Resources
CNC guides, in plain language.
Sixteen practical guides on finishes, tolerances, materials, process and logistics, grounded in the questions buyers actually ask. Built to keep, comparison tables, real numbers and drawing callouts.
Finishes & surface
4 guides
CNC surface finishes: the complete guide
Every finish we run with real numbers, anodize, plating, bead blast, polish, plus drawing callouts and what each industry specifies.
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Anodize Type II vs Type III
Colour, hardness, thickness and dimensional growth, with the thickness diagram and a one-line rule for choosing.
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Electroless vs electroplated nickel
Coverage uniformity, hardness, corrosion and cost, and which to specify for complex geometry or a bright look.
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Surface roughness (Ra) explained
What Ra means, realistic CNC values, Ra vs Rz, and how to call it out so you pay for smoothness only where it counts.
Read the guideMaterials, tolerances & process
4 guides
6061 vs 7075 aluminium
Strength, cost, machinability, corrosion and anodizing, with the numbers and a quick rule for choosing.
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CNC tolerances & ISO 2768
What ISO 2768-m covers, when to specify tighter (to ±0.005 mm), and how tolerancing drives cost.
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Milling vs turning vs Swiss
Milling, turning, mill-turn, Swiss and EDM, which process fits which part, and why it affects cost.
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CNC design basics (DFM): walls, radii, holes, threads & chamfers
Seven design-for-machining rules, walls, radii, hole depth, threads, text and tolerances, that cut cost and avoid surprises.
Read the guideQuoting, quality & logistics
8 guides
How a CNC part is priced
The canonical pricing story: one-time costs vs per-part costs, why low volume costs more per piece, and how lead time really scales.
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What drives your CNC machining cost
The real cost drivers, material, tolerances, finish, quantity, setups, and 7 ways to cut cost without losing function.
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No minimum order: why low-volume CNC works
With no hard tooling, one piece is feasible. The prototype-to-production path and how cost-per-part falls with quantity.
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AS9100D vs ISO 9001 vs IATF 16949
What each quality-system certification means for a parts buyer, and what holding all three signals.
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How to get an accurate CNC quote
The exact files and info that get you a fast, accurate quote in 48 hours, and why each one matters.
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Material certificates (EN 10204 / MTC)
What an MTC is, the EN 10204 types (2.1 / 2.2 / 3.1 / 3.2), and when your project needs one, ask at RFQ.
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Packaging, Incoterms & shipping
Air/rail/sea transit times, Incoterms (EXW/FOB/DDP), customs and how parts are protected in transit.
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Sourcing CNC parts from China with confidence
IP, quality and communication, the three things to get right when sourcing CNC parts from China, and how to de-risk each.
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New guides are added regularly, anodize colour matching, surface-finish callouts on a drawing, and prototype-to-production scaling are next.
From guide to quote
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