At Polyhistor, we’re always ready to help our partners understand what’s behind the price for their parts. In fact, we believe that understanding the main cost drivers can also help you find ways to make projects more cost-effective.
While every part is different, a few key factors are central to the price of most machining projects.
Programming and Setup: The Cost of Getting Ready to Run
Programming and setup are the fixed costs before production begins. These steps can include reviewing part design, selecting tooling, determining workholding and fixturing, proving out the program, and much more.
Depending on the part’s complexity, this preparation can require a significant amount of time. As a result, programming and setup can be major cost drivers in a CNC machine shop, especially for complex parts or low-quantity orders.
Programming and Setup Costs Are Spread Across Quantities
The costs of programming and setup are spread across the full order quantity. That means that if you order only a few parts, the setup cost is divided across a small number of pieces. But at large quantities, the same setup cost would be spread across more parts, making it a far smaller cost per piece.
That principle is behind two important methods for minimizing your costs:
- If you expect to scale to higher quantities with us in the future, sharing that information early can help us plan more effectively. In some cases, we may be able to invest more time upfront in tooling, fixturing, or process improvements that lead to lower long-term part costs.
- Even for very small orders, a quantity increase can sometimes make a meaningful difference in per-part pricing.
Machining Time: How Long the Part Takes to Machine
Machining time refers to how long it takes to machine each part once production is running. In some cases, that may mean the cycle time on a single machine. In others, it may include multiple machining operations or production steps. In either case, machining time is typically one of the clearest drivers of part price.
This is one of the most important variable costs in our CNC machining services. Machining time increases with factors like part complexity, tight tolerances, difficult-to-machine materials, and challenging features.
The effect of cycle time on pricing is one of the reasons we emphasize design for manufacturing. Some features or design choices can add significant machining time without improving a part’s function. When we see opportunities to reduce costs by improving manufacturability, we will flag them and discuss potential changes with you.
Inspection and Quality
Inspection can be another important factor in your price. Complex parts, for instance, can involve detailed inspection with our CMM, and certain industries may require certificates of conformance, first article inspection reports, or other quality records.
These requirements can be essential, but they may still add time and cost during both production and the quality review process.
Material: Important, But Not the Biggest Driver
Material is also a notable part of the price on your quote. However, with the exception of certain expensive options, material is rarely the largest cost driver compared with setup, cycle time, and inspection.
Some partners ask whether providing their own material will reduce the final price. We are open to discussing that option, but it rarely creates major savings. The supplied material must also account for yield and possible scrap, which can necessitate a higher amount than partners may expect. In addition, delays can add timeline complications if production is ready to begin but the partner-supplied material has not arrived.
In most cases, letting us coordinate material purchasing simplifies logistics for you and helps keep the project moving.
Look Behind Your Next Quote
At Polyhistor International, we view pricing conversations as part of a strong manufacturing partnership. If a quote raises questions, we are happy to explain the factors behind it and collaborate on ways to reduce cost wherever we can.
If you are planning your next machined part, request a quote or contact our Jacksonville machine shop today!