Engineering — CAD/CAM and DFM
The decisions that set a part's cost are made before the first chip is cut.
By the time a programme is posted, most of what a part will cost is already fixed — by the setup count, the fixture, the tool list and the inspection routine. That is the stage worth spending time on.
Drawing review
The model and the drawing are read together. Bounding box against the machine envelope, feature depths against tool reach, the datum scheme, and which characteristics are critical. Where the two disagree — and on real drawings they sometimes do — we ask rather than assume.
Design for manufacture
If a feature is expensive for a reason that is not functional, we say so before quoting. Common ones:
- An internal corner radius that forces a smaller cutter and a much longer cycle, where the assembly would accept a larger one
- A tolerance tighter than the fit requires, which pulls the feature onto the CMM and adds inspection time to every piece
- A pocket depth-to-width ratio that needs a long tool where a second operation would be faster and more stable
- A datum scheme that cannot be established in one setup, forcing a transfer that consumes the tolerance it was meant to protect
None of this changes your design without your agreement. It is a list of options with what each one saves.
CAM and process planning
Setups, fixtures, tool list and inspection routine are decided together. In-process probing is planned at this stage rather than added later, because where the probe checks a feature affects how the fixture is built.
First article planning
If AS9102 first article inspection is required, the ballooning and the characteristic list are prepared alongside the process plan, not after it. A part with several hundred characteristics is a long measurement session, and planning it against production rather than around it is the difference between a first article and a delay. See first article inspection to AS9102.
What to send
STEP or IGES with the drawing, material and condition, quantity, and the date you need it by. The 3D model is what makes a fast, accurate answer possible — bounding box, feature depths and tool-access angles are all readable from it in minutes.