At Accurate CNC Services, we love firing up our machines and making all varieties of complex, intricate, and even “impossible” parts for our customers. But we also love partnering with our customers to help them find cost-saving strategies, and there’s one strategy that we’re seeing more often.

Customers are frequently including catalog parts that need slight modifications in their quote packages. This strategy can reduce costs by taking advantage of a commercially available product that is very close to being a perfect fit. We are more than happy to accommodate this whenever possible. 

Altering Catalog Parts with Precision Machining Services

Modifying off-the-shelf parts is typically a simple process. If customers cannot find a part that exactly fits their project requirements, they should consider whether slight modifications to an off-the-shelf part could easily meet their needs.

Locating suitable parts is relatively straightforward. Customers using McMaster-Carr or similar services can apply filters to find the closest match. You can then specify in your quote package that these parts do not need to be machined, but instead ask if we can make modifications to the stock products. In most cases, we can easily do it, although we will want to discuss it on a case-by-case basis with customers to ensure alignment.

The process is easiest if you download the solid and modify it before sending us the 3D model. It’s especially important, when making the prints, to indicate the required changes to the original part to avoid us having to guess what modifications you’ve made.

But ultimately, even if you just have a napkin sketch of the modification you want, we can make it happen.

We encourage customers to consider this approach whenever possible, as it can simplify the project for all parties involved. 

Common Modifications in Our CNC Machine Shop

While we are ready to perform an array of different modifications, here are a few examples of modifications that we often see.

• Tapped holes: The part below illustrates how straightforward a modification can be. In this example, we simply added one hole to the side of the catalog part and tapped it. While customers might initially feel frustrated if a part is almost but not quite right, collaborating with our team allows those final adjustments to be made easily and efficiently.

• Modifying extrusions: Another common modification we see is tapping the end hole on extrusions. This is a simple, quick task for us. In the example below, we cut the extrusion to length and tapped the end hole.

• Machining a flat onto ACME rod: We see this use case often, where customers want to machine flat for a set screw. The example below is a typical case.

Other common use cases include taking threads off parts and key slots for certain parts.

Talk to Us About Your Idea

Modifying catalog parts is an easy way to make your next project more cost-effective. If you have an idea for modifying a catalog part, we’d love to help you at our Idaho machine shop. Talk to us today or request a quote.