APPLICATION / AUTOMOTIVE
Automotive & mobilityAutomotive parts.
Trim, jigs and fixtures, custom components – prototype to low-volume.
Prototype trim, assembly jigs, inspection fixtures and custom components for vehicle programmes. We work to the drawing and material condition you specify, at prototype and low-volume quantities.
- TYPICAL PARTS
- Trim prototypes, assembly jigs, inspection fixtures, bracketry
- PRIMARY ROUTE
- CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, vacuum casting
- COMMON MATERIALS
- Aluminium, alloy steel, stainless steel, ABS, nylon
SPECIFICATION
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
What decides the design here.
Four things shape the route before a tool is selected. If any of them is unknown at enquiry, we say so instead of assuming a default.
Read the design guideProgramme stage
Concept, prototype, pilot build or service part. The stage decides the route: a one-off trim piece and a two-hundred-off bracket are not made the same way.
Fit and interface
The surrounding assembly – mating faces, fastener positions and the clearance the part must not exceed.
Material condition and finish
Grade, temper and any heat treatment or coating, plus the surfaces that are visible on the finished vehicle.
Validation expectations
Whether the part needs dimensional reporting, material certification or a specific inspection record for your programme.
PARTS WE MAKE
Parts for this application,
and the geometry that shapes them.
Workshop photographs of real geometry. Each one carries the route, what the machine has to reach, what is checked, and what you need to state on the drawing.
See more part geometry
Housing with machined interfaces
Bore sizes, wall thickness and the relationship between the mounting face and the sealing face. On a housing like this the machined bosses and bolt holes carry the fit; the main body only has to stay sound.
Mark the machined faces, the bolt-hole pattern and any surface that seals.
Turned and profiled component
Functional diameters, concentricity and the profile that has to match the mating part. The profiled exterior is usually cosmetic and should be marked as such.
Call out the functional diameters, the mating fit and the finish requirement.
Anodized trim component
Visible surfaces, edge break and the masking limits of the anodized finish. Anodizing adds thickness, so threaded and slip-fit features need an allowance.
Mark the cosmetic faces, the colour reference and which areas must be masked.
PROCESSES, MATERIALS AND FINISHES
The routes used for these parts.
Not every route suits every part. These are the ones that come up most for this application; the quote states the route chosen for your geometry and quantity.
All capabilitiesFINISHES AND TREATMENT
Finishing changes dimensions: coating thickness, masking and any effect on a mating fit are agreed before the route is fixed, not discovered at inspection.
INSPECTION AND DOCUMENTATION
What we measure, and what we record.
The inspection scope is agreed with the order. Anything you need recorded has to be stated before machining starts, because it cannot be reconstructed afterwards.
Tolerancing standards
Dimensional inspection
Datums, bore sizes and mounting patterns measured against your drawing, with the method agreed before production.
Surface roughness
Roughness measured where the drawing calls it out, on sealing, sliding and contact faces.
Material verification
Alloy grade checked before machining. Certificate scope is agreed with the material order, not added afterwards.
Where a programme requires verification we cannot give in-house, independent third-party testing or inspection can be arranged. The scope and the cost are agreed in the quote, not added later.
AGREED BEFORE THE ORDER STARTS
- 01Drawing revision and the programme it belongs to
- 02Material grade, condition and certificate source
- 03Visible-surface and cosmetic acceptance definition
- 04Dimensional report scope and sample size
- 05Coating specification, colour reference and masking
- 06Packing that protects visible faces in transit
APPROVED CASE STUDIES
Case studies for this application.
A case study needs approved objective, process, inspection and result records. We do not publish a project until that approval exists.
Case studies are being prepared for publication.
The part photographs above are workshop images of real geometry. They show what can be made, not a completed project: material, tolerance, quantity and delivery results are published only where the customer has approved the record. Until then, the fastest way to see whether your part fits our route is an engineering review.
QUESTIONS
Automotive questions.
The questions that come up for this application. Anything not covered here goes to an engineer.
Do you supply production-series automotive parts?
No. Our scope is prototype and low-volume. We do not hold IATF 16949 certification, and we will tell you that at enquiry rather than at delivery.
Can you match an existing sample part?
Yes in many cases. Send the sample or a scanned model with the dimensions that matter, and we will confirm what can be measured and what has to be inferred.
What quantities do you handle?
One-off prototypes through pilot and low-volume batches. The quote states the setup and inspection scope for the quantity you ask for.
Can you make jigs and inspection fixtures as well as parts?
Yes. Jigs, assembly fixtures and inspection fixtures are a regular part of the work, usually built to the panel or assembly data you supply.
How is the lead time set?
From geometry, material availability and finishing. The quote states a date for your part rather than a general promise.
START WITH YOUR DRAWING
Bring your next part
to an engineering review.
Send CAD or a drawing, quantity, material and critical requirements. We will review the manufacturing route, price and lead time.