FAQs

Cold-rolled and galvanised steel, stainless 304 and 316, aluminium alloys, and — for machined parts — carbon and alloy steel, zinc alloy, titanium, copper and brass, plus engineering plastics such as POM, PTFE, acrylic and nylon. Titanium, copper and heavy-gauge work are quoted individually because the parameters change.

6,500 × 4,700 mm on the gantry laser, up to T25 mm in mild steel. Below that we also run a 2,500 × 4,000 mm dual-head machine for large parts run in pairs. Anything bigger than the gantry envelope has to be split and welded, which we will tell you at quotation rather than after the drawing is released.

± 0.05 mm on laser-cut features across the whole laser bay, and ± 0.25° on bends from the Salvagnini panel bender and the TRUMPF press brake. Conventional press brakes hold ± 0.3–0.5°. If a feature needs tighter than that, say so on the drawing and we will quote the route that can achieve it.

From 0.8 mm up. Laser covers T16–T25 mm in mild steel depending on machine and T20 mm in stainless; turret punching is best under T3 mm; bending thickness drives which brake we put the part on. The usable range for a specific part is set by the forming operations, not only by the cutting.

Yes, and they are treated as different processes rather than as different materials on the same settings. Stainless and aluminium are cut with nitrogen or argon to keep the edge clean enough to weld or passivate, welded to their own procedures, and — for aluminium — finished by anodising or a conductive pre-treatment before coating.

A 2D drawing with tolerances is enough to quote. A 3D model (STEP, IGES) lets us check bend deductions and interference before cutting, which is worth sending where it exists. If you only have a physical sample, we will measure it and produce the drawing back to you for confirmation before manufacturing.

It is decided per part. Punching wins on repetitive hole patterns, on louvres and embossed forms, and on parts where a work-hardened edge is fine — there is no kerf and no heat input. Laser wins on thick material, complex contours and one-off geometry, and on anything where the edge has to be clean for welding. We will tell you which route the quote assumes.

Yes. Sealed enclosures are built with continuous seam welds, gaskets and sealant beads, and the design is proven by leak testing rather than by inspection. We hold IP66 on outdoor cabinet builds, and EMI-shielded cabinets are tested to 30 dB attenuation.

Powder coating to a RAL colour, zinc or chromium plating, phosphating, blasting, abrasive brushing, anodising (aluminium only), silkscreen printing, dispensing and potting, and seam sealing. Several of these normally run as one route, so a part can be blasted, coated and printed without leaving the building.

Give us the RAL number if you have one. If you have a physical part, send it and we will match to it and return a coated coupon for approval before the batch runs. Powder is a manufactured material, so we retain a standard for repeat programmes rather than matching against a memory of the last batch.

Yes — clinch nuts, standoffs, studs and rivets are inserted in-line straight after punching, so the part arrives assembly-ready instead of needing a second operation. Earth studs are welded with the pull test recorded per batch.

It can, and the answer is sequencing rather than luck. Parts are tacked on a jig rather than on the bench, welds are ordered to balance heat around the part, and where flatness is critical the part is corrected after cooling. Reducing the number of joints by cutting larger parts in one piece is often the cheaper fix.

One piece for a prototype. Series pricing generally starts around 20–50 pieces depending on the product family, because at that point tooling and set-up stop dominating the unit cost. Repeat programmes are quoted from the retained standard rather than re-quoted from scratch.

Typically 7–15 working days from an approved drawing, depending on finishing and on whether mechanical assembly and mounting hardware are part of the sample. Series lead time is generally 3–6 weeks. Both figures assume the drawing is released and the material is standard — we will confirm the actual dates with the quote.

EXW, FOB Shanghai, CIF and DDP door-to-door. For European and North American destinations we can quote DDP, and we will confirm the freight and duty basis in the quotation.

Drawings or a 3D model, the material and finish, the quantity and how often you expect to reorder, and the standard you need to be inspected against. Preferred: a PDF drawing for the shape, a STEP file for the geometry, and a note on which dimensions are critical.

Yes. Send yours and we will return it signed, or ask us for ours. Drawings and models are held on the ERP against the work order rather than left on shared drives, and customer-owned tooling is stored and labelled as customer property.

Material, all manufacturing operations, finishing, hardware, inspection, packing and the documentation listed on our quality page. If tooling or a first-article inspection report carries a separate charge, it is a line on the quote rather than a surprise on the invoice.

Incoming material, in-process and final inspection, with optical full-surface vision measuring on sheet metal parts and an automatic deviation report. Every part is traceable through MES to its electronic quality record. Inspection reports, hardware and torque records and test results ship with the batch.