Ensuring Stability for Your Project’s CNC Machining Materials

Over the past several years, CNC machining materials have faced a series of market shifts, from price volatility to supply uncertainty. What began with COVID-era supply chain disruptions continued through inflation and tariffs, and now many people are wondering what’s next.

At Focused on Machining, we’re optimistic that prices will stabilize in the coming years. But even if they do, it’s a safe prediction that some future event will lead to more disruption, whether that’s years or decades from now. So what can you do to prepare for these types of challenges? Learn our insights on the current situation and strategies to help you navigate it.

The Current Environment: Navigating Material Changes

This year has brought a range of uncertainty, with a stream of legislative and regulatory developments. Many analysts expect significant price increases, and some material suppliers are now imposing strict customer-based allocations in anticipation of potential shortages. 

Until recently, most suppliers for precision machine shops had access to as much material as they requested, but now supply levels (both internationally and domestically) seem to be in flux, leading to rising prices for materials like aluminum.

The specific causes are different, but the underlying message is the same as the problems resulting from the COVID crisis: the supply chain is complex, and that can lead to disruptions from unexpected events. If you’re seeking precision parts, partnering with a domestic supplier can help you avoid many of these challenges. But if you’re sourcing materials, the problem requires different strategies.

One Proven Option: Long-Term Agreements

In these situations, we’ve previously recommended a variety of strategies. The simplest, in many cases, is to choose a different material or select a different temper or grade of the same material. For example, if a project involved 6000-series aluminum during past material shortages, we sometimes suggested T651 as an alternative to 6061-T6. Whether for machinability or availability, we often help customers find comparable materials that meet their performance needs.

Yet substitutions aren’t always the long-term solution that customers are looking for. In those cases, we often recommend long-term contract manufacturing services. These agreements can stabilize both your part pricing and material costs. In the past, we’ve secured supplier agreements based on volume purchasing, and we can even buy material for your project upfront and store it in our facility.

In a manufacturing landscape that can change overnight, this type of stability can be a significant advantage. If you need 17-4 stainless for your parts, for instance, it may be easy to source today, but it’s hard to know what the future may hold. When we secure the material in advance, you don’t have to worry about availability or price hikes.

What’s Next for CNC Machining Materials?

Whatever happens in the short term, we feel confident that materials will stabilize in the coming years because, historically, they always have. This could come from expanded U.S. production or from smoother import processes.

But we also recognize that your business can’t wait for the long term. That’s why it’s critical to have a strategic manufacturing partner like Focused on Machining. We always aim to provide insightful guidance for the challenges you’re facing right now even as we keep an eye on what’s ahead.

Let’s Partner on Your Next Project

If you need high-volume machining services or long-term contract manufacturing, our team is ready to help. Request a quote today to collaborate with our Colorado machine shop and secure stable pricing on CNC machining materials!

Efficient Tight-Tolerance Machining With Our New In-Machine Probing

At Focused on Machining, we’re always looking for proactive investments in technology, both big and small, that allow us to be a better manufacturing partner to our customers. One recent upgrade was the integration of CIMCO probing technology, which has had a significant impact on our tight-tolerance machining.

In-machine probing may not be a part of the manufacturing process most customers think about, but improving our programming and automation capabilities has us performing more efficiently. Some projects that previously required active supervision are now even moving into lights-out production. Learn the basics of this technology and why it leads to better pricing and faster delivery for you.

What Is CIMCO Probing?

CIMCO probing is a Mastercam plugin that, essentially, allows us to include in-machine routines directly in our programming. We’ve made sure that every machine we’ve purchased in recent years is equipped with tool and spindle probes, but the actual probing process still had to be conducted manually by a machinist through the machine’s interface. 

With CIMCO, probing is now fully automated. During programming, we define the exact features and dimensions the machine should check with the probe. Once machining begins, the probe automatically takes measurements and updates offsets before continuing to machine, all without any human intervention.

How It Improves Our Process

This technology has changed our setup and in-process inspection in two major ways, both of which have significantly reduced production time. First, it enables faster and more precise setups. Instead of requiring stock to be placed perfectly in a machine, the probe can now detect the stock’s position and adjust the program.

Second, as we machined parts in the past, we often had to bring them to quality inspection mid-process. If an issue was found, we may have to restart the part entirely. Now, with CIMCO, the machine can automatically detect and correct small discrepancies.

How CIMCO Benefits Our Customers

Faster machining: This upgrade has drastically reduced the time required for precision machining through its improvements to manual setup and back-and-forth with the quality department. For some jobs, setup time alone can be reduced by several hours.

Better pricing: When parts require less operator activity, labor costs will decrease as a consequence. Those savings are passed onto customers, making tight-tolerance machining more economical.

Expanded lights-out capabilities: Some parts that previously required consistent supervision can now be produced unattended, increasing our shop’s capacity and speeding up delivery, a key advantage for customers who leverage our contract manufacturing services.

Real-World Example: Enabling Lights-Out for a Military Component

We recently employed CIMCO probing on a large, complex aluminum part for a defense partner. The part measured 25” x 22” x 6” and included multiple machined pockets with threaded holes and true position callouts. 

In the past, we simply could not have manufactured this part lights-out. The setup for the massive piece of aluminum stock was too demanding, and the threading required manual supervision to ensure accuracy. Now, we use the probe to check the pocket dimensions after machining and then use its XY coordinates as offsets to add related features, a process that previously had to be done manually. 

As a result, the part is now a straightforward lights-out job, with faster delivery and the same precision.

Let’s Revisit Your Toughest Parts

Have you ever sent us a part for tight-tolerance machining that wasn’t a good match for our lights-out capabilities? Let’s discuss that project again, because it may be well-suited to automated production with our new CIMCO capabilities. And with less operator supervision, you could see more cost-effective pricing.

Request a quote now or contact us today to see how the upgrades at our Colorado CNC machine shop can simplify your next part!

4 Signs You Need a Precision Machine Shop Instead of an Online Manufacturing Marketplace

In today’s world, customer expectations across nearly all industries have changed as a result of what many call the “Amazon model.” Buyers expect to easily find the lowest price, click a button, and receive their product with minimal friction. And this approach has, in part, led to the rise of online manufacturing marketplaces, which take your RFQ and connect your project with an available supplier in their network. 

These platforms can serve a helpful purpose; for instance, simple, fast prototypes with loose tolerances are good use cases. However, opting for online marketplaces in complex or critical projects can lead to quality issues, unexpected delays, and higher costs.

At Focused on Machining, we always recommend partnering with a precision machine shop for challenging parts. Learn four clear indicators that your project requires a custom manufacturer.

Critical Parts Demanding Proven Reliability

Recently, a former customer reached out after moving to a new company. In her previous role, this buyer had always insisted on working with us for our reliability and consistent quality. However, her new company had insisted on using an online manufacturing marketplace to reduce costs.

While the marketplace parts were inexpensive, the quality reflected the price. These parts were challenging copper components with tight tolerances, and she told us they had to discard the vast majority of the parts after testing them. What appeared to be cost savings instead disappeared when she factored in waste and the burden of starting procurement from scratch.

Your Timeline Can’t Risk Unexpected Delays

Many customers opt for these platforms because of the rapid turnaround times they advertise. The promise is clear: choosing from an entire network of shops with open capacity will mean faster completion. However, busy shops are typically busy for good reasons: reliable shops have earned customer loyalty through consistent performance.

In contrast, with online manufacturing marketplaces, we regularly hear stories about scrapped parts. While some of these platforms do offer rework policies, we haven’t heard anyone who actually wanted to go back to the site and seek out a rework from their anonymous shop. Instead, they discarded those parts and restarted elsewhere.

This restart creates new delays that can significantly affect a project’s timeline. At Focused on Machining, we provide realistic timelines based on our capacity, then we deliver your quality parts on schedule. If we discover an error, it becomes our top priority to fix it for you as quickly and smoothly as possible.

Scaling Beyond Initial Prototypes

Online manufacturing marketplaces can be useful in certain applications. At Focused on Machining, we specialize in CNC production machining and contract manufacturing services. If you need a quick initial prototype with loose tolerances simply to test basic functionality, a marketplace would be a better match for your project.

However, as your project moves past initial prototyping and nears or enters production, requirements become more demanding. If you need tight tolerances, repeatability, and reliable quality control, a custom manufacturing partner is essential.

Your Industry Requires Certified Manufacturers

In industries like aerospace and defense, transparency is more than a preference. You need complete visibility into every aspect of your manufacturing process, from material traceability to detailed inspection results.

It’s essential to know who will manufacture your part so you can understand their certifications and communicate directly. However, most online manufacturing marketplaces do not provide that transparency, because it conflicts with their business model.

At Focused on Machining, we pride ourselves on our communication, service, and transparency. Our certifications are readily available, our team is responsive, and we can even arrange for you to visit our facility. As an AS9100 machine shop nearing CMMC 2.0 compliance, we’re built to serve aerospace and defense, easily providing the documentation you need for your project.

Partner With Us Today

Online manufacturing marketplaces fill a specific niche, but they’re not ideal for everything. If your project requires complex, precise, or high-quality parts, especially at high volumes, your project will be far more successful when you collaborate directly with a precision machine shop. 

We’re ready to handle your next challenge with transparency and precision. Request a quote today!

Locked-In Pricing: Why Blanket Orders Are a Great Tool in Uncertain Markets

Blanket orders are a critical tool for many buyers, ensuring predictable pricing, efficient volume, and guaranteed capacity. At Focused on Machining, we specialize in contract manufacturing services, including blanket orders in areas like aerospace machining.

This year’s regulatory uncertainty has made both buyers and machine shops hesitant about long-term commitments, but we think this moment presents an excellent opportunity for customers. If you’re concerned about the potential for rising costs, locking in pricing now through a well-structured blanket order could be a major win.

Learn how our collaborative approach to blanket orders and negotiations can help you secure the pricing stability and manufacturing capacity your business needs.

Collaborative, Open Negotiations Lead to Success

Negotiations aren’t always the most enjoyable aspect of manufacturing, but they’re essential to creating a win-win setup for everyone involved. We welcome open discussions about blanket orders, believing that every option is on the table to help find the best possible arrangement. That’s because we understand different factors matter most to different businesses.

If competitive pricing is your primary concern, blanket orders are an ideal solution. You’ll gain the cost advantages of large-scale production without the burden of large shipments. Getting the best possible pricing requires give-and-take on both sides, identifying areas where both sides can find beneficial terms. Ultimately, as a manufacturing partner focused on our customer experience, our goal is to understand your requirements and find the best path forward.

Strategic Approaches to Managing Material Costs

Material pricing is a significant challenge in today’s market, as pricing has risen at points during this year and uncertainty remains. As a result, some shops now shy away from blanket orders as they struggle to find vendors who will guarantee stable pricing.

At our Colorado machine shop, we take multiple approaches to this issue. First, our large network of trusted vendors often allows us to find suppliers for long-term commitments, even in today’s landscape. These partnerships give us leverage to secure competitive pricing that many shops or individual buyers can’t achieve.

Alternatively, some of our partners opt for upfront material purchasing in their blanket orders. This approach locks in current pricing, while we handle storage at our facility. An added benefit is that, with materials on hand, we can often accelerate your production schedule if your demand surges unexpectedly.

Flexible Payment Terms for Better Pricing

Risk directly influences our pricing structure, and that’s why customers who agree to more favorable payment terms will often see significant cost reductions. In a recent negotiation with a large space and defense contractor, for instance, our customer agreed to Net 15 payment terms. By reducing our financial risk, we were able to offer significantly lower prices per part.

The Benefits of Early Delivery

There are countless other areas that many of our customers often focus on to secure greater cost savings. Early delivery of contracted parts can benefit both our shop and the customer, depending on the situation.

Early delivery reduces your prices by allowing us to optimize scheduling, minimize setup costs, and reduce expenses from external processing and shipping.

Let’s Tailor a Blanket Order to Your Needs

Every aspect of our blanket order agreements is negotiable. If you’re seeking the stability and predictability that these structures offer in uncertain times, we’re committed to finding the terms that will work best for your business.

The strategies above represent just a small sample of how we can help customers achieve their goals. We’re always open to discussing any contract element where flexibility can help to create value for both our shop and our partner.

Ready to explore how a blanket order can benefit your business? Request a quote today to start the conversation with our Colorado contract manufacturing shop.

Focused on Machining Is the Perfect Tier One OEM Supplier

Every year, we conduct a customer survey to ensure we’re meeting customer expectations in areas like communication, quality, and delivery. In our most recent survey, the responses were positive across the board, with nearly every customer segment satisfied. One customer segment stood out with particularly strong feedback: tier-one OEMs.

Find out why so many aerospace and defense OEMs find Focused on Machining to be a reliable, nimble, and competitively priced partner for their precision machining needs.

Built to Act as a Tier-One OEM Supplier

Every customer in every industry values our precision machining capabilities and excellent quality—it’s the reason most first approach us. However, tier-one OEMs have specific requirements that we’ve built our operation to efficiently meet, including:

Quality Requirements

Our full quality department includes a dedicated quality manager and inspectors. We maintain tight tolerances and quickly verify accuracy, ensuring consistent results that meet strict OEM standards.

Lights-Out Machining

Our lights-out capabilities reduce OEM lead times by maximizing our production schedule. This automated approach allows us to maintain our competitive edge in both speed and pricing.

Critical Certifications

Our certifications make us an ideal tier-one OEM supplier. We are AS9100 certified, ITAR-registered, and nearing our final steps toward CMMC compliance. These credentials streamline audits by new customers and demonstrate our total commitment to quality.

Complex Documentation

With our suite of digital tools, we simplify the process of delivering complex paperwork required for tier-one OEM projects. Our ERP system generates all AS9102s, and every work order receives documented FAI in AS9102 format.

Supplier Diversity and Service-Disabled Veteran Status

Focused on Machining is a certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), helping tier-one manufacturers to meet the requirements of FAR regulation 19.201 and supporting their supplier diversity goals.

Cybersecurity

OEMs must protect sensitive data, and our CMMC efforts demonstrate our commitment to cybersecurity. We take every precaution to keep your data safe, because we know it’s critical to your operations.

Expertise in Exotic Materials

As an AS9100 machine shop, we’re experienced with a variety of challenging materials critical to the aerospace and defense industries, from titanium machining to Inconel and beyond.

The Benefits of a Small Shop as a Tier One OEM Supplier

Many OEMs may assume that partnering with a smaller shop means sacrificing certain capabilities, but it’s simply not the case. Our size is actually a strength when serving tier-one manufacturers. 

At our size, we can still be nimble and adaptable, keeping costs down without ever sacrificing quality. In contract negotiations, for instance, we have flexibility to meet OEMs halfway because of our streamlined structure. Our deep supplier relationships allow us to go through trusted vendors for the best possible prices. 

Many larger shops solve problems by adding layers of staff, but we leverage technology to stay lean. That allows for greater responsiveness and transparency both internally and externally, and ultimately lower costs that we pass on.

With this structure, we’re well-suited to partner with tier-one OEMs like:

• Lockheed Martin

• RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon)

• Northrop Grumman

• Boeing

• General Dynamics

• Blue Origin

• SpaceX

Your Next Project Starts Here

With our advanced capabilities, essential certifications, and efficient operations, we are an ideal manufacturing partner for tier-one OEMs who need quality parts at competitive prices. From tight tolerance machining to handling exotic materials, we’re ready to tackle your challenging projects.

Request a quote and experience how easy manufacturing can be with our Colorado machine shop!

How to Select a Future-Ready Manufacturing Partner

When you’re evaluating a manufacturing partner, there’s a long checklist to consider, from precision machining capabilities to certifications to quality control systems. These criteria often appear in audits or new customer interviews, and we’re proud to meet stringent requirements in all of these areas.

But once the boxes are checked how do you evaluate what can’t be captured in a spreadsheet?

For example: In an industry facing an aging workforce and growing concerns about succession planning, how can you trust that your partner is built to last and positioned to keep improving?

At Focused on Machining, we believe future-readiness is just as important as technical precision. By embracing evolution in all areas of our operations, we help our customers achieve greater efficiency, lower costs, and optimize their project timelines. And not just for the short term. 

So how do we keep hitting today’s targets—while preparing for tomorrow’s challenges?

Staying Connected: NTMA and Industry Involvement

Our owner, Justin Quinn, has long been a passionate advocate for the value of NTMA—he served as treasurer in the local Rocky Mountain Tooling & Machining Association (RMTMA) prior to owning Focused on Machining, helping manufacturers better understand their banking options. 

Since acquiring FOM, his involvement has only deepened. Justin served as RMTMA president for three years, and now acts as vice president and trustee. These leadership roles keep him closely attuned to the latest manufacturing trends, from machining best practices to operational strategies. His industry involvement ensures he stays immersed in the innovations shaping the manufacturing landscape—and brings those insights back to our shop floor to benefit both customers and employees.

Through NTMA, Justin also gains national-level insights into policy decisions and legislation that shape our industry. Their expert guidance on tariffs, tax incentives like Section 179 depreciation, and R&D credits directly impact our shop’s economics—and by extension, the pricing and options we can offer our customers. 

Our CMMC certification efforts have been directly influenced by NTMA. While others have had to be reactive, NTMA informed us of the importance of CMMC early on, allowing us to plan and adjust well in advance. While many shops haven’t even begun the process, not yet understanding the long road ahead of them. This type of forward-thinking preparation gives our company and our customers a real edge.

Always Learning: Tradeshows and Industry Events

We invest heavily in staying up to date with new technologies. And that means not just researching online, but attending in-person events, as well. As you think about choosing a manufacturing partner, it helps to understand why staying active in the industry matters.

Our team has attended every International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) for the past decade. IMTS is an important business trip, where we can demo technologies firsthand, ask detailed questions, and make smarter investments in our shop’s capabilities.

We also participate in user conferences, such as Paperless Parts’ annual event. These conferences allow us to learn best practices directly from a platform’s creators and swap advice with other shop owners. Fellow users have offered us insight in their custom setups that we can leverage to improve our own usage. That guidance shows up in our fast quoting, smooth operations, and quick part turnaround for our customers. 

One Unique Advantage: A Background in Banking and Military

Focused on Machining also benefits from Justin’s uncommon background. After serving in the military working on aircraft, he worked in banking and got his MBA before ultimately purchasing a CNC machine shop. 

This combination of technical and financial expertise benefits our customers in unique ways. When we work with defense contractors, for instance, we understand the full lifecycle of a military project, and can offer guidance to help optimize every stage—all the way through CNC production machining.

Or when economists at national NTMA conferences present forecasts of the coming years, Justin’s background in banking allows him to speak their language. He can translate that into real world advice for our customers. If a busy year is coming, we alert customers so they can take advantage of better pricing or plan production ahead of time more strategically.

How Do You Choose a Manufacturing Partner Wisely? Start With the Tangibles - But Don’t Stop There

Some shops might hesitate to take on these “extracurricular” activities—they might see it as taking away from their short-term efficiency. We see it differently.

Investing in knowledge and relationships ensures we stay future-ready, a critical aspect you must consider as you evaluate and select a manufacturing partner. We know our customers want a machine shop that is not only efficient today but will stay with them through tomorrow’s challenges. And that’s why we always keep an eye to the latest trends in our industry.

Request a quote from our Colorado machine shop to partner with a shop that’s built for the long haul!