FAQs – HAOMACHINING Custom Machining Services

Manufacturing FAQs

What is the advantage of working with Haomachining? Why should I choose your company to make my parts?
Our industrial 3D printing, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, and injection molding services provide parts made directly from the customer’s 3D CAD model, reducing the likelihood of errors. Proprietary software automates toolpath generation to decrease manufacturing times and reduce costs.

Is a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) required to do business with Haomachining?
An NDA is necessary to do business with Haomachining. When recevid your CAD model, we employ state-of-the-art encryption and anything you upload is protected by confidentiality obligations. For more information, contact your account representative.

What industries use Haomachining services?
We serve a variety of industries including medical device, automotive, lighting, aerospace, technology, consumer product, and electronics.

When should I use machining versus injection molding?
Before making the investment to have injection-mold tooling made or high-volume machining processes, you likely will want to test a part that is as close to the production part as possible. CNC machining is the best option for this situation.

Additionally, engineers often need just one or maybe a few parts for test fixtures, assembly jigs, or assembly fixtures. Machining is the best option here as well, but traditional machine shops often charge a significant non-recurring engineering (NRE) charge for programming and fixturing. This NRE charge often makes getting very small quantities not affordable. The automated CNC machining process eliminates the upfront NRE costs and is able to offer quantities as low as one part at an affordable price and get parts in your hands in as fast as 1 day.

Injection molding is better suited to support larger amounts of samples for functional or market testing, bridge tooling, or low-volume production. If you need parts before a steel tool can be made (typically 6 to 10 weeks with other molders) or your volume requirements don’t justify expensive steel production tooling, we can supply production parts to meet your full requirements (up to 10,000+ parts) in 1-20 days.

How many machines do you have?
We currently have more than 1,000 mills, lathes, 3D printers, presses, press brakes, and other manufacturing equipment. With our long history of growth, this number is always changing.

How do I get a quote?
To get a quote for all of our services, simply upload a 3D CAD model on our site. You’ll get an interactive quote within hours with free design feedback. If there are problem areas in the submitted design, our quoting engine provides detailed information on the potential manufacturing issues and suggests possible solutions.

Can I quote my part with all services at once?
You can get a quote for injection molding and machining, but a second quote for 3D printing will need to be requested.

What types of files do you accept?
We can accept native SolidWorks (.sldprt) or ProE (.prt) files as well as solid 3D CAD models from other CAD systems output in IGES (.igs), STEP (.stp), ACIS (.sat) or Parasolid (. x_t or .x_b) format. We can also accept .stl files.

Do you provide first article of inspection (FAI) service?
We offer FAIs on machined and molded parts.

How is 3D printing different at Haomachining?
Everything we do at Haomachining is focused on providing the fastest and highest quality prototypes and production parts in the industry. This demands the latest technology, managed by tight process controls. Our industrial-grade 3D printing equipment is state-of-the-art and rigorously maintained to perform like new with every build. Orchestrating it all, our trained staff produces your parts according to carefully honed procedures.

What is stereolithography?
While stereolithography (SL) is the oldest of all the 3D printing technologies, it remains the gold standard for overall accuracy, surface finish, and resolution. It uses an ultraviolet laser focused to a small point, drawing on the surface of a liquid thermoset resin. Where it draws, the liquid turns to solid. This is repeated in thin, two-dimensional cross-sections that are layered to form complex three-dimensional parts. Material properties are typically inferior to those of selective laser sintering (SLS), but the surface finish and detail are unmatched.

What is selective laser sintering?
Selective laser sintering (SLS) uses a CO2 laser that draws onto a hot bed of thermoplastic powder. Where it draws, it lightly sinters the powder into a solid. After each layer, a roller lays a fresh layer of powder on top of the bed and the process repeats. Since SLS uses actual engineering thermoplastics, its 3D-printed parts exhibit greater toughness.

What is PolyJet?
PolyJet builds multi-material prototypes with flexible features and complex parts with intricate geometries. A range of hardnesses (durometers) are available, which work well for components with elastomeric features like like gaskets, seals, and housings. PolyJet uses a jetting process where small droplets of liquid photopolymer are sprayed from multiple jets onto a build platform and cured layer by layer. After the build, support material is manually removed. Parts are then ready to be used without the need for post-curing.

What is direct metal laser sintering ?
Direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) uses a fiber laser system that draws onto a surface of atomized metal powder, welding the powder into a solid. After each layer, a recoater blade adds a fresh layer of powder and repeats the process until a final metal part is formed. DMLS can use most alloys, allowing parts to be functional hardware made out of the same material as production components. Since the components are built layer by layer, it is possible to design internal features and passages that could not be cast or otherwise machined.

How dense are DMLS parts?
DMLS parts are 99.5% dense.

I don’t have a 3D CAD model. Can you create one for me?
We do not offer any design services at this time. If you need assistance creating a 3D CAD model of your idea, contact us via email and we’ll provide you with contact information for design firms that are familiar with our process.

What are Haomachining’ CNC machining capabilities?

We mill and turn low quantities (one to 200 pieces) of parts very quickly—within 1 to 3 business days. We machine parts with engineering-grade materials that are suitable for functional testing or end-use applications.

What is unique about the Haomachining’ process?

Our quoting process is unprecedented in the machining industry. We have developed proprietary quoting software that runs on a large-scale compute cluster and generates the CNC toolpaths required to machine your part. The result is a fast, convenient, and easy way to get quotes and order machined parts.

How does the quoting process work?
Once you recevid your 3D CAD model, Our team calculates the price to produce your design in various materials and then generates an “as-milled view” of your part. An interactive quote is provided that allows you to evaluate the choice of different materials and different quantities, as well as a 3D view of how your machined part will compare to your original model with any differences highlighted.

What materials does Haomachining offer for machining?
We have a variety of plastic and metal materials from ABS, nylon, polycarbonate (PC), and polypropylene PP to stainless steel, aluminum, copper, and brass. See a full list of more than 40 stocked materials for milling and turning.

What are Haomachining’ machining capabilities? What are the minimum and maximum sizes offered?
For specific information on part size and other considerations for milling and turning, please see our milling design guidelines and turning design guidelines.

Why should I have my part machined rather than 3D printed?

Machined parts have the true properties of the material you select. Our process allows you to get parts machined from blocks of solid plastic and metal in the same time frame, if not faster, than 3D-printed parts.

What are Haomachining’ sheet metal capabilities?
We fabricate functional prototypes and end-use parts in as fast as 3 days.

What is unique about the Haomachining’ process?
Through design and manufacturing automation, Haomachining is able to get quality sheet metal parts in your hands within days.

What are Haomachining used materials for sheet metal?
We used a variety of metal materials including stainless steel, aluminum, copper, and brass.

What are Haomachining’ injection molding capabilities?
We offer plastic and liquid silicone rubber molding as well as overmolding and insert molding in low-volume quantities of 25 to 10,000+ pieces. Standard lead times as fast as 7 days. Rapid injection molding helps product developers get prototypes and production parts that are suitable for functional testing or final use within days.

What is unique about the Haomachining’ process?
We have automated the process of quoting, designing, and manufacturing molds based on customer-supplied 3D CAD part models. Due to this automation, and running software on ultra-fast compute clusters, we typically cut the manufacturing time for the initial parts to one-third that of conventional methods.

What resins can (or should) I use?
Designers should consider application-specific material properties like tensile strength, impact resistance or ductility, mechanical characteristics, molding properties, and cost of the resin when selecting a resin. If you need help selecting material, please feel free to call us.

What are Haomachining’ used resins for injection molding?
We used more than 100 thermoplastic resins and also accept many customer-supplied resins.

Why should I buy a molded part rather than a 3D-printed part?
Molded parts from Haomachining will have the true properties of the material you select. With the true material properties and improved surface finishes, injection-molded parts are suitable for functional testing and end-use production.