Custom machining in Reno, from print or from sample

Custom work usually starts with a problem: a part that is worn out, a fit that never quite worked, an idea that exists only as a sketch. The shop takes it from there, using whatever you have in hand, whether that is a finished drawing, a specification or the broken original.

At a glance

• Parts made from a print, a specification or a sample
• New parts and repair work in the same shop
• Design help when you have an idea but no drawing
• Free consultations and a prompt estimate

How does a custom job get from print to finished part?

Every custom job follows the same basic path, even when the part is simple. Someone has to decide what the part is, what it is made from and how the finished surfaces must fit. After that the shop plans the order of cuts, holds the material in a way that does not distort it, and checks the result against your print or the original.

1. You describe the part: what it does, the machine it goes in and the material if you know it.
2. You send a drawing, a specification or photos of a sample, or you bring the part to the shop.
3. We review it, ask about anything unclear, and give you a prompt estimate.
4. The part is set up, machined and checked against your print or the original.
5. You pick it up at 4812 Longley Ln, and the drawing stays on file for the next one.

What drives the setup on a one-off part?

A custom part is mostly a question of setups. Each time the part has to be unclamped and turned over to reach another face, the work gets more involved, and every feature that must line up with another one needs to be cut from a common reference.

Tell us which surfaces are critical, such as a bearing seat, a sealing face or a hole pattern.

• How many faces of the part have to be machined
• Bores, threads and keyways, and how closely they must relate to each other
• The material and the form it comes in: bar, plate, casting or forging
• Whether the finished part has to match an existing one

Why a local shop suits the odd part

Online instant-quote services are built for clean 3D models in common materials. Custom work for a plant, a farm, a mine or a contractor often starts differently: with a worn original on a workbench and no model at all. A shop you can drive to can look at that original, measure it with you and talk through what to keep and what to change.

It also means repair and new manufacture come from the same hands. A part that can be saved is welded or built up and machined back to size. A part that cannot be saved is copied or redesigned. See part design and parts made from samples for that side of the work, and prototypes if the part is still being proven.

Sending a custom job for a quote

Use the quote request to attach a drawing, a specification or photos of the sample. Photos with a ruler in the frame, plus the sizes you can measure, show us most of what we need. If you would rather talk first, call the shop at (775) 359-5570, Monday to Friday, 7:00 am to 3:30 pm.

The drawing checklist lists what to include on a print so the estimate matches the part you expect.