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Need someone with a live tool lathe to make a few prototypes

ihavenofish

Cast Iron
Joined
Jul 23, 2011
Location
toronto
I need someone with a lathe with live tooling to make a few one or 2 off parts. The parts are to be made from 4140HT and only have a handful of critical surfaces.

Ideally this person would be in canada, toronto area. but that's not too important.

I also need one small part done in 8620, hardened, then ground or hard tuned on a few critical surfaces. Made the same way as a quality tool holder, but it's not a tool holder.
 
I need someone with a lathe with live tooling to make a few one or 2 off parts. The parts are to be made from 4140HT and only have a handful of critical surfaces.

Ideally this person would be in canada, toronto area. but that's not too important.

I also need one small part done in 8620, hardened, then ground or hard tuned on a few critical surfaces. Made the same way as a quality tool holder, but it's not a tool holder.

*sigh*.. You need a bored to death hobbyist with a good collection of HAND FILES, perhaps?

Whenever .. only the one type of machine-tool is ass u me 'ed, coupled with "only a handful.." or "on a few critical ..", that's usually the signal to any of a few thousand shops (shipping exists..) as might bid to....

.. not even waste their time on heavily-burdened set-up and gaging costs that YOU are not prepared for.

Do decent drawings or CAD files that tell the story of what you WANT and with clear specifications for acceptance. Send out for quote.

Those who can do it at all will decide what machine and technique they can best bid it with. Onesies and fewsies call for multiple-ops, not costly to own and configure live tooling.

Most will give it a miss. Just one more task. Not as gullible as folk responding to a political campaign seeking "true believers" as to how "easy" it is, nor - FOR damned SURE - "free".

You expect to eat reg'lar-like and pay yer bills?

So do Machinists and their businesses!

Go figure...

:(
 
No wonder you have no fish..Don't worry what machine a guy has but to post a sketch of the parts needed might get better answers.

In what universe would I post a sketch of prototype parts on a public forum?

(I already got some answers though, because most machine shops like customers)
 
Seems the size and rough needs and tolerances could make some sense of it, with not disclosing all the details...
turn about 12 x 3", bore 1" hole to +- .xxx, Cut a thread. Turn, harden and and grind a small part .600dia x 3" between centers, with a step diameter and length.

For one or few up or a prototype the live tooling request may not be the best choice.
Does it need a 10 x 24 machine or a 24 x 96" machine.
The has everything shop might bid $150 an hour and buy a few special cutters for the project..a skilled small or home shop might make up his own tooling and bid $25 an hour..
That is mostly the difference. The print is king not how one gets there.

Agree live tooling may be best for mass production of the parts.
 
Longest Part size is about 38mm x 200mm and it needs to be bored 14mm one side to 70mm, an drilled through the other 3.175mm.
 
No fish..
If You want good quality parts fast, 1-2, go to Your nearest mill-turn shop.

Ask someone like Mazak for shops near You.

If You want them cheap, do this.
Ask for owner.
Give 200$ cash up-front as consultancy fee, against future work.
Before explaining anything about the parts.

You are likely to be treated extremely well, and Your future parts are likely to be very cheap.
And the extremely good, very valuable, advice from the shop experts will drop your parts processing costs by 80%, +/-.

And if they are not the right shop, they will typically give back Your 200$, and send You to the right place, that they perfectly know of.
Most good shop owners or managers are like that.
They love their rep.

Anyone with 200$ cash up-front is an important industrial customer.
It is silly, but true.

--
2.
Your parts can be half-cost or less, if they can be run off-shift,
as time permits.
Your parts can be half-cost or less if run as-dropped, aka no spec guarantees of any kind.

The Integrex mill-turn wont make bad parts just because they are not specified and gaged.
For maybe 95-98% of uses, the as-dropped parts will be fine.
 
Give 200$ cash up-front as consultancy fee, against future work.
Before explaining anything about the parts.

Concept is OK. But last time I did that, stainless 1/3 U server housings, CAD/CAM CNC stainless steel metal piercing, bending, threading, & c. it was $6,000, 1/3 up-front, not $200.

MOST of that was to convert my Old Skewl India ink on vellum to a CNC-useable file. Put another way, "setup costs".

Unit cost thereafter was readily amenable to calculation, turned out right attractive.

If a person is serious about "hired R&D" or prep for "pilot production" services?

$200 is more likely to get a "no, thanks!" than not?

WTH - "rich" I am not, yet manage to keep a roofer/handyman/carpenter/renovations guy on $1,000 retainer to assure faster old-age emergency response time than average as to storm damage and such.

So "good thought", Hanermo, CCF (Cash Comes First) can be, but....

Let's suggest that present-day Canada, $1,000 CND is more realistic than $200 CND or even $200 USD. It isn't hand-movement, power bills, tool wear, nor even machine time being hired. It is brains and experience to guide the inexperienced to avoidance of mistakes and optimization for success. Shared success, most shops happy to add repeat biz, batch-mode, of a part they know how to make, and know what the most-recent contribution-margin cost/benefit and risks have been.

And... if the "dream" - whatever it is - cannot justify consumption, not recovery of that up-front leverage?

Buy a used lathe and start chipping away off the back of the usual:

"sweat equity".

Dreams may be "free". Execution to make them a reality? Not so much.

"if, comes.." don't meet payrolls nor utility bills, some independent third-party.
 
No fish..
If You want good quality parts fast, 1-2, go to Your nearest mill-turn shop.

Ask someone like Mazak for shops near You.

If You want them cheap, do this.
Ask for owner.
Give 200$ cash up-front as consultancy fee, against future work.
Before explaining anything about the parts.

You are likely to be treated extremely well, and Your future parts are likely to be very cheap.
And the extremely good, very valuable, advice from the shop experts will drop your parts processing costs by 80%, +/-.

And if they are not the right shop, they will typically give back Your 200$, and send You to the right place, that they perfectly know of.
Most good shop owners or managers are like that.
They love their rep.

Anyone with 200$ cash up-front is an important industrial customer.
It is silly, but true.

--
2.
Your parts can be half-cost or less, if they can be run off-shift,
as time permits.
Your parts can be half-cost or less if run as-dropped, aka no spec guarantees of any kind.

The Integrex mill-turn wont make bad parts just because they are not specified and gaged.
For maybe 95-98% of uses, the as-dropped parts will be fine.

Thanks

Unfortunately I don't have anyone in my area that I know of with these machines to take my $200. Well, that's not quite true. I know a couple, but they make aerospace parts, and cant do my stuff. This industry goes on and off, and Toronto at least, is "on" right now. Everyone's too busy for little things.

For 3 axis milling, "low spec" manual turning, I'm well covered, just no fancy CNC lathe (or mill turn). Id love someone local. Its often helpful cause you can chat and they can tell you what in the part costs too much or is to bothersome to set up in a one off. That's what my machinist does. I send him a file, he send me a quote, then after I wake up in the hospital, he tells me what to change. tnen we make it :)

I need the same relationship with a Lathe shop now as I often have a few small things every few months that we cant efficiently or precisely do with a "turn manually then mill" setup.
 
Thermite:

What on Earth possessed you today?

We are NOT demeaning those who post RFQ's in this section!

That's not even like you otherwise....
Maybe get checked for brain tumor soon?


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