A comprehensive print can expedite the quoting process for your extruded aluminum fabrication project and prevent manufacturing mistakes. Your print speaks for your part and should provide all the details needed for production. It should include important information and answer as many potential questions as reasonable.
Your print should:
- Have a unique part number
- Specify your desired dimensions and tolerances
- Include any specific material, finishes, and surface details you may require
- Feature useful, accurate information in the blocks
Have a Unique Part Number
Metal fabricators often run numerous parts from the same company or project. Therefore, including a unique part number on your print that identifies your part is critical to avoid costly mistakes.
Specify Your Desired Dimensions and Tolerances
Dimensions are essential to help manufacturers visualize and fabricate your part accurately and to help control tolerance. Your drawing should indicate sizes, angles, shapes, and anything else of significance to facilitate the manufacturer’s ability to visualize and therefore quote your part. How the part is dimensioned can save on cost. If at all possible, depending on the part’s complexity, dimensions should come from two surfaces that are perpendicular to each other. This can help avoid machine stops and/or probing that may otherwise not be necessary.
In addition, specifying your tolerances clearly and reasonably can save you time and money on your extruded aluminum fabricated parts. Marking a more specific tolerance than necessary can be needlessly expensive–with machine operators spending time achieving an unneeded level of accuracy.
Include Specific Materials, Finishes, or Surface Details
Designating any specific materials or finishes you require can help enable quick quoting because it informs the machine shop’s quoting team which processes or vendors will be required to accommodate your needs.
Please indicate cosmetic or exposed surfaces to help your manufacturer determine how machine operators need to handle your part to ensure your desired look is achieved.
Feature Useful, Accurate Info in the Blocks
There may be several blocks on your print. Double check all information featured in them, including updated revision information, part name, description, quantity needed, and any additional notes. Likewise, providing your machine shop’s sales team with contact information for someone that your manufacturer can contact with questions or concerns can be a time saver.
In order for your machine shop to best serve you and aid with confirming your part’s manufacturability, also share information about your part’s function. If your machine shop understands how your part works and how it’s being used, their staff can give helpful suggestions on how to best fabricate it.
A PDF file is helpful for our sales and quoting teams to quote your project without delays. Also, our CAD technician can open STEP files for detailed review.
Including all of these attributes in your print can help your machine shop provide the most accurate quote upfront with minimum delay. You can request a quote for your extruded aluminum fabrication project here.