RFQ 400 Easy manual or CNC lathe parts out of 304SS

[KyleH2]

Someone on the forum suggested that American machinists could machine circles around the Chinese and therefore could produce parts cheaper. I have my doubts. I am a 19 year old who sells on eBay and the internet. I am in school for mechanical engineering and use my business to put myself through college for Mechanical Engineering. I have gone to tech school and have my OCP A-D (fully certified) in machining.

I need someone to make what is pictured below. Its a simple part that could be made quickly on either a CNC or manual lathe. Material is 304 SS, tolerances are a pretty loose +/- .01. Finish is not particularly important but needs to be machined on all surfaces. The taper you see is a 60* taper so using a triangle inset on a manual and a part off tool will allow you to make these quick. They taper needs to meet the straight part with little or no radius so no HUGE radius inserts. I need 200 of them. I can make a DXF/Solidpart file in solidworks if need be but this seems like a simple enough program.

I will also need this same part made, but scaled down such that the ID would be 2.5" and the OD 3.1" or so.

The price to match/beat is 5.11 each to my door. (I can get shipping fairly cheaply though DHL and free shipping supplies if you need them to save on cost.) I will order 200 of each at a time (400 total) and maybe place this order every 3-4 months or so.



EDIT: The taper I mentioned is a 60* taper on the OD. Also the dimensions may change very slightly but nothing that should cause you to need to purchase different material.

EDIT 2: It might also be helpful to know that the material doesn't have to be 304. This is a weld on part so as long as it uses your normal 308 rod and can be welded to 304 pipe then thats fine. Must be SS though no mild steel. (Although I may order some in the future in MS and aluminum)

[mackeym]

I did not see any specification of where the taper should be along the length of the part. From the sketch, it looks like the small OD is longer than the large OD.

[KyleH2]

It is

Not the best picture but thats how it works.

[Runner4404spd]

Although this part seems trivial, there is actually alot involved with it. cutting it like you said requires you to find tubing or waterjetting some blanks. i am getting some flanges like this done, in the not so distant future but 5.11 to your door is really cheap.

[DareBee]

My material cost is twice that (and I buy a fair bit of SS).

[KyleH2]

5.11 to your door is really cheap.

I agree. Doesn't hurt to ask I suppose.

[Dualkit]

Material cost for me using the smallest tubing possible would be $10.20 each,
pretty sure a huge operation that gets bulk price even on lower quantities might
cut that in half. Chinese companies can get bulk prices on materials as their
government assists in purchases. The only edge we have is on smaller dollar
jobs (less than $1,000) as the export duties from China are a high percentage
on low dollar items.

[PBMW]

Buying on price alone gains you one shippment. Then the supplier realizes he's been taken advantage of and you get to find another fool to do it that cheap.
Sucessful buisness are built on relationships. Not the lowest price
Good luck with your search.

[KyleH2]

I have had a quite successful relationship with my overseas suppliers who also have the lowest price. I just has to see this "machine circles around blah blah blah" for myself.

[larry53]

When I was 19 I knew everything too.

[bobk]

[QUOTE=KyleH2;460309]Someone on the forum suggested that American machinists could machine circles around the Chinese and therefore could produce parts cheaper. I have my doubts. I am a 19 year old who sells on eBay and the internet. I am in school for mechanical engineering and use my business to put myself through college for Mechanical Engineering. I have gone to tech school and have my OCP A-D (fully certified) in machining.



With your education I would think that you already had the answer before you posted. That part you have looks like it is produced for other people and not exclusively for you, meaning your supplier probably makes more than just your 400 order. Even if that's not the case, no American job shops and many other types of companies can not compete with China for price. I would interpret that first statement as meaning quality not just price.

[PBMW]

It's funny that that I can't compete, yet I ship parts all over the world. Not simple little parts. Very complex parts out of very difficult to machine materials.
Odd, huh?