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Production machining
Blanket orders. Finished inventory on our shelf. Releases shipped to your schedule. Our best fit is 100 to 1,000 parts per release, repeating for years — a size we run well and a size we are growing into.
- Per release
- 100 – 1,000, and up
- Inventory
- Held here, shipped on release
- Schedules
- Weekly · monthly · kanban
- Held to
- ±0.001″ every piece
What we mean by production
Your part, on our shelf, on your schedule.
A production program at APM is a blanket order we run ahead of, finished parts we hold under your part number, and releases that ship the day you call them. The prototype work built the skills; the production work is what the machines were bought for.
Blanket orders, priced at volume
One PO for the year. Material bought at program price, setups built once and kept, a per-release price that does not move because a lot was small.
Stocked, inspected inventory
We run ahead of your releases and hold finished, inspected parts. You are never waiting on a machine slot — the part is already made.
Releases on your schedule
Weekly, monthly, quarterly or kanban against a min/max. Same-day or next-day shipment from stock. Outside processes managed inside the schedule.
Repeatability you can audit
Documented setup, first article on every release, in-process checks, thread and pin gages on every feature that has one, final inspection to print. Certs travel with the lot.
Capacity that is actually here
Eight mills including two five-axis, seven lathes including a live-tooled sub-spindle turning center. A program gets its own machine time, not what is left over.
Finished parts, one PO
Heat treat, plating, anodize, powder coat, EDM — through vendors we have run for years, tracked by us, inspected on return. You buy a finished part, not a machining operation.
How a program runs
Five steps, then years of releases.
The first release is the only one that takes any effort on your side.
01
Quote at volume
Send the print, the annual quantity and how you want it released. We price the program, not the lot.
02
First article
We build the setup, run and inspect a first article and send it with the report. You approve the standard every release is checked against.
03
Blanket PO
One order for the year's quantity. Material goes on order at the program price; programs, fixtures and tooling are built once and kept.
04
We run ahead
Parts are machined, sent through heat treat or plating if the print calls for it, inspected and put on our shelf under your part number.
05
You release, we ship
Weekly, monthly, kanban or a phone call — finished parts leave the same day or next day. Repeat for years.
A good fit looks like
- 100 to 1,000 pieces per release, repeating monthly or quarterly — more when the part suits the machines
- Multi-year programs where you want one supplier who keeps the setup
- Turned parts with milled features — the Lynx finishes them in one handling
- Five-axis parts that a three-axis shop is doing in four setups
- Aluminum, steels, stainless, copper alloys, tool steels, titanium, Inconel, engineering plastics
- A part that needs heat treat, plating or coating and arrives finished
- A supplier that is slipping dates, and you would like to stop chasing them
What to send for a program quote
- The dimensioned drawing — tolerances live there, not in the model — plus the STEP model for anything complex
- Annual quantity, and the release size and frequency you expect
- Material and finish, and who currently supplies it
- Inspection and paperwork requirements — certs, first article report, PPAP-style dimensionals
- Target price if you have one. We would rather know than guess.
Common questions
Production work at APM
What quantities are you set up for?
Our sweet spot is 100 to 1,000 pieces per release on a part that comes back every month or quarter for years, and we take larger releases when the part suits the equipment. We are honest about what we are not: a pallet-changing, lights-out shop turning tens of thousands of the same part. We are a fifteen-machine shop that holds ±0.001″, keeps your setup, stocks your parts and ships when you call — and still takes the five-piece job.
Will you hold inventory for us?
Yes. On a blanket order we run ahead of your releases and hold finished, inspected parts on our shelf. You release, we ship — same day or next day — instead of waiting on a machine slot. It smooths our schedule and takes lead time off yours.
Can you ship to a schedule?
Yes. Weekly, monthly, quarterly, or kanban against a min/max you set. We manage the outside processes — heat treat, plating, anodize — inside that schedule so the date you get is a date for finished parts, not machined blanks.
What does a blanket order look like with APM?
One PO for a year's quantity, priced at the annual volume, released in the lot sizes you want. Material is bought at the program price, programs and fixtures are built once and kept, and the first article you approve is the standard every release is checked against.
How do you keep part 2,000 the same as part 1?
The setup is documented and repeated — same program, same fixture, same tooling list. First article on every release. In-process checks on the features that matter, with thread and pin gages on every threaded and bored feature, and a final inspection to print before anything goes on the shelf. Material certs travel with the lot.
Do I need to be certified-quality-system work for you to take it?
No. We are not ISO 9001 or AS9100 registered and we say so. If your program requires a registered system, we are not the right shop. If it requires parts to print, on time, every release, with the inspection record and certs you ask for — that is exactly the work we want.
What do you need to quote a production program?
The print or model, the annual quantity, the release size and frequency you expect, the material and finish, and any inspection or paperwork requirement. With that we quote at annual volume and give you a per-release price and a first-article date. Tell us what your current supplier is doing that you wish they were not.
Request a Quote
Send a print. Get a real number back.
A dimensioned drawing — the tolerances live there — and the STEP model if the part has any complexity. Tell us the quantity — per release and per year if it repeats — the material and when you need it. Production program? Say so and we quote at volume. Urgent job? Call after you submit.