How to find the best CNC Manufacturer for your Products

To arrive at the ready-for-production stage of any project can be both exciting and terrifying. Exciting as you finally made it to the milestone where you can see your efforts materialized, with final CAD files and specifications signed off and ready to go. Terrifying because now you need to pick a CNC machining manufacturer that has to fulfill all of those production requirements, and risks come to mind.

Choosing a CNC manufacturer without previous experience and advice can be a gamble. You probably already have navigated the seven seas between engineering, design, management, and back again on what tolerances or material properties are critical.

At this point, a simple Google Search for CNC machining services raises even more questions: should I pick a specialized manufacturing service or a more established Manufacturing-as-a-Service provider? How can I trust that the quality will be good enough?

For this reason, we have prepared this Guide on How to find the Best CNC Manufacturer for your Products. Its purpose is to boost your research and give you the key considerations to run through when choosing an online CNC manufacturer.

You will also learn how Marketplace can make your search experience for a quality-assured manufacturer much easier and faster.

Thanks to the top tips below, we’re confident you will be specifying your online orders much more effectively in no time. Keep reading this free and concise Guide on how to find the best CNC manufacturer.

So sure that towards the end of this Guide, we included a link to get a 30-min FREE Strategy Session to review whether we could optimize options to the precision, price, and speed you need any further.

If you run into any questions or doubts, we highly encourage you to ask any questions away in the comments below or through our chat on the bottom right about any of its content. This is a resource for you, and you can help build upon it.

10 Qualities to look for in a good CNC Manufacturer

1. Quality assurance and accountability

When production begins, all your hopes are placed that your product will be machined with the quality you need and without mistakes; because of this, you’ll want to be as confident as possible that the CNC machining service that you’re working with can guarantee these qualities to you.

You’ll need to ensure that the service has the right ISO Certifications and is up to the quality standards of your given industry. You should always be able to enquire about it before submitting an order. You should also be able to ask about their previous clients and whether they have proof of work in your relevant industry.

Depending on how large the batch runs, you’ll have to consider whether you’d need Quality Control (QC) on your order. From the time view relevant to your project, if you’re projecting orders of 100s, it would make sense to schedule a sample order first.

For larger orders, in addition to ‘golden’ samples at the start of any production run, Inspection Sampling should be scheduled at least at the beginning and end of the Production Order. These are terms that you should be able to outline with your manufacturing service openly and you can discuss requesting third-party audited quality checks. When it comes to manufacturing mistakes, it can be simply relieving to work with a professional machining center that takes responsibility for its part of the work.

The main reason you work with a specific CNC manufacturer is that you need your product made with the best quality you require. Thankfully there are Standardization and Accreditation bodies that take care of harmonizing the industry at large so that you can take advantage of this.

2. Customer support & engineering support

CNC manufacturing can deliver precision but can require a deep understanding of the machining processes and how different specifications may impact on results, as well as the choice of material and whether it has been designed for manufacturing. Done correctly, it can feel like a walk in the park. Key to this is customer support and engineering support.

Customer support needs to be accessible at all times for you. Even if an instant answer can be tricky to get due to many reasons like opening times and time zones, you should have access to a solid customer support platform via chat, e-mail, or any other way to solve your doubts.

Engineering support adds value to inexperienced clients but even more to those with previous experience. This team will deal with the required specifications that your piece needs for production, but not only that, it should be capable of bringing to the table materials, technologies, processes, and other features that can elevate or facilitate your needs and expectations. Depending on which stage of product development you’re currently standing at, you may have different requirements.

Quality assurance is not only a matter of well-processed products; it is also connected to how well the part was specified in the first place and how the entire process is overseen and supported. Find a CNC machining provider that can guide and support you along your order.

3. Ease and clarity of communication

The CNC production center that you pick will become your partner, and the key to any successful partnership is to be able to communicate through the correct channels and in the critical stages.

From the beginning, you should be able to tell the level, kind, and quality of communication you will receive from any given manufacturer. Does it offer real-time interaction, or is your departing point an automated message? Can you easily find the contact button or chat? Some manufacturers go for a more “cold” B2B communication with straightforward, transactional communication, while others can be as professional but with a more human-to-human approach.

Chats, reviews, follow-up e-mails, calls, and other communication channels are not uncommon in our times. Look for CNC manufacturers who adopt new technologies and use them to keep a transparent exchange of doubts, ideas, and solutions.

Although there is no unique definition of excellent communication, it is essential that your partner can hear you and you can get satisfactory answers from them. Clarity and ease of communication many times improve the manufacturing experience significantly.

4. Manufacturing services/capabilities

Not every CNC manufacturer will be ideal, or even capable, of producing your orders in the exact way you need them. Reasons may vary, but don’t limit only to the unavailability of materials, lack of production capacity or outdated machines, or lacking needed technology to run in the desired way.

You should be looking for machining manufacturers who can handle your order not just to the specifications, but to the final properties and results you are after. An efficient engineering team can be of great help to determine whether your piece can be produced or not. In the case that there are any Design for Manufacturing (DfM) isses, they can suggest an alternative to try to achieve the results you need, especially if you’re at the prototyping stage.

What you need can sometimes only be achieved by specialized CNC centers, so bear in mind to consider not only the existing services and capabilities, but it can also be very relevant to look at which kind of industries such manufacturer serves. When it comes to your product development needs, it’s paramount that the manufacturer you work with has the capacity and experience to produce your prototypes or products just how it needs to be made.

5. Materials and finishings availability

As we mentioned in the previous point, it’s also crucial that your supplier works with the materials and finishings you have in mind for your project and that it has the required stock.

Ideally, you will have a clear image of what your product should look and feel like and what your piece should manage to resist depending on its final purpose. Metals and plastics offer different benefits such as resistance, durability, and flexibility; the suitable material will respond to specific needs, and it’s of great importance that your CNC manufacturer can deliver correctly.

Should the case be that you’re not 100% certain about which material fits better your manufacturing needs, the engineering team can step up to assist you in such an election. It should be able to guide you in choosing the most appropriate machining materials and finishings based on your needs and the production stage you find yourself at the moment. Great engineering support could save you time and money if there are better, more suitable options for your prototypes or products.

So far, it’s becoming clear that you have to look for a CNC center capable of managing your order, which is not dependent on only one or two factors. Keep reading to find more valuable information, and remember that towards the end of this Guide, we included a link to get a 30-min FREE Strategic Session that can potentially save your team 100s of working hours.

6. Previous machining works

In today’s world, not only capacity is essential but also experience. Because experience comes with repetition and learning from good and bad outcomes, having an experienced machining manufacturer as your partner will save you time, and your chances of correctly producing your order should significantly increase.

You’ll need to look at a company’s production background. Don’t hesitate to ask your potential CNC manufacturer to show proof of similar jobs in size, material, and technical approach. Experience can be the difference between a perfect outcome and a painful ride when an error or difficulty arises.

You want to feel confident that your production partner knows what you want; if you need a particular job, try looking for a specialized manufacturer with a catalog of products that resemble those that you want to produce.

You’ll notice at this point that some of these recommendations start to overlap, and it’s no coincidence that excellent service is often composed of several elements that serve each other in building a superior service experience. Still, it’s equally as important to highlight the benefits of each one of them.

7. On-time delivery

We’ve gone through some of the most important things to pay attention to in CNC manufacturing processes. However, you don’t only want outstanding service and a great outcome; you should also be looking for an excellent delivery service that can rely on and serve your needs in time.

You want your products to be delivered safely, comfortably, and assuredly. If you’re producing something, chances are that you need it in a specific timeframe to be able to keep working, revise it, test it or show it; for this reason, you need to know two concepts that concern and affect on-time delivery.

First, you’ll want to know the estimated production time. Production time refers to how long it takes for your CNC prototypes or products to be produced, responding to things we’ve seen before, such as support, material availability, machining capacity, and available technology. Discuss with your fabricator and agree on the production time.

Subsequently, you’ll want to know the estimated delivery time. Delivery time, on the other hand, is how long it takes for your order to arrive at your doorstep or wherever you need them to be delivered. It depends on the delivery supplier, the acquired service, and the distance between the manufacturer and the delivery destination. This can vary greatly, so be sure to know an estimate and get a tracking method to follow up on the delivery process.

Make sure to consider both production and delivery time to receive your products within your desired timespan. If the estimated time doesn’t match your needs, try asking for express service for production or delivery. It will probably add an extra cost to your order, but sometimes it can be worth it.

8. Costs and payment

Every service needs a payment, but you can experience the process differently depending on how your service provider deals with it and the expectations you have around it.

Manufacturing processes, from production to deliveries, can be subjected to many regulations and taxes, which you must consider when planning a budget. It’s not the same to produce in domestic facilities or internationally since your order may need to go through customs or comply with special regulations.

You’ll need to remember that your prices will not solely depend on your design; keep in close communication with your manufacturer to have a clear expectation about your price and payment methods.

9. Ethics and sustainability

Nowadays, more and more CNC manufacturers are looking to upgrade their services in machining better parts with the latest technology while contributing in other ways. These might include working with locally-sourced materials, fair employment conditions, sustainable materials, and reducing energy production.

As the manufacturing industry is responsible for up to 20% of total CO2 global emissions, Manufacturing is becoming more cautious every year about its resources. More and more fabricators are integrating sustainable features, materials, and technologies to align with the world’s needs to cut down on emissions. More and more recycled or recyclable materials are being used in CNC products, and you can use their services.

Make sure you select a service provider that matches your interests and ethical and sustainability standards.

10. Reviews and references

Last but not least, don’t forget to check out for reviews and references. At this stage, you have concerns others have had, and it’s a smart move to learn from them.

Do some research around the machining centers that you find most appropriate and get more confident or discard some of them based on other people’s experiences. Remember that experiences can be subjective sometimes, so try to look for key, more objective reviews that give you a better idea of how certain companies can work and what you can expect from them.

Pro tip: Manufacturing through Marketplace guarantees that top-performing manufacturers will produce your orders since they’ve been selected, and some of them are even certified. We only work with the best.

Start your CNC Manufacturing path

Finding the proper CNC manufacturer can be challenging and intimidating in a sea of options. There can be several options that get some points off this list, but it can also be challenging to find one that gets the job done while doing so in the best way for your CNC products.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have some help in hand-picking a few of the best CNC manufacturers so you can pick the best one for you?

Like many other industries, Manufacturing is evolving to become an even better, more accessible, and sustainable industry that more people can access easily. Wikifactory Marketplace is the best option for people like you in search of reliable CNC manufacturing, who would benefit from having a facilitating service to have high-quality manufacturers at hand.

Wikifactory can help you find the best CNC manufacturer; in just a few clicks, you can sign up to request quotes in less than 24 hours from a network of quality-assured manufacturers that will fulfill all of your machining needs. Furthermore, you’ll get immediate access to our engineering team, who will guide you to achieve the best CNC machined parts according to your needs.

If you enjoyed this content, we have put aside some time in our calendar for a FREE 30-minute Strategic Session to review whether we could further optimize options to the precision, price and speed you need. If you want to save 100s of hours and $1,000s in iterations, book now.

Learn everything you need to know about our CNC manufacturing on-demand service, and be part of our community of product innovators from around the world.

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