Articles
Practical guides to specifying and ordering custom industrial components overseas, covering drawings, tolerances, inspection stages and payment terms.
5 Questions Before Committing a Casting to Repeat Production
Five things to settle before a casting moves from sample to repeat production: tooling ownership, inspection stage, volume, revision control and who holds the pattern.
6 Cost Drivers on a Machined Part That Are Not the Material
Six things that move the price of a machined part before material does: tolerance, setups, tool access, finish, inspection requirement and quantity.
Ordering Ball Valves to Spec Instead of Taking Stock
When a stocked ball valve is the wrong answer, what to specify instead, and how a valve made to your drawing differs from a generic one off the shelf.
Is Sand Casting the Right Process, and Can the Network Do It
Where sand casting fits against investment and die casting, what it does well at size, and what Vector Components can and cannot route through its partner factories.
Who Checks the Parts? 5 Quality Questions to Settle Before Manufacturing in China
Five things to agree before production starts: who inspects, against what, at which stage, who signs off, and what happens when a batch is rejected.
Aluminium Die Casting, Mould to Finished Part
How an aluminium die casting goes from mould to finished part: tool, shot, trim, heat treat and machining, and which steps change the price of the part.
What Drives the Cost of a Custom Flange
The things that move the price of a custom flange: material grade, pressure class, facing, size, forging route and quantity, and which of them you control.
Socket Weld, Butt Weld or Threaded: Specifying Pipe Fittings
How socket weld, butt weld and threaded pipe fitting ends differ, which suits pressure, inspection and space, and what a fitting drawing has to state.
6 Ways to Control Fabrication Quality From Canada
Six things a buyer in Canada can actually control on fabrication made overseas: who holds the agreement, who speaks to the engineer, legal recourse and more.
From Drawing to Quote in One Business Day: What to Send
What a machining quote actually needs from you: drawing format, tolerances that matter, material grade, quantity and finish, and what slows a quotation down.
How to Choose an Investment Casting Supplier
What to check before placing an investment casting order overseas: process fit, tooling ownership, inspection stage, standards held by the foundry, and volume.
Custom Fabricated Assemblies: 7 Things to Settle Before Production Starts
Seven things to settle before a custom fabricated assembly goes into production overseas: drawing revision, processes, factory per part, inspection, transfer, packaging, terms.