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AnswersFrequently Asked QuestionsCNC machining and custom metal parts. Made in Colorado Springs, shipped across the United States.
- Colorado Springs Based
- Prototype to Production
- No Minimum Order
- Ships Nationwide
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This page answers the questions we are asked most often. It covers how quoting works, what files we need, what we can machine, what it costs, and how your parts reach you. We make parts in Colorado Springs and ship them anywhere in the United States. If your question is not answered here, send it to us and we will answer it.
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Why customers choose Schwantek
You deal directly with the person who makes your part
There is no account manager and no call center between you and the shop floor. The person who reads your drawing is the person who writes the program and runs the machine. When you call with a question, it is answered by someone who has your part in front of them.
Fifteen years of manufacturing sit behind the work
Schwantek is a new shop and we say so plainly. The experience behind it is not new. It covers fifteen years of manufacturing across machining, engineering, and production. That is why the design review you get with a quote is worth reading rather than skipping.
Your part is reviewed before anything is cut
Every job gets a review first. We check that the part can be made the way it is drawn, flag the features that are driving the cost, and point out anything that will be hard to hold. You hear about a problem while it is still cheap to fix, not after the first article comes off the machine.
We tell you when we are not the right shop
If your part needs a process we do not have, or a quantity we cannot serve well, we say so instead of quoting it and hoping. Turning a job down costs us one job. Taking the wrong job costs you a schedule.
Your drawings stay private
We do not publish your drawings and we do not share them outside the people quoting or making the part. We will sign a non disclosure agreement before you send anything if you want one. This is written into our terms and conditions, not just promised on this page.
Your parts are made in the United States
Your parts are cut in Colorado Springs by the shop you sent the drawing to. Nothing is brokered out to an overseas supplier and nothing waits in customs. When you call about a job in progress, the part is in the same building as the person answering the phone.
We are a member of the National Tooling and Machining Association
The NTMA is the trade body for precision machining businesses in the United States. Our membership is current and you are welcome to check it.
Nothing becomes an order until it is in writing
A quote is an offer, not a bill. Asking for one commits you to nothing. An order exists only once we accept it in writing, so there are no surprise charges at the end.
Free quotes and no minimum order
Quotes cost nothing and carry no obligation. There is no minimum quantity either, so a single replacement part gets the same attention as a run of fifty.
Quotes, pricing, and minimum orders
How do I get a quote for a custom machined part?
Send us the part on the quote request form or by email. Tell us what the part is, how many you need, and the metal you want. Attach a print, a 3D model, or a photograph if you have one. We read it, check the part over, and come back with a price and a date. If it is easier to explain out loud, call (719) 428-6025. Our longer walkthrough of the whole process is on the custom metal parts guide.
How long does it take to get a quote?
With a complete print or a 3D model, most quotes go out within one business day. A dimensioned sketch or a photograph is enough to start if you do not have a CAD file. In that case we build the model first, so the quote takes longer than a day. We tell you how much longer as soon as we have looked at the part.
How much does it cost to machine a custom part?
There is no list price for a custom part, because no two parts are the same. The price comes from six things:
- the metal you choose
- the size of the part
- how many features it has and how hard they are to reach
- how tight the tolerances are
- the finish you need
- how many parts you order
A flat bracket and a thin walled housing in the same metal can be very different jobs. Send us the part and we will price it.
Do you charge for a quote?
No. Quotes are free and there is no obligation to place an order.
What is your minimum order? Can you make just one part?
There is no minimum order. We quote a single part the same way we quote a hundred. One off parts, prototypes, and short runs are normal work for us, and a quantity of one is welcome.
Does the price per part go down if I order more?
Usually it does. A large share of the cost of a machined part is the setup. Setup is the work of writing the program, deciding how to hold the part, and proving out the first piece. That cost is spread across every part in the run. Twenty parts almost always cost less each than one part does. Ask for pricing at more than one quantity and we will show you where the price breaks.
What makes a part expensive to machine?
A few things drive cost more than the rest. Tight tolerances take more time on the machine and more time in inspection. Deep pockets, thin walls, and hard to reach features need slower cuts. Hard metals wear tools faster than aluminum does. A part that has to be flipped and held four different ways costs more than one that can be cut in two setups. We flag these on the quote so you can see where the money is going.
Will you tell me how to make my part cheaper?
Yes, and it is part of every quote. We review the part before anything is cut and point out the features that are driving the cost. Often a corner radius, a tolerance, or a finish callout can be relaxed with no effect on how the part works. The decision is always yours. We do not change your design on our own.
Drawings, CAD files, and tolerances
What file formats do you accept?
We accept STEP, STP, IGES, IGS, DXF, DWG, PDF, ZIP, JPG, PNG, X_T, X_B, SLDPRT, SLDASM, IPT, IAM, 3DM, and STL. STEP is the format we prefer for a 3D model, because it opens cleanly in almost any CAD system. A PDF drawing sent alongside the model helps when the part carries tolerances or notes. Files up to 20 MB can be attached to the quote form.
What if I do not have a 3D file?
Send what you have. Most shops require a model before they will quote a part. We do not. A dimensioned sketch, a hand drawing, a photograph with a ruler beside it, or the old part itself is enough to start. If a model is needed to make the part, we build it with you and confirm it before anything is cut.
Can you make a part from a sample or from a broken one?
Yes, and this is common work. We measure the part, and where the shape is complex we scan it. From there we build a model, check it against the original, and machine the new part. If the old part failed, tell us how it failed. Sometimes a different metal or a slightly larger radius keeps it from happening again.
Do I need to send a drawing as well as a 3D model?
Not always, but it helps. A 3D model tells us the shape. A drawing tells us which dimensions matter, what the tolerances are, what finish you want, and which surfaces are critical. If you send only a model, we will ask you a few questions to fill in the rest.
Do I need to know the tolerances before I ask for a quote?
No. Tell us what the part has to do instead. If a bore takes a bearing, or a face has to seal against another part, say so and we will work out what has to be held. If your print already carries tolerances, we review them before quoting and tell you if any of them will be difficult or expensive.
Will you keep my drawings private?
Yes. We do not publish your drawings and we do not share them outside the people quoting or making the part. If you want that in writing before you send files, ask us and we will sign a non disclosure agreement.
What happens if my drawing has a mistake in it?
We tell you about it. Every job gets a review before anything is cut, and missing dimensions, tolerances that contradict each other, and features that cannot be machined as drawn all get flagged. We come back to you with a question rather than guessing at what you meant. More on that review is on the how we work page.
CNC machining explained
What is CNC machining?
CNC stands for computer numerical control. A solid block or bar of metal is held in a machine, and a cutting tool removes material from it until the part is the right shape. The machine follows a program written from your model or your drawing. Because a computer controls the tool path, the tenth part comes out the same as the first one.
What is the difference between CNC milling and CNC turning?
In milling, the part is held still and a spinning cutter moves around it to remove metal. Milling suits parts with flat faces, pockets, slots, and holes on more than one side. In turning, the part spins in the machine and the tool is held against it. Turning suits round parts such as shafts, pins, bushings, and spacers. Plenty of parts need both.
Which one does my part need?
Send the part and we will tell you. As a rough guide, if you could make the shape by spinning it on a lathe, it is a turned part. If it has flat faces and features on several sides, it is a milled part. Parts that are round but also carry flats, cross holes, or keyways need both. Our milling is CNC and our turning is manual, so tell us the quantity as well as the shape and we will tell you honestly whether we are the right shop for it.
Do you offer CNC turning?
Our milling is CNC. Our turning is done on a manual lathe. That suits round parts in small numbers, facing and boring work, second operations on a milled part, and repairs to a part you already have. For a large production run of turned parts, a shop with a CNC lathe will serve you better, and we will tell you that rather than quote it.
What is a contract machine shop?
A contract machine shop makes parts to your design instead of selling a product of its own. You own the design and the drawings. We quote the work, machine the parts, and ship them to you. The same work is also called job shop machining or contract machining, and it is what we do.
What is design for manufacturing?
It is the review that happens before anything is cut. We look at your part and check whether it can be made the way it is drawn, and whether a small change would make it cheaper or stronger. Cost drivers and risks get flagged and sent back to you. You decide what to change. Our full list of services is on the capabilities page.
Can you build the CAD model for me?
Yes. We build CAD models from sketches, prints, samples, and plain descriptions of what the part has to do. Where several parts have to fit together, we model the whole assembly and check the fit and the tolerance stack before any metal is cut.
What we machine and what we make
How big a part can you machine?
Our milling envelope takes parts up to roughly 28 inches long, 16 inches wide, and 16 inches tall, weighing under 1,200 pounds. Most of what we make is a good deal smaller than that. If your part is close to those numbers, send it and we will confirm the fit before you order anything.
Do you do multi axis machining?
We run a three axis mill with a fourth axis rotary. That covers parts with features on several faces, angled holes, and shapes that have to be rotated under the cutter. True five axis work, where the tool tilts while it is cutting, is not something we do. If you are not sure which your part needs, send the model and we will tell you before you commit to anything.
Can you machine features on more than one face of a part?
Yes, and the fourth axis is what makes it worth doing. The part is rotated and cut on several faces without being unclamped and set up again. That matters twice over. Features on different faces line up better, because they are cut in one setup rather than being located again each time. It also costs less, because setups are where a lot of the money in a machined part goes.
How many tools can you use in a single job?
The tool changer holds thirty tools, so a part with a lot of different features does not have to be broken across several jobs just to get through them all. Coolant runs through the spindle as well as over the part, which helps clear chips out of deep holes and pockets where they would otherwise pack in and ruin the cut.
What metals do you machine?
Aluminum, carbon steel, stainless steel, and specialty alloys. If you are not sure which metal your part should be, tell us what the part does and what it has to stand up to. We will suggest a family of metals and explain the trade off between cost and how easily it machines.
What kinds of parts do you make?
Brackets, housings, machined enclosures, manifolds and fittings, shafts, bushings, spacers, adapter plates, assembly tooling, complete part sets, prototypes, and replacement parts. If your part is not on that list, it does not mean we cannot make it. Send it over and ask.
Can you make a replacement part that is no longer sold?
Yes. Obsolete and replacement parts are a large share of what we do. Send the old part, a photograph of it, or whatever drawing still exists. We measure it, model it, and machine a new one. If the original failed early, tell us how, because the replacement does not have to repeat the same weakness.
Can you machine a 3D printed metal part?
Yes. Printed metal parts usually need machining on the surfaces that have to seal, seat, or hold a tolerance. Printing on its own does not reach that level of accuracy. We wrote a full page about this work at machining 3D printed metal parts.
Do you assemble parts?
We do not perform final assembly. What we do is engineer at the assembly level. When several parts have to fit together, we model the whole assembly, check the fit and the tolerance stack, and machine every component of the assembly together. You receive parts that go together, and you carry out the final assembly.
Do you inspect the parts before they ship?
Yes. We run a probing system in the machine, which measures critical features while the part is still clamped and still in position to be corrected. Parts are then checked against the print before they leave. We measure the dimensions that matter to you, and if something comes out at the edge of its tolerance we tell you about it rather than letting you find it later.
Do you handle production runs, or only prototypes?
Both. Many jobs start as a single prototype and move into repeat production once the design has settled. We keep the program and the setup notes, so a repeat order does not start over from nothing.
Shipping across the United States
Where do you ship?
Anywhere in the United States. We machine parts in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and ship them to customers in any state. Shipping across the country is ordinary work for us rather than an exception we make now and then.
Do I have to be in Colorado to work with you?
No. Most of the work happens over email and by phone. You send the files, we send a quote, and the parts ship to you. Being nearby helps when a part has to be handed over or looked at together, but it is not a requirement and it does not change the price of the machining.
How are my parts packed?
Parts are cleaned and packed so that they arrive the way they left, with threads and finished surfaces protected. Every shipment carries a packing list that matches your order. If your parts need particular packaging, labelling, or paperwork, put it on the quote request and we will build it into the job.
Who arranges the shipping?
We do, unless you would rather we did not. Freight is quoted with the job so you see the cost before you order. If you have your own carrier account and prefer your parts to ship on it, tell us and we will use it.
Can I pick my parts up in Colorado Springs?
Yes, by appointment. That is usually the quickest option if you are on the Front Range. We work with customers in Colorado Springs, Denver, Pueblo, and the surrounding area.
Do you ship outside the United States?
Not at present. We ship within the United States.
Lead time, location, and getting started
Where are you located?
Schwantek is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Visits are by appointment. Our local service page is CNC machining in Colorado Springs.
How long does it take to make my part?
Lead time depends on the part, the metal, and how many you need. We put a date on every quote rather than publishing one blanket number, because a simple bracket and a complex housing are not the same job. If you have a date you have to hit, put it on the request and we will tell you whether it is possible before you order.
Do you take rush jobs?
Sometimes. Put the date you need on the quote request and we will tell you honestly whether we can meet it. We would rather turn a job down than take it and miss the date.
What happens after I send a quote request?
We read it and look the part over. If anything is missing or unclear, we come back to you with questions. Then you receive a quote with the price, the lead time, and any notes about the design. Nothing is ordered until you say so. A quote is an offer, and an order exists only once we accept it in writing.
How do I reach a person?
Call (719) 428-6025 or email sales@schwantek.com. The quote request form reaches the same place.
Ready to get your part made?
Send a drawing, a CAD file, or a photograph of the part. If you do not have a model, send a sketch and we will build one with you.
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