in finding another facility to repair the poor quality of the first job. Low prices do not correlate to quality work.

When it comes to computerized numerical control (CNC) machining, the best equipment costs a lot for the shop to invest in, but they produce better results in less time. The cost of using high-caliber CNC machines passes to the customer, who gets quality results delivered quickly and correctly the first time. Because you are paying to have the shop use the best machinery to execute your order, you may spend more at a quality shop compared to a cheaper facility.

The value you get from a shop needs to surpass the price in your evaluation of a machine shop. When precision is vital to your company’s operations, you cannot afford to spend money on mistakes made from cheaper shops. Quality shops will have the equipment to give you the finely machined results you need, but they will also take the time to build a long-term relationship with you to ensure they exceed your expectations.

Too often, low prices mean low quality. Don’t make this mistake. Look beyond the price when comparing shops. Consider your return in value over the long term, which cost rarely indicates. Well-made orders delivered on time will be a better investment than cheaply produced parts from a cut-rate shop.

2. Make Sure They Have the Capabilities You Need

Before requesting an order of machining work for your business, find out if the shop has the capabilities you need for your project. Ask about the type of equipment available. Does the company have the skills and tools required to mill, turn, drill and lathe? What about machining that has four- or five-axis capabilities for more intricate projects? Are there any machining needs the company cannot fulfill?

CNC machines have multiple functions and styles. Turning machines act as lathes, automatically turning the piece while a cutting tool creates the programmed shape. A facility that uses a broader range of turning machines can accommodate different part sizes from 1/2-inch to 18-inch diameters.

Milling machines shape pieces using tools on a variety of axes from two — vertical and horizontal — to five, along multiple directions. More axis allows for more precision work and less non-productive work holding parts transfers.

If you have a project too large for a machine table, you may need manual machining services. Machine shops should offer those, also, especially if you need a small order of only a few parts or need to order a very large component. Manual milling gives a shop the flexibility to also offer repairs and customized projects, added benefits to providing greater flexibility for the creation of a wider variety of parts.

3. Is Their Equipment Up to Date?

You wouldn’t trust your facility’s projects to off-brands or out-dated tools. You use the best brands and the most up-to-date equipment for your work. Expect the same from your precision CNC machine shop.

Look into the equipment the facility uses and the companies that manufacture the parts. For CNC equipment, look for well-known names in the industry, such as Toyoda, Hitachi Seiki, Mori Seiki, Okuma, Haas and Fadal. These well-regarded brands have a history of producing high-quality parts for machining services. But the name alone will not tell you if a company’s equipment is sufficient for your project.

Don’t forget to inquire about the age of the equipment the machine shop uses. They should have durable, trusted equipment, but because CNC machining can change based on available technology, the computer system, software and tools used should be recent. Older machinery may have problems with breakdowns, contributing to delays in the process. More modern machines have higher efficiency and do not have the excessive wear on them their older counterparts do.

4. Are They ISO Certified? Do They Offer Exceptional Quality Control?

Depending on what you do, you may already know about ISO 9001 certification and what it means for a business and its customers. This certification is entirely voluntary, but it dictates how a company operates and handles its projects.

The International Organization of Standards creates the ISO 9000 family of standards. Among the criteria in this group, the ISO 9001 is the only one which a business can hold certification in. You will want to find a manufacturing partner that operates to this standard. A company that has ISO certification has proven its ability to focus on customer support, offer high-quality products or services and have a clear means of communication within and without the company.

If a company has ISO certification, how long has it maintained that standard of operation? Did the company update from older versions? For example, a company may have gotten certification according to the 1998 standards but never recertified when the standards updated in 2008 or 2015. If a company cannot stay on top of its ISO certification, how many other aspects of its operations will fall by the wayside? A quality company will have regular updates to a long history of its ISO 9001 certification. It should currently hold ISO-9001:2015, indicating the 2015 standards.

In addition to ISO certification, the company should have a means of keeping watch over its products. What does the company do for quality control? Is there a guarantee or assurance of the job quality?

For machined parts, the company should have a means of checking the accuracy of the work. Properly calibrated inspection equipment that produces a digital report of the findings verifies the precision of the machined parts. Ask whether the machine shop you want to work with has equipment for inspecting its products, and if it answers in the negative, find another shop.

5. Who Are Their Current Customers? What Are They Saying?

The current and recent clientele of a machining facility can give you an idea of the services the business offers. A quality CNC business has clients that include large companies and well-known names. Large companies did not reach their status by settling for second-best anywhere in their supply chains. To attain similar results for your company, you will want to emulate those big names.

Find out who a CNC machine shop has worked for in the past. The company’s website should have information on former customers, especially if it has done business with any well-known corporations. The machining facilities a renowned company chooses to work with reflect on the quality and reputation of those CNC shops. Hiring such a shop will put your business in a cohort with other quality companies.

Don’t forget to look for testimonials for the shop. What experiences did former customers have? Do the previous customers continue to do business with the company? Carefully examine these reviews of a CNC shop to get a picture of what to expect if you choose that company to work with.

6. Dig Deeply Into Their Business Details

Research the company’s business details. Look for how long it has been in business. Longevity is a good sign of quality service and well-machined parts.

How big is the facility? Larger buildings can house more CNC machines. If you have high-volume orders or require large parts, a company with a large facility will have space and equipment to machine the parts you need. The more devices a facility has, the faster it can turn around high-volume orders.

A large working area also shows the business has enough income to invest in future operations. A machine shop that feels bullish about its future to build a large workshop is one you will want to work with because the company will likely be around if you need more projects in the coming years.

The company’s investment should also include choosing the latest CNC software for its operations. Older software indicates a possibly out-dated company or one that does not need to use its CNC equipment frequently. Especially with precision CNC machining, a company must have modern computers and software to keep up with the innovations in the field required to create finely milled pieces.

7. Are They Hiring?

Similar to investing in a large facility, a CNC shop that is actively hiring shows a burgeoning business. Companies that need more employees have enough incoming work to warrant bringing in new workers. Don’t count seasonal workers, though. Count permanent employees the company wants to bring on for long-term growth.

A growing machine shop needs more workers, especially experienced CNC professionals. If a shop is in this position, it likely has a regular intake of new clients with enough repeat business from existing customers to increase its workforce.

Unlike other manufacturing jobs, machinist positions require extensive training. Even new employees will have the ability to execute complex orders. Quality control within the company will ensure all workers, existing and new, continue to produce parts machined to the exact specifications.

8. Do They Ensure On-Time Delivery?

Your time is vital to your business operations. Every step of your supply chain must work in a finely choreographed action. Any delays in transfer at any stage of the process can throw off your own delivery to your customers. To avoid problematic situations when you hire a machine shop, check the delivery policy.

Will the company offer a delivery guarantee? Can you track your order? What does the shop do to ensure on-time deliveries? Does the company use software to keep track of complex orders or multiple clients? Companies that still track work through paper statements only could easily fall behind or lose an order.

For example, a company that tracks its receipt of raw materials and project scheduling can make more educated estimates for finishing its customers’ orders. One highly regarded software in the industry for job tracking is JobBOSS. This software gives shops information on their materials and projects to schedule work and ensures deliveries to customers on-time, every time.

9. Do They Offer Painting or Other Finishing Services?

When you get machining services, you expect the job to create the part to your specifications. Unless the shop also offers finishing services, you will have to add another step to your supply chain. Finding another company to paint the parts could cost you in delivery fees between suppliers. Another finishing company can also increase the costs in added fees and the extra time required to complete your order.

Not all machine shops offer all-in-one services, but you should seek one such facility out. Partnering with an all-in-one shop will shrink the time until delivery and save money. When you receive your final order from such a place, you can send the completed and finished parts on to the next step of the supply chain.

A complete job saves you time and money on your machining projects. Ask about painting and other services with your CNC machining order to have finished parts that will be ready for use as soon as you receive them.

View Our Services

Combine finishing services with highly efficient equipment, modern software and a long-standing reputation, and you have a quality CNC machine shop that will surpass your expectations for the job. The Flinchbaugh Company, Inc. offers all these services and many others. We have been in the business since 1936 and continue to provide our customers with the same high level of service today as we did when our company first started.

If you have machining needs, choose us at The Flinchbaugh Company, Inc. We have the materials you need, offer on-time delivery and have high-quality products. We communicate with our customers to ensure they receive what they ask for the first time. Communication is one means we use to deliver high-quality machined products.

Don’t waste time in your search for a great machine shop. See how our precision CNC services can help your company. We have more than 35 pieces of equipment to execute your order as quickly as precisely as possible. For more information or to get a quote, contact us at The Flinchbaugh Company, Inc. today.