Price quotes for machined parts are driven less by the raw material than by how the part is designed. Small, early decisions about tolerances, tool access and wall thickness decide whether a component takes ten minutes or two hours to cut. Here are five details worth revisiting before your next RFQ.
1. Tighten tolerances only where function requires it
A general tolerance of ±0.005 mm on every dimension forces extra operations, slower feeds and more inspection. Mark critical features explicitly and leave the rest at standard tolerance — the savings usually surprise first-time designers.
2. Design for standard tool access
Internal corner radii smaller than the available cutter force EDM or extra setups. Specifying a radius that matches a standard end mill often removes an entire operation from the routing.
3. Keep wall thickness consistent
Thin walls next to thick sections absorb heat unevenly and move during cutting. Uniform wall thickness keeps the part stable, the cycle predictable and the scrap rate low.
4. Specify finish only where it matters
Surface finish requirements add operations — especially inside deep bores. Asking for Ra 0.8 µm on sealing surfaces and leaving structural surfaces as-machined keeps cost proportionate to function.
5. Consolidate setups where possible
Features that can be reached from one or two directions keep the part in a single setup, removing repositioning error and machine time. A quick conversation with our engineers before design freeze usually finds one or two of these.
Every Hanming quotation includes this kind of DFM feedback as standard — because a part that is easy to machine well is cheaper for you and better for us.