The choice of material largely depends on the specific requirements of the part. Aluminum is a popular option due to its excellent machinability and favorable strength-to-weight ratio, making it ideal for aerospace and structural applications. Stainless steel is preferred when corrosion resistance and long-term durability are crucial. Engineering plastics, such as Delrin and PEEK, are suitable for lightweight components, electrical insulators, or situations where metal is not appropriate. Titanium is a great choice when both corrosion resistance and high strength in a lightweight form are needed. When selecting the right material, it is important to balance factors such as performance, cost, and machinability. We discuss these considerations with every customer before starting a project to ensure that potential issues are avoided later on.

We work primarily with Engineering companies that need rapid prototyping or short-run production runs. A lot of our work involves critical components where tolerances are tight and documentation has to be right. That kind of experience carries over well across industries. Our shop is located in Loveland, Colorado, so we're close to customers along the Front Range in Fort Collins, Greeley, Boulder, and Denver. We also ship parts to customers all over the country.

Yes, we handle both. On the prototype side, the goal is usually speed and learning. You want to get a real part in hand, test it, and figure out what needs to change before you commit to a full run. For production, the focus shifts to consistency and repeatability. Every part needs to come out the same way, every time. We work with customers on single one-off parts all the way up to ongoing production programs. Being a smaller shop actually works in your favor here because you get direct communication from someone who understands your job.

Tolerance can refer to various aspects, such as surface profile, runout, or position. Generally, we can achieve a positional tolerance of .0002, a surface profile tolerance of .001, and a dimensional tolerance of .0001. If you need more clarity on whether we can meet your required tolerances, please send us your drawings. We will provide you with a clear answer about what is achievable. We prefer to have this conversation upfront rather than discovering a problem partway through the process.

We're based in Loveland, Colorado, which puts us close to a lot of our Front Range customers in Fort Collins, Greeley, Boulder, and Denver. That said, a good portion of our work ships to customers in other states. If you're local, you're welcome to come by and talk through your project in person. If you're out of state, we're used to working remotely and can coordinate everything through drawings, email, and calls. Either way works fine for us.