FAQs

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.

Due to the proprietary and competitive nature of projects we work on, we do not disclose a listing of our customers. However, we do regularly receive permission to share customer success stories.

An NDA is not necessary to do business with SUPEX. When uploading your CAD model to our site, we employ state-of-the-art encryption and anything you upload is protected by confidentiality obligations. For more information, contact your account representative.

We serve a variety of industries including medical device, automotive, lighting, aerospace, technology, consumer product, and electronics.

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.

We currently have more than 90 mills, lathes, 3D printers, presses, press brakes, and other manufacturing equipment. With our long history of growth, this number is always changing.

Our current manufacturing plant is in China and all parts are currently made in China.

To get a quote on all of our services, simply upload a 3D CAD model on our website. You will receive an interactive quote within 24 hours with free design feedback.

If there are problem areas in the submitted design, our quote engineers will provide detailed information on potential manufacturing issues and suggest possible solutions.

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. Two-dimensional (2D) drawings are not accepted.

We can also accept floor plans or physical samples for copying and drawing

We can not only machine the parts, we also can do surface finishes, such as anodizing, plating, powder coating, painting etc.We also assembly the parts if necessory.

If you provide us with complete drawings, the part can be completed in as little as two weeks. More complex parts or other special customizations will take longer. Communicate with us after the drawings so that you can get a more accurate delivery time based on your project.

For tips on designing for production, take a look at our key design considerations for 3D printing. Designing models for 3D printing is generally done with CAD software such as Solidworks and Fusion 360, or 3D modeling software such as Blender, Maya or 3Ds max.

The cost of your 3D printed parts depends on factors such as part volume, part complexity, choice of material, which 3D printing technology is used, and if any post processing is required. For more details on these cost factors, see our article on the cost of 3D printing. To check the cost of your 3D printed part, simply upload a CAD (.STL) file and select your material and 3D printing technology to receive a quote within seconds.

In order to reduce the cost of your 3D prints you need to understand the impact certain factors have on cost. The main cost influencing factors are the material type, individual part volume, printing technology and post-processing requirements.

Once these have been decided, an easy way to further cut costs is to reduce the amount of material used. This can be done by decreasing the size of your model, hollowing it out, and eliminating the need for support structures.

Your parts are made by experienced 3D printing shops within our network. All facilities are regularly audited to ensure they consistently meet The Protolabs Network Standard. We include a standardized inspection report with every order and offer a First Article Inspection service on orders of 100+ units.

We have partners in our network with the following certifications, available on request: ISO9001, ISO13485 and AS9100.

You can select the right 3D printing process by examining which materials suit your need and what your use case is.

By material: if you already know which material you would like to use, selecting a 3D printing process is relatively easy, as many materials are technology specific.

By use case: once you know whether you need a functional or visual part, choosing a process is easy.

CNC machining is widely used across industries. It is common in aerospace, automotive, consumer electronics, robotics, agriculture, and other fields that frequently use metal parts. It is also widely used in medical devices, household goods, energy, oil and gas, and other consumer applications. It is one of the most common manufacturing processes in the world.

CNC machining uses subtractive processes, which means feedstock is machined to its final form by subtracting and removing material. Holes are drilled, lots and pathways are bored, and metal stock is shaped into new material with varying tapers, diameters, and shapes.

For subtractive manufacturing, shapes are achieved by the subtraction of material. This contrasts with other types such as additive manufacturing — where materials are added, layered, and deformed to a specified shape. It also contrasts with injection molding where the material is injected in a different state of matter, using a mold, and formed to a specified shape.

CNC machining is versatile — and can be used with various materials, including metals, plastics, wood, glass, foam, and other composite materials. This versatility has helped make CNC machining a popular choice across industries, enabling designers and engineers to fabricate products efficiently and precisely.

In traditional machining, a skilled machinist operates a machine, removing or forming metal. This is done according to specifications provided by designers and engineers, usually through an engineering drawing or blueprint. They use turn wheels, dials, switches, chucks, vices, and a variety of cutting tools made of hardened steel, carbide, and industrial diamond, then use measurement instruments to ensure all of the dimensions are correct.

CNC machining performs the same function as traditional machining — metal cutting, drilling, milling, boring, grinding, and other metal forming and removal functions — but CNC machines use computer numerical control rather than manual control by a machinist. It is automated, driven by code, and developed by programmers. It is about as precise the first time of cutting as the 500th. Widely used in digital manufacturing (and sometimes in low-volume production runs), it can be revised and altered for modifications and different materials.

This type of machining is much more precise and has superseded traditional machining (though not entirely) in manufacturing, fabrication, and industrial production. It uses mathematical coordinates and computing power to achieve the same end with the greatest accuracy. Specifically, computer numerical control uses Cartesian coordinates. These are spatial coordinates — in several dimensions — using coordinates and axes. The automation of cutting tool machines controls its cutting, boring, drilling, or other operation using the numerical control of a computer that reads the coordinates. These coordinates were designated by engineers in the product’s digital drawing and design.

There are ways you can reduce the cost of CNC milling. If you design simple parts and utilize standard-sized tooling, you can increase the chances of successfully producing a component with minimal costs. Other CNC machining design tips include adding internal corner radii to the parts, avoiding thin walls and sections of a part and opting for bigger features instead of smaller ones.

CNC milling is one of the most accurate manufacturing techniques which makes it ideal to create complex designs. It can be used to create products such as aerospace components, furniture, medical components, prototypes, titanium pieces, and woodworking.

The most common mills used in manufacturing are CNC lasers, CNC lathes, CNC mills, CNC plasma cutters, and CNC routers. The CNC machine of your choice will depend on your preferred process and the type of product you want to build.

A CNC milling machine is a combination of computer numerical control machining systems and a milling cutter. The milling cutter can cut parts from the workpiece with precision and accuracy to create the final product.

CNC milling is used to manufacture products made of glass, metal, plastic, wood and custom-designed components. Machinists can produce prototypes and products for industries such as aerospace, automotive, hardware startups, manufacturing, medical devices, robotics and more.

While technical drawings aren't used for obtaining g-code, they are vital for quality control. Technical drawings are also essential when your part contains threads, tolerances and/or finishes on specific surfaces.

A standard technical drawing has to include essential information like a title bar, views of the parts—including the orthogonal view, cross-sectional view and isometric view—coordinate details, all requirements and any additional annotations. Most importantly, make sure the title block does not contradict the information in the CAD file you've uploaded to the quote builder.

Notes to the manufacturer are not technically mandatory, but adding them to your technical drawing can be crucial for conveying information that wouldn’t fit in the blueprints themselves.

You can easily upload a PDF of your technical drawing in the Part Specifications section of the upload attachment via the "Upload Attachment" form on our Contact Us form. Or email us directly.

There are many factors that determine the cost of injection molding your custom parts. The three main expenses are tooling, materials and production. Find out how to reduce your manufacturing costs in our injection molding guide.

Customers retain ownership of all custom tooling they develop, however, any reusable proprietary components developed by the manufacturing partner (MP) will become the MP’s property. All custom tooling will remain at the MP’s facility for a minimum of two years unless otherwise agreed. If the tooling is inactive after two years, the MP may contact Protolabs Network to determine if the tool must be retained for additional time. Protolabs Network will then contact the customer to make further arrangements. Molds can be transferred to any desired location upon request and at the requester's expense.

Whenever a manufacturing partner leaves our network, we carry the cost of transferring all molds to another MP in the network, ensuring that your parts get delivered on time.

In general, we have the RFQ ready within 24 hours. It takes two days to set up the mold and order and process the materials, and one day for packing and sending the order out to be shipped. The volume of your parts will determine the number of days required for manufacturing.

We work with a network of specialized injection molding companies that have ISO 9001 and ISO/TS16949 certifications. This way you will get the best injection molding service possible.

Your injection molding mold is kept at our manufacturing partner facilities for reuse for a minimum of 2 years.
If you would like to reorder from your mold, please contact your account manager or sales@sunnyhowe.com.