5 Ways to Reduce Cost on Custom Non-standard Metal Parts (Without Sacrificing Quality)

Over the past decade of quoting thousands of custom parts, we have seen the same costly design mistakes again and again. Here are five practical ways to lower your CNC machining costs:

1. Loosen tight tolerances where it doesn't matter

Tolerances of ±0.005mm require slower cutting, special tools, and CMM time. A tolerance of ±0.05mm is 40% cheaper. Ask yourself: does every hole need that precision?

2. Design for standard tool sizes

Holes sized 6mm, 8mm, 10mm, 12mm use standard end mills. A 7.3mm hole requires a custom-ground tool (adds $80 and 3 days).

3. Avoid deep, small-diameter cavities

A 100mm deep hole with a 5mm diameter has a 20:1 depth-to-diameter ratio. This requires specialized tooling and slow pecking cycles. Consider splitting the part or using EDM.

4. Combine multiple parts into one assembly

We recently helped a client merge 4 bolted aluminum plates into one single 5-axis CNC part. Assembly time went from 20 minutes to zero. Unit cost dropped 35%.

5. Ask us before you finalize the design

Our engineers can look at your CAD model and suggest DFM (Design for Manufacturing) changes that don't affect function but dramatically reduce cycle time.

Want a free design review? Email your STEP file to [Email]. We'll reply with a cost-saving proposal within 24 hours.