Hello everybody! Sorry about the lack of participation - our household got hit by a stomach flu, I had my hands full for the last few days.
The parts are tools, made to shape metal. They need to be about as strong as a drill bit, or a stamping die. From what I've been told, casting won't do that. They need to be carved out of a block of hardened steel, so the question is how to do the carving. Electroerosion is one possibility. I've seen some impressive specs for DLMS using M1 tooling steel, but haven't gotten any solid information yet - neither on pricing, nor on the mechanical properties.
victorofga - in addition to making a prototype, we're looking for a way to make these parts in larger quantities - and within a certain budget. A machine shop in my garage won't help figuring that out.
Still haven't gotten my program writing IGES files - still putting together a framework for that.
Again, thank you so much for your interest and participation!
Boris