CNC Production - Please read prior to contacting us about a run
Let's discuss some of the information and typical questions surrounding starting the process of having a run of parts done.
Having a CNC run done has a lot of variable that need to be addressed. Hopefully we can give you a bit of a run-down on things to help you do your initial planning and the ability to include as much necessary information in your initial email when starting the estimating/quoting process.
We will update this article as we come across information that needs to be added.
Information we will NEED to know when starting the estimate (please include it in your initial email - it will save us both time):
-
What services you will want estimated. Turning, Polishing, Laser
Engraving, Milling (just the profile or milling the profile and squaring
the back of the cork notch if possible), Bands Pressed on, and any out
of the ordinary processes that are not typical. This is required so
that we have an idea of when your job may work into the schedule and
roughly how long it may take once in process.
- How man sticks of
material, per part, you are anticipating to have us run. Our minimum
run is 3 - 4foot sticks cut completely into one part. A 'typical' call
will be 3 sticks of barrels and 3 sticks of kegs/inserts
- Are you
supplying the material or will we be supplying material for you? If we
are to supply the material for you, we will need to know the preferred
manufacturer (Deadshot or Spartech for acrylic as an example), AND the
colors you require (as most prices vary based on both color and
diameter).
- If you are supplying the material (either shipping
material you have on hand to us or having material drop shipped from the
supplier) is there any back orders on material you are ordering? Any
sticks that are anything but 4foot in length? If so, let us know those
details.
- Desired completion time frame. Our backlog will dictate
when we can start your job, but knowing if you have a deadline that
must be met, and when that is, can help us keep from wasting your time
if we know we cannot achieve your desired time frame. We typically have
back logged work, and sometimes it is hard to accurately guess when we
might be able to start on a new job. That is compounded with new
jobs/deposits coming in without advance notice - the potential to be 1
week out at this very second to being 1-2 months out just 15 minutes
later is very real, and seems to happen regularly. Be planning ahead!
-
A spec'd drawing or the actual prototype will be required to be an
accurate estimate. Without that, we can only make a rough guess. At
times, we can get fairly close if provided a picture of each part, with some basic dimensions (OAL, Largest outside diameter, and dimensions that are critical to you should have allowable tolerances specified) and a description and dimensions
the features that are not visible (such as bore, back bore, internal o-ring gland, etc). Odds are, if we estimate from a picture, we will leave it open-ended to allow for any adjustment once the original arrives here.
- Areas that are critical to your own specific process, such as: locating in a jig based off of the end of the tenon, tenon for the band not matching the length of the band, specific variance between keg tenon diameter and barrel bore, etc.
- We typically suggest 'normalizing' the keg tenon and the barrel bore for best fit and finish. Generally a .623-.624" duck keg tenon with corresponding .626-.628 barrel bore or for goose calls, a .865" keg tenon and .875-.877 barrel socket. If you have specifics you want to use - please let us know.
When is your busiest time of year?:
Typically
July - November is extremely busy - people aiming for calls to sell
during hunting season. February - May is our second busiest time of
year - people building up inventory for the summer show/contest season.
One can expect notable wait times during these times, and the larger
the back log, the harder it is to estimate when we might get to your
job. Given our existing customer base and the sizes of those typical
runs, we suggest planning MONTHS ahead of when you will need the parts.
What will speed things up?:
There
isn't much that will speed things up in terms of us getting to your
specific job... we take jobs in the order the deposit/material is
received. With that said, the more simple the job, the more likely it
is to get bumped up in the list when a delay with a current job is
encountered. Our idea of a "more simple" job is one where the only
required services are turning. Turning is the area we can handle the
most throughput, where as polishing and milling are the two processes
that typically add significant time to the job or have the most back
log.
We won't "bump your job up" in front of a previous job
unless we run into a delay on the previous job. Should this occur, we
work down the list, in the order the jobs were received, and start on
the first job in the list that we feel will be able to be completed on
the machines that are involved in the delay. This is where having a
turning only job ups your odds of being "bumped up" as that is where
most delays show up as well as the first machines to open up as we
approach the end of our back log.
What is your "typical" price range for parts/services?
Generally speaking (and there are always exceptions) our rough price ranges are as follows
- Duck Barrels, Goose Barrels, and Goose Kegs ≈2.3" to 3.1" long, turning only, single operation part: $4.50 - $6.50 each
-
Duck Keg/Insert, ≈3.5" to 4.00" long, turned, tone channel drilled,
back bore cut (max depth 1.9" deep): $7.50 - $10.00 each
- Polishing (OD ONLY - we do not offer ID polishing), minimum batch size 50 parts: $3.00 - $4.00 each
- Laser Engraving - Minimum batch size 50 parts per engraving: $2.50 - $5.00 each
-
Tone Board Milling - Mill the board profile, square the back of the
cork notch on parallel board design tone boards, and cut 'spit
grooves': $7.50 - $8.50 each
- Press bands - minimum 50: $0.50 - $1.00 each