An Introduction to the Work Flow of Machined Manufacturing
"At this time the vendor will view the given information, usually comprised of dimensions of part and type of material needed as well as temper and strengths of the application needs for the part. There are also instances where some type of exterior or interior plating may be needed; this too is taken into consideration at the time of quoting.
These are some of the necessary tools needed to properly quote the machined part for production in the machine shop. Other areas of information include number of pieces required and lead time for production. At this time a quote for manufacture will be offered to the customer with a valid lead time and price for production as asked for in their original RFQ (request for quote). The buyer will at this time compare to other possible quotes and choose from them the best one that fits his/her criteria.
A Purchase Order is then received for the part quoted from the customer to the awarded vendor. The information on the purchase order will provide the vendor with part number, quantity ordered and delivery date needed by along with the price quoted by vendor. Some customers will even go a step further and put the vendors quote number on the purchase order for confirmation purposes. The vendor will now compare the purchase order to the quote offered and make sure that all information meets the quoted details and either accept or decline the P.O. This process is the contract review phase.
The challenge now is to determine the most efficient method to manufacture the parts per the print specifications i.e. CNC machining, fabricating, stretch forming, hydro forming. A procurement specialist for the awarded vendor will now begin the task of sending out their own RFQ’s for material and any outside processing that will need to be done, as well as creating a job router for the part for traceability purposes. Aerospace machine shops should hold quality requirements per the AS9100 standard, which requires material tractability throughout every step of the machining process. This job router has all the information from the purchase order on it and will travel with the material from beginning to end. Once the material has been ordered and received it will usually go through a saw process determined by a machine programmer. Now the cut material will go to a designated machine for shaping, either by manual means or CNC (automatic). After the part has completed its time at the machine, it will go through a vigorous inspection process to assure the customer a part that complies with the information provided. Now the part will go to any plating or other outside processing and return for shipping to customer with the satisfaction of knowing that all needs have been met. 100% first article inspection reports are and all other documentation per AS9100 are sent with parts to the customer for final review.
Quality systems are a paramount function of any and all manufacturing of parts. Quality systems such as AS9100 and ISO9001 direct a company to uphold some of the highest quality standards in the manufacturing industry. A company’s quality statement and quality policy should be know and respected by all employees in the organization. Quality starts form the top levels of management and flows downward to the shop floor. "
Ben Neal is the General Manager of American Precision Machining a Machine Shop focusing on CNC Machining & Contract Machining. AP Mach services major industrial and aerospace clients.
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