How to Save Time & Money When Purchasing Machined Components

During the summer months we find ourselves searching for a cool place to lounge around hoping to escape the heat.  In the winter we look to stay warm by the fire. Fortunately, at Tamshell, our 20,000 sq. Ft facility is temperature-controlled year round. This is not only for our employees but for the parts we machine as well.  Yes that’s right, the parts we machine can be sensitive to temperature changes as well.  So, let’s take a moment to get a better understanding on how temperatures can affect material properties and features.

Manufacturing parts in a controlled environment is one thing, but taking into consideration the processes that occur after manufacturing them is essential to making sure your parts are acclimated to the correct temperature range.  Our manufacturing facility maintains a constant temperature range of 73°-75°year round.  Once parts come off the machine and get moved to inspection, they are inspected in a range of 68°-72°.  This temperature range is essential when manufacturing parts that are susceptible to climate changes.

1. Travel – Keep in mind that your parts are not traveling in “first class” comfort.  In some cases, they are traveling across country in a box van with temperatures as hot as 125°F, or as cold as 40°F.  Depending on how your parts are shipped and where you are located these temperatures can be even worse.
2. Acclimation – Your parts need time to acclimate to the ambient temperature at your facility.  We suggest letting them sit for a few hours before inspection is a good idea, depending on your facilities temperature.  If you are not at the recommended 68° -72° temperature range then you may find that your parts are out of tolerance due to the part growing or shrinking.
3. Geometry – Depending on your parts features you may find that only certain dimensions are out of tolerance.  This could be because of the tolerance range that you have requested.  Tight tolerances are more susceptible of being out of tolerance than larger ranges.

If you mostly deal with metal components, then growing and warping of parts is probably something that you are not all familiar with.  Nevertheless, it is important to understand your material choice as well as understand how to inspect and handle it.  Plastic materials are challenging to machine, and the tighter the tolerance the more effort and time it takes to produce them.   Take a look at the chart to the right to get a good understanding on how much temperature can affect different materials.

Temperature is just one of many factors engineers and project managers need to consider when selecting a material for their requirement. If you have questions about precision machining or material selection for your next project, then you want to choose the precision machine shop with experience and a reputation for producing excellent precision parts. Choose Tamshell.