On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:52:10 -0700, Tim Wescott
wrote:

If I wanted to buy a bunch of 4.5" long shafts, 3/16 or 1/4 inch
diameter, mill finish, with one end turned down to 4mm with a 1mm flat
(to make a "D" 4mm diameter and 3mm from flat to round), about 5mm or so
long, with the shoulder profile being quite unimportant.

Prototype runs of 10 or so, production orders of one or two hundred.

My understanding is that this is a job for an NC lathe, and that most if
not all of them would have an attachment for milling the flat, so the
operation would be feed, turn down, cut the flat, cut off, repeat.

What I'm not so sure of is where to find someone interested in those
sorts of volumes, and if I can get this below the $13 that the one
online machine shop I tried wants. I'm also not sure of where I can
compromise on specs to get the price down (the "D" probably has to be +0
- 0.005", the shaft can probably vary +/- 0.005", since it'll be running
in plastic bearings).

Any guidance appreciated.


**** Tim..any of the hobbiests here should be able to knock those out
on a clapped out lathe and a mill in less an an hour..and the 100 lot
in about 1.5 hours if they stopped to take a dump.

$13 each? Thats because the first batch is so small. Order up 1000
and the price could be down about .25 cents each or less

It may be cheaper to order a large batch, than a small one

Depends of course on who supplies the materials.

That job would be a snap on a 2nd ops *turret: machine feeding bar
stock and the flat done on any simple milling machine

Gunner

"Confiscating wealth from those who have earned it, inherited it,
or got lucky is never going to help 'the poor.' Poverty isn't
caused by some people having more money than others, just as obesity
isn't caused by McDonald's serving super-sized orders of French fries
Poverty, like obesity, is caused by the life choices that dictate
results." - John Tucci,