CNC machining prices: how is a quote calculated?
Programming, setup, cycle time, material, finishing, inspection: what a CNC machining quote contains, why quantity changes everything and how to reduce the cost.
Practical guides
Practical pointers for having your parts made or growing your workshop: pricing, drawings, materials, quotes, confidentiality.
Writing a manufacturing specification: method and template
What a workshop needs to know to quote and make your part: a method in a few points, a ready-to-copy template and common mistakes to avoid.
How to choose an industrial subcontractor: 10 criteria
Skills, capacity, quality, proximity, responsiveness, references, financial strength, communication, price and contract: 10 criteria and a comparison grid.
STEP, DXF, STL… which files should you send your manufacturer?
STEP, IGES, Parasolid, DXF, STL, 3MF, dimensioned PDF, Gerber: the right file for each manufacturing process, a summary table and good practice for sending files.
Machining tolerances: ISO 2768, fits and dimensioning
ISO 2768 general tolerances, ISO 286 fits, ISO 1101 geometric tolerancing, Ra roughness: read a drawing and dimension sensibly to control the cost of a machined part.
3D printing or CNC machining: which should you choose for your parts?
3D printing or CNC machining? Seven selection criteria, FDM, SLA, SLS, MJF and metal technologies, a comparison table and cases where combining both processes makes sense.
Laser cutting and sheet metal bending: prices, thicknesses and good practice
Choose the right cutting process, know the usual thicknesses, understand what drives the price of a sheet metal part and design parts that bend without extra cost.
Anodising, powder coating, zinc plating: choosing a surface treatment
Anodising, powder paint, zinc, passivation, nickel, chrome: the strengths and limits of each treatment, their effect on dimensions and how to specify it in a request.
From prototype to series production: the stages of industrialisation
Mock-up, functional prototype, pre-series, tooling, qualification: how to structure the move from a single unit to repeatable production, and choose the right processes for your volumes.
Aluminium, stainless steel, steel, engineering plastics: choosing the right material for your parts
Aluminium 6082 or 7075, stainless 304L or 316L, POM or PA6: the criteria for choosing the right material, a comparison table and the effect of this choice on price and lead times.
Protecting your drawings in subcontracting: NDAs, ownership and good practice
Typical content of a confidentiality agreement, trade secrets, ownership of drawings and tooling, scope of the 1975 French law and sharing habits: how to entrust your drawings with confidence.
Workshops and machinists: 9 ways to find new customers
Marketplaces, local search, LinkedIn, trade shows, networks, reviews, workshop-to-workshop cooperation and targeted outreach: nine practical ways to fill your order book without depending on a single customer.
How to Write a Subcontracting Quote That Stands Out
Read the brief, set out a credible price and lead time, include the right details and stand out from other workshops: a step-by-step method.
Sheet metal bending prices: how is a quote calculated?
Number of bends, length, material, tooling, setup, quantity, tolerances and prior cutting: the logic behind a sheet metal bending quote and the levers to reduce the cost.
TIG, MIG, MAG or stick welding: which welding process should you choose?
TIG, MIG, MAG or stick welding: what each process does, for which material and thickness, and what to specify (qualifications, quality level, inspections) in a quote request.
Stainless steel 304 or 316L: which grade should you choose for your parts?
EN designations, the role of molybdenum, chloride resistance, machining, welding and relative price: how to choose between stainless steel 304 (1.4301) and 316L (1.4404) according to the use of the part.
Anodising, powder coating or galvanising: which should you choose?
Depending on the material, use, appearance and durability required, which treatment should you choose between anodising, powder coating and hot-dip galvanising? A comparison table and the pitfalls to avoid.
Laser, plasma or waterjet cutting: which cutting process for which sheet?
Laser, plasma or waterjet: thickness range, accuracy, heat-affected zone, materials and relative cost of each process, with real cases to choose according to your sheet.
ISO 9001, EN 9100, ISO 13485, IATF 16949: what do these certifications guarantee?
ISO 9001, EN 9100, ISO 13485, IATF 16949: what they certify (a management system, not a product), how to check a certificate and in which cases to require them from a subcontractor.
Professional 3D printing prices: FDM, SLA, SLS, MJF, metal
Volume, height, material, finish, quantity, build-plate fill: how the price of an FDM, SLA, SLS, MJF or metal part is built up, and how to bring it down.
Plastic injection moulds: what drives the cost
Number of cavities, steel or aluminium, slides, hot runners, tool life: what sets the price of a mould, how to amortise it and which alternatives to choose for small runs.
5-axis machining: when do you really need it?
3+2 or continuous 5-axis machining: what each brings, the parts that justify 5 axes, the effect on price and the alternatives when you can do without.
Screw machining or CNC turning: which process for your part?
Sliding-head or conventional CNC lathe: bar diameters, quantities, precision, surface finish and cost to choose the right process for a turned part.
From schematic to assembled PCB: making an electronic prototype
Gerber files, BOM, component positions, IPC classes, SMT or through-hole, testing and DFM: how to have an electronic board prototype made and assembled.
Comparing three subcontracting quotes without getting it wrong
Scope, assumptions, unit price and fixed costs, lead time, terms, quality, Incoterm: the method and the grid to compare three quotes on an identical basis.
ABS, PA, POM, PEEK… : choosing a plastic for a technical part
ABS, PA, POM, PC, PEEK: the criteria for choosing an engineering plastic, its limits (moisture, heat, creep), machining vs injection moulding and a comparison table.
Machining aluminium: choosing between 5083, 6061, 6082, 2017 and 7075
Alloy 6082, 6061, 5083, 2017A or 7075: how to read an EN AW designation, compare machinability, welding, anodising and strength, and choose without overpaying.
Dimensional inspection: inspection report, critical dimensions, first article
Which measuring equipment, which report, which dimensions to inspect and how often? Inspection report, first article and control plan: ask for the right level without overpaying.
Reshoring production to France: where to start
Reshoring all or part of a production: compare total cost rather than unit price, qualify French subcontractors, organise the transition and anticipate the risks.
Creating a workshop profile that inspires trust: photos, machines, references
What a buyer looks at before choosing a workshop, and how to show it on your Meaflow profile: photos, machines, capabilities, certifications, verified SIRET and reviews.
Responding quickly and well to a quote request: method and templates
Sort a request in five minutes, ask the right questions, structure your quote and follow up without pushing: the method, and five message templates to copy.
A project to have manufactured?
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Are you a workshop?
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