Capabilities · Design & DFM
An engineer reads it. Not a spreadsheet.
Send a drawing and within 48 hours you get comments on anything that will cost you money or yield. You keep them whether or not you order.
What comes back
Five things we look for, in this order.
Tolerances that are not doing any work
The single biggest avoidable cost. A feature called tighter than it needs to be changes the process, the fixturing and the inspection. We flag each one and say what we think it could open up to — you decide, since you know the function.Features that are expensive to hold or fixture
Deep small bores, thin walls that move after roughing, features that need a fifth operation because of how the datums are laid out. Often a small change removes an entire setup.Material choice against what the part does
Sometimes the specified alloy is doing nothing the cheaper one would not, and occasionally it is the opposite and the drawing is optimistic. Both are worth knowing before you commit.Datum scheme and how it will be measured
A drawing that cannot be inspected the way it is dimensioned causes an argument later. We check the part can be verified as drawn, and say so if it cannot.Cleanliness and handling implications
Blind features that trap fluid, finishes that shed, geometry that is hard to bag without contact. Relevant for anything going into a clean environment.
The clock
What happens, and by when.
| Stage | Turnaround | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| NDA, if you want one | 24 h | Countersigned and returned. Your files stay unopened until it is. |
| DFM comments | 48 h | Written notes against your features. Yours to keep either way. |
| Quote | 24 h | Price and milestone dates (one business day), fixed before you raise a PO. |
If a drawing package is incomplete we tell you what is missing inside the same window rather than letting the clock run out silently.
Why we give this away
Because it is the fastest way to show you how we work.
A price tells you almost nothing about a supplier. Two days of useful comments on your own drawing tells you whether the person on the other end has read it, understands what the part does, and will say something inconvenient when it matters.
That includes telling you when we are not the right shop for a part. It happens, we would rather say it early, and it costs less than finding out at first article.
Questions
Before you send anything.
Is the DFM review really free?
Yes, and you keep the comments whether or not you order. It is not generosity: reading the drawing properly is how we quote accurately, so we are doing the work anyway. Sending you the findings costs us nothing and tells you more about how we work than a price would.
Will you tell me if I have over-toleranced something?
Every time. It is the most common avoidable cost we see. One feature called at 10 µm when 50 µm would function changes the process, the fixturing and the inspection, and drags the price of the whole part up with it. If a tolerance is doing real work we will leave it alone and say why.
Do you do design work, or only review?
Both, within limits. We will redesign a feature for manufacturability, propose a fixturing approach, or help split a part into an assembly that is cheaper to make. We are not a product design consultancy and will say so if that is what a project actually needs.
What do you need from me to review a drawing?
A STEP file and a dimensioned drawing is ideal. A STEP file alone is workable but leaves tolerance and finish to guesswork. Tell us what the part does and what it mates to — context is what lets an engineer spot the expensive feature rather than just measuring it.
Will you sign an NDA first?
Yes, countersigned within 24 hours, and your files stay unopened until it is. Tick the box on the quote form or send us yours.