# 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. **Category:** Articles **Written by:** Carl Erickson **Last updated:** Nov 12, 2026 **Source:** https://vector-components.com/signals/articles/casting-repeat-production-questions --- Moving a casting into repeat production changes what has to be agreed in writing: who owns the tooling, at which stage parts are inspected, what batch size the price assumes, which drawing revision governs, and who stores the pattern between runs. Settle all five before the second order. The first order got made because someone answered a drawing and a price. A standing order is a different agreement, and the things it needs were not needed the first time. ## Who Owns the Tooling Between Runs? Ask first, because it decides whether anything else is portable. The partner factory holds the physical tool. Vector Components does not own or run a factory, and each factory in the network has an agreement authorizing Vector to serve as its overseas sales department. So there is a named party to answer the question, which is the point. What has to be written down is who owns the tool, who pays to maintain it, and what happens to it when the programme ends. Maintenance sounds administrative until a run is needed quickly and nobody can say what condition the tool is in. A mould that has run fifty thousand parts is not the mould that ran the first five hundred. ## Which Drawing Revision Governs the Order? The one named on the purchase order, which is why it has to be named. Sampling almost always produces changes. A radius opens up, a tolerance loosens, a datum moves. Each of those was agreed by someone, and each has to land in a revision. A standing order that references a drawing without a revision level is an order against whichever copy the factory holds. That copy may predate the changes, and the factory is not wrong to build it. This is the cheapest of the five to fix and the most often skipped. It is also the usual explanation when a second batch differs from the first and nobody can point to a mistake. ## At Which Stage Is the Batch Inspected? On a repeating order the question is sampling and stage, not whether inspection happens at all. Vector supervises inspection, assembly, packaging and shipping. On a first order that supervision tends to cover everything, because everything is new. On the tenth order it should be deliberate. Which features are checked every batch, which are checked on a sample, and at which point in the process. Chinese factories often trade under several names, so it is also worth knowing which plant is running the current batch. A standing order can quietly move inside a group, and the first sign is usually a dimensional shift nobody ordered. ## What Batch Size Does the Price Assume? Every quoted price assumes a quantity, and on a repeat order that assumption outlives the conversation that produced it. Standard parts batch-made to exact specifications are one of three kinds of work Vector handles. The other two are customer-designed parts and off-the-shelf parts sourced as a courtesy, and this middle category is where repeat casting orders live. North American wholesalers stock generic versions of common items, which suits many jobs perfectly. Vector batch-manufactures for customers with more specific requirements, and competitive pricing on that work depends on the batch the setup is spread across. So the question to settle is what batch the price assumes and what happens either side of it. Ordering half the assumed quantity is not half the cost, and ordering twice it should not be twice the cost. ## Who Stores the Pattern Between Runs? The factory, usually. Written down, ideally. A pattern or a mould sitting in a corner of a plant for eight months is exposed to the ordinary risks of a working factory. Someone should own the question of where it is and what state it is in. This also closes the loop on the first question. Ownership says who the tool belongs to; storage says who is responsible for it being usable when the next order lands. ## What Should the Standing Order Say? The five answers, on the order rather than in correspondence: **Tooling ownership**, including maintenance and end-of-programme. **The drawing revision** that governs, by number. **The inspection regime**: which features, what sampling, at which stage. **The batch size** the price assumes, and the behaviour either side of it. **Pattern storage**, and who is responsible for its condition. Standard parts made to exact specification typically ship within two weeks once tooling exists and the drawing is settled. The first order is different, because tooling and first article approval come first. Send computer-aided design (CAD) drawings and specifications with the annual quantity. A quotation follows within one business day, quotations are free, and payment terms are NET 30. Send the drawing and the annual quantity. ## Related Reading - [How to Choose an Investment Casting Supplier](https://vector-components.com/signals/articles/choosing-investment-casting-supplier) - [Casting or Machining at Your Volume](https://vector-components.com/signals/comparisons/casting-vs-machining-volume) - [Importing Custom Parts From China Into Canada](https://vector-components.com/signals/articles/importing-custom-parts-canada) - [Vector Components: Common Questions Answered](https://vector-components.com/signals/articles/vector-components-questions)