Starting a project

Send us what you have

Start a quote request and attach whatever you've got. That's it. There's no form of words you have to get right and no minimum level of preparation. Send the thing, add a sentence about what it's for, and a person here reads it.

Most people who contact us are not manufacturing people. They're inventors, product designers, maintenance managers, small-business owners, engineers working outside their usual discipline. They arrive with a problem, not a spec. That's normal, and it's most of our work.

You can start with almost anything

Any of these is a real starting point:

• An idea you can only describe in words.
• A sketch on paper, or on a napkin. A photo of the sketch is fine.
• A drawing, dimensioned or not.
• A photograph of the part that broke, ideally with a ruler or a coin next to it for scale.
• A sample or the physical part itself. We can 3D scan it.
• A CAD file, which is the fastest path if you have one.

If you have 3D geometry, STEP is the format to send. STEP keeps the exact curves, the units, and the solid model, so we can measure it, modify it, and machine from it directly. A mesh format like STL describes an approximate faceted surface instead, which means either a conversion step or a set of assumptions on our end. For flat cut parts, send DXF. If you have a PDF drawing, send it alongside the model rather than instead of it — the drawing tells us what matters, the model tells us the shape.

The upload form accepts STEP, STP, STL, DXF, DWG, PDF, JPG, JPEG, PNG and HEIC. STEP, STP and STL get an interactive 3D preview so you can confirm you sent the right file. Everything else is attached for a person to review. If what you have isn't on that list, or isn't a file at all, call or email and we'll sort it out.

What happens after you send it

1. A person reviews it. Not a pricing algorithm. Someone opens the files, works out what the part is, what it has to do, and how it would be made here.

2. We ask questions if we need to. Usually one short exchange, sometimes none. If something in the file is ambiguous or missing, we'd rather ask than assume.

3. You get a written quote. It carries the price, the process, the quantity, the revision it's based on, and a real date for your job. It also names which operations we run in-house and which go to a partner, so nothing about how your parts get made is a surprise later. Quotes stay valid for 30 days.

4. You approve it. Nothing gets made before you do.

5. We build it, locked to the revision you approved. If you need a change mid-build, you request it through your project dashboard, someone here confirms whether it's possible, and any change to price or schedule is emailed to you.

6. We check and finish the parts, then hand them off. Pick up in Apopka by appointment, or tell us where they need to end up and we'll sort out the handover.

What we'll ask you for, and why

You don't need all of this to make contact. You need it before we can put a firm number on paper:

• Your latest files, with the revision identified. Quoting the wrong revision is the most common way a job goes wrong.
• What the part is for. This is the single most useful thing you can tell us. It's how we tell which dimensions matter, and it's how we suggest a cheaper way to make the same thing work.
• Material, or the performance you need. "Has to survive outdoors and not rust" is a perfectly good answer if you don't know the alloy.
• Quantity now, and quantity later. One part and a hundred parts are made differently. Telling us about the hundred changes what we recommend for the one.
• Finish and color.
• Any dimensions that are critical, and what they mate with.
• The date you need it.
• Whether this is a prototype or production.

Each one of those changes the answer, which is why leaving one out usually costs a round trip rather than saving time. "As cheap as possible" with no intended use is the hardest request to price, because we have no way to know what we're allowed to change.

If you don't know some of these, say so in the message. That's a normal state to be in and it's answerable. Quotes, pricing and timing covers the whole list in depth.

Which one describes you

I have CAD files. Check the format first, then upload. Files and formats covers what to send and how to export it so nothing is lost on the way in.

I have an idea, a sketch, or a sample. You're in the right place and you don't need CAD to begin. We do design and CAD work in-house; it's reviewed and scoped before any manufacturing starts, so you'll know what that portion involves before it happens. Start at Design help and CAD tools.

I've ordered from you before. Your project folder holds the folder structure and the revision name, and the revision appears on your final invoice, so a repeat order can reference exactly what you had last time. See Changes and reorders.

What this page can't tell you

Three things, and they're the three you most want to know:

• What it will cost. Price moves with size, material, quantity, process, complexity, finish, any design work needed, tolerances, urgency and assembly. The same shape in two materials is two different jobs.
• Whether it can be made as drawn. Usually yes, sometimes only with a change, occasionally not in the form you've drawn it. That's a judgment about your specific geometry.
• When you'll have it. Every quote carries its own date, based on your parts, your quantity, and what's running in the shop when you approve it.

All three need a person looking at your actual project. Anyone who gives you all three from a web page without seeing your part is guessing, and you'd be the one holding the guess.

One number we can give you up front: there's a $25 minimum per order. Small parts take the same quoting, setup and handling time as large ones, so below that we can't cover the cost of doing the job properly.

What we can do here, and what we don't

We machine, cut, form, weld, print, scan, finish and assemble in-house: CNC milling and turning, fiber and CO2 laser cutting, sheet metal forming, MIG, TIG and laser welding, FDM, SLA and SLS printing, 3D scanning, design and CAD, wood CNC, powder coating, low-volume silicone molding and vacuum forming, and manual finishing.

Some processes — multi-axis machining, plating, anodizing, injection molding, PCBA, and anything at production volume — are completed through a partner network we've built and managed for over a decade. No shop has everything under one roof. Your quote will tell you which operations belong to which, before you pay.

What we can make has the full list.

When you'll hear back

Same business day, usually within the hour. Our hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Eastern, and we're closed on federal holidays.

That response comes from a person who has looked at your project, not an autoresponder. If you'd rather talk it through first, call (321) 321-9220 or email [email protected]. Project reviews at the shop in Apopka, Florida are available by appointment — bring the part.