Machining is a process that consists of abrading, cutting, drilling, forming, grinding, and/or shaping of a piece of metal or other material performed by machine tools such as lathes, power saws, and presses. While most machining involves taking away a portion of the part to make it perfect, machining can also be used to add material to a piece.
Machining is part of the manufacturing of metal products, but it can also be used for other materials such as wood, plastic and composites. Much of modern day machining is now CNC (Computer Numerical Control) where a computer controls the machinery used to create the finished part.
Once the piece is cast, the unfinished workpiece will require machining in order to match the original specifications set out in the engineering drawings. For example, a certain part may be required to have a specific outside diameter. While the original casting can be close to that specification, with the shrinkage involved in casting it usually cannot be exact. The piece can then be put on a lathe which is controlled by a computer to cut and polish the exterior diameter to ensure the exact size and finish specified in the original engineering blueprints. Other machining tools include drills, milling machines, saws and grinding machines.
Whether your machining needs are for prototype work, long, or short run production of parts, we are confident we can promise you top quality workmanship.
At Richmond Foundry LLC, we work with various local machine shops to be able to provide our clients with the best possible solution at the best possible price. We have established long standing relationships with these companies in order to be able to offer a wide range of solutions to our clients. This means we can handle even the most difficult requests. For specialty items and larger production runs, we have partnered with a company that has unique relationships with machine shops in India and China.
Through our various external machining sources, we have the following machining capabilities to be able to provide fully machined castings:
This means we can specialize in:
Check out our newest machine:
No matter what your machining needs are, we are confident that we can provide a solution. Our experts will consult with you when the job is placed with us to ensure that we have the right resource ready to fulfill your needs as soon as we have completed our part of the job.
We will work with the nominated machine shop to ensure that they are meeting all specifications set out in the original documentation. We handle the entire process for you, and ensure delivery of the desired product.