Resources > FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Get answers to the most common questions about our services, processes, and capabilities. Need more help? Contact us directly!
Are you a direct CNC factory?
What is unique about the Elue's process?
How Does the Quoting Process Work?
What is the advantage of working with Shanghai Elue? Why should I choose your company to make my parts?
1.One-stop service:
We can support you all the way from engineering drawings, rapid prototyping, small-batch running, until mass production, post-processing and mechanical assembly.
2. Big Capacity:
Well-equipped Facility with mass production capacity, from CNC turning, milling, grinding, wire EDM, swiss machining, etc. over 80 machine operators to run your projects without stop.
3. 100% Quality Guarantee
Excellent after-sales service. Free replacements will be provided for quality or broken problems.As soon as you receive the parts and find anything not correct, take us photos and we’ll investigate immediately and give a reply within 24hours.
4. ISO9001/IATF16949 certified
The whole processing will trictly abide by the requirements of the quality control system, and we are commited to delivering the best CNC products you can find in China.
5. Strong engineering support
We can help you to make 3d files if you provide us rough drawings and my engineering can also help on DFM report after you upload files, meanwhile the right materials and surface finishes will be suggested based on your applications. It means that our decades of experience is free for you to use.
What companies do you work with?
How many machines do you have?
What types of files do you accept?
I don’t have a 3D CAD model. Can you create one for me?
Do you provide First Article of Inspection (FAI) Service?
Can I use my own material for production?
Can I use my own master model for CNC machining?
How do I know if my design will be kept confidential?
How does Shanghai Elue compare to other suppliers on price?
How quickly can I get my parts?
What kind of shipping can you handle to my country?
How does Shanghai Elue ensure the quality of my parts?
• Once your order is confirmed, we will perform a full Design for Manufacturing (DFM) review to point out any issues that our engineers feel may affect the quality of your parts.
• All incoming materials are inspected and verified with our testing equipment.
• Process quality control will be done during machining and make records.
• Final inspection reports will be made before shipment.
• Photos or videos will be taken during the whole processing and also before shipping.
• 100% quality guarantee: if you find that the parts arrived in bad condition from shipping, please take us photos and we’ll replace immediatly free of charge. Or if you find the parts out of tolerance, still take us photos to show your inspection results, we’ll investigate the problem and replace free parts.
• We have the ability to share inspection data with you in real-time so we can work together to address any quality issues you may have during production.
What type of surface finishes does Shanghai Elue offer?
Can Shanghai Elue passivate my parts?
How much import duty will I need to pay for my goods?
What are Shanghai Elue’s shipping terms?
Does Shanghai Elue provide export molds?
Yes we provide both export molds and also mass production plastic injection parts. If you want molds only and ship them to your own injection workshop for production, please make sure to tell this before ordering. So that we can make sure the molds can fit your machines.
Besides, we’ll do mold maintenance in our workshop before shipping to you. And the extra mold components will be matched to support your own mold maintenance.
What if I am not fully satisfied with the parts I receive?
Can my company get credit with Shanghai Elue?
New customers should pay in advance along with PO, after that we will consider giving some days credit.
Generally speaking, all machining orders will go through 40% deposit + 60% balance before shipping while tooling orders require 50% deposit in advance and the balance to be paid after T1 approval of samples.
How can I pay Shanghai Elue?
Shanghai Elue accepts payment in two ways:
• Bank to bank wire transfer. Elue has accounts in Hong Kong and Shanghai, China.
• Elue can send you a PayPal invoice and you can use your PayPal account or credit card to pay.
Can I have samples made before placing the order?
Do I have to pay for the prototypes or samples?
Will you arrange remake for failed parts?
Do you offer First Article Inspection reporting?
What type of inspection equipment do you have?
Are your measuring equipment calibrated and up to date?
What is the order size requirement?
What materials can you process?
How long has Shanghai Elue been in business?
What kind of inspection reports Can Elue Handle?
What tolerances can Elue achieve?
The General tolerances for linear and angular dimensions of the parts produced by Elue follow the international standard ISO 2768-1:
-Medium “m” for CNC machined plastic parts.
-Fine “f” for CNC machined metal parts.
Except that, we can also work on very high precision components in +-0.005mm or even 0.002mm, and such tolerances should be indicated in your technical drawings. But we don’t suggest too tight tolerance unless it’s a must, because the high precision will increase machining cost.
What kind of surface roughness can you reach?
The type of surface roughness that can be achieved with machining depends on the type of tool used, the material being machined, and the cutting parameters applied.
With modern CNC machine tools, very high levels of accuracy and surface roughness can be achieved, even for difficult-to-machine materials.The standard surface roughness achieved by CNC machining is 3.2µm Ra. While we can also do Ra1.6, Ra0.8 and even Ra0.4.
Detailed information can be discussed with our engineering.
Is it mandatory to send a 2D manufacturing drawing?
How to find a trustworthy CNC machining manufacturer?
CNC machining parts are widely used in those OEM manufacturing companies, and It’s not always so easy to find a long term partner. Below are some points you should take into consideration when you look for a reliable machining supplier:
Facilities
You should work with a machine shop which is equipped with various machines to make sure majority of machining is done in house. Because it’s hard to finish the parts by one or two types of machines, and precision machining always requires the use of various equipment depending on the products complexity. The other benefits of a good facility are consistent quality and on-time delivery.
Experience
Long years of experience means that the workshop has worked on various projects and tackled lots of technical problems before, and it helps to accomplish any task in the most efficient manner.
Customer Support
You should expect a timely response to your inquiries whether it’s your questions or quote. A good manufacturer should make high quality machining parts, except that, they must be equipped with excellent sense of customer service and communication skills, it will save much time to talk.
Quality control
Ask the supplier what kind of quality certifications they have obtained, and how they do quality control during the processing. Also you can ask for material certificate and inspection reports to ship along with the goods.
Face-face video meeting
Because of covid these years, it’s not easy to visit the suppliers personally, so our suggestion is that you can ask the supplier to show you around their facility from a video meeting, to see their machines, their workers, their inspection room, and you can ask whatever questions you may have over the meeting.
To conclude, Shanghai Elue has all the qualities to meet the high standard of a great CNC precision machining manufacturer. You can put your trust in us for manufacturing your high precision products.
What makes Shanghai Elue’s CNC machining service so popular among the customers?
Do you complete the whole processing machining service in-house?
What are Shanghai Elue’s inspection standards for the CNC machining service?
Small orders below 100pcs, we’ll do 100% inspection for dimensions and surface finishes; for big and stable production orders, we’ll do spot-checking maybe 30-50% depending on the tolerenace requested.
Last but not least, We promise 100% quality guarantee for our CNC machined parts.if you find any quality problem with your machined parts,feel free to write emails and we’ll make you free replacements.
Can you guarantee that the material type is exactly what I’m looking for?
What I should do if the tolerence fails?
What I should do if the packing broken when it arrives?
Firstly, you need to take photos if the outer packing broken, so we can use these photos to check with Fedx or UPS, they will investigate the problems.
But if the outer box is ok, the inner parts are scratched, it should be the packing problem, we’ll investigate seriously in our company and give a solution then.
How long does the shipping take to my door?
What Value-Added Services can Shanghai Elue provide?
We can provide one-stop fabrication and surface finishing service based on CNC Machining, below are the value-added services we provide:
• Engineering Cad files preparing
• Heat treatment
• Surface finishes like plating, anodizing, powder coating, black oxide, Polishing,etc.
• Machined products Engraving
• Machined parts laser marking
• Warehousing stock
• Bending/ Welding/ Brazing
• Customized Packaging
Can I ship my own material for CNC production?
What makes Shanghai Elue’s CNC service stand out among those competitors?
Our in-depth CNC machining quality-control process is just one of the many reasons why thousands of businesses worldwide choose us for their production needs.
This process starts with incoming materials, on which our staff performs a comprehensive inspection to verify integrity and performance.
During production, we also perform in-process inspection and testing to make sure each part is produced exactly to your specifications.
Why should I choose Shanghai Elue’s CNC machining service?
1) could be reached 24/7,which means there would be never delays for your projects running with Shanghai Elue.
2) progress update:upon receipt of order,we will update you the progress with photos and videos each 3-5 days to make sure you know the latest progress with your projects, just like you are visiting the facility by yourself.
3) quality guarantee: we give 100% quality guarantee, and the inspection reports could be sent along with goods. if you find any parts out of tolerence from production orders, we promise to replace new parts free of charges.
4) well-equipped facility: we have the state-of-the-art imported high precision machining equipment to meet your one-stop demand with first-class quality you can expect.
What are the standard tolerances for CNC machining?
What measuring machines do you use in your CNC machining process?
Why should I use CNC machining?
What tolerances can I achieve with CNC machining?
What materials are used in CNC Machining?
What is the difference between CNC milling and CNC turning?
Do you operate all your CNC machining service in-house?
What are the capabilities of Swiss CNC machining?
What industries can benefit from Swiss CNC machining parts?
What are the advantages of Swiss CNC machined parts?
Swiss machining was designed to achieve tight tolerances while improving the repeatability and quality of production components. There are many advantages including:
1) increase productivity, bringing down the unit price much lower.
2) high precision, suitable for small and complex parts.
3) Smoother Surface Finish, the overal surface finish will be improved.
How long does it take to make a machined prototype?
What Value-Added Services can Shanghai Elue provide except machining?
We can provide one-stop fabrication and surface finishing service based on CNC Machining, below are the value-added services we provide:
• Engineering Cad files preparing
• Heat treatment
• Surface finishes like plating, anodizing, powder coating, black oxide, Polishing,etc.
• Machined products Engraving
• Machined parts laser marking
• Warehousing stock
• Bending/ Welding/ Brazing
• Customized Packaging
What is as-machined finish?
How can I reduce the cost for my CNC machined parts?
To reduce the machining cost, there are several points to be considered. That’s the material cost, start-up cost, machining time, design complexity, tolerances request.
1) the designs should be easily and quickly machined, for instance, choosing the correct radii for internal corners instead of sharp angles, reducing the depth of cavity, wall thickness should be suitable for processing, not too thin, limiting thread length and holes depth, applying standard threads which we can match you right screws here.
2) Material costs can be reduced by considering the standard thickness of the aluminum plates, so we can avoid machining this thickness which saves much time, and consider softer alloys which is faster to machine than those heat-treatment ones. Also the right type of standard angle aluminum or angle steel will save both materials and machining costs. But you have to make sure that the material can meet the function of your machined parts, not just to save money.
3)the Suitable applications of tight tolerence, only use tolerences when necessary, because the tight tolerance will be always much more expensive than normal sizes.
What is Rapid Prototyping?
What are the disadvantages of Prototype CNC Machining?
1)Expensive than 3D Printing. Greater human supervision, large power supply consumption, and expensive raw materials make CNC prototype machining more expensive than 3D printing.
2)Some Geometrical Restrictions. For some parts with complex internal geometric, CNC prototype machining is not suitable as it is restricted by cutting tool angles.
3)Waste Material. CNC machining is a subtractive process and by applying drilling, lathing, grinding, milling, and routing, a large percentage of the raw material is removed.
What Kind Of Plastic Resins Do You Mold?
What Material Should I Use For My Project?
What is the Typical Process for plastic molding From Start To Finish?
– You upload CAD files as well as necessary info about materials, production quantity, texture needed, etc.
– We send a quote, and you release a Purchase Order if you agree everything.
– We start on mold DFM report, you confirm.
– We work on mold designs, you confirm.
– We start to build molds and update the progress during molds making.
– Ship T1 samples to customers for approval.
– Start mass production.
– Packing&shipping.
Can You Help to mold my inserts into the plastic molding parts?
How Do You Protect My Molds?
How Do You Ensure the Plastic Injection Production Quality?
Can you use Recycled Plastics?
Can You Use my existing mold To Mold in your facility?
How can I know if injection molding is the right process for my product?
The most important is the product design, then you need to consider the order quantity and the tooling cost.
So you need to check with a injection mold expert to make sure if your project is suitable to make a mold.
Is there an MOQ for my molding project?
Is there a size limitation for the plastic molding?
Do you offer prototype tooling?
Do you offer post molding services such as chrome plating or assembly?
Does your company make mould by yourself?
What injection ton for your plastic injection molding machinery?
What markets is your Plastic Molding Service for?
Our main market is North America and Europe, and our customers work in different industries like electronics,Automotive parts, Home Appliance parts,Household Parts,Aerospace, Medical Device,etc.
As a custom plastic injection molder we have Gained much experiences in various industries which can help us to support your molding projects well whether it’s a complicated part or not.
Will you send me the free sample before production?
How do you pack my plastic moulds and injection parts?
The molds wil be coated auti-rust oil first before being covered with thin film, then they will be put into wooden boxes which are standard for export.
And for injection parts, we will pack them with individual bubble film first and then put into standard cartons. If you have any special request, we can talk details then.
Do You Build Hot Runner Plastic Moulds?
What Kind of Steel Do You Use For Plastic Mouldings?
Can You Provide the certificate for Steel type and also Heat-treatment?
Can You add Texture / Text / Heat-treatment /Nitriding for the Injection Mold?
Yes we can. As a professional plastic molding supplier, these are just very common requests.
We offer standard SPI finishes, EDM texturing, and other types of textures based on your request. Text can be CNC machined on the molds directly, if you want it done after plastic molding finish, either is ok.
How much does a mold cost?
How should a reliable plastic mold manufacturer act?
What is core and cavity for mold?
What are the Mold classification?
Molds are divided into three classes according to the materials they are molded into. Metal hardware moulds, plastic moulds and special moulds.
Hardware molds include stamping dies (such as blanking die, bending die, drawing die, flanging die, shrinkage die, undulating die, bulging die, shaping die, etc.) , casting molds, forging molds, extrusion die, etc.
Plastic mold can be generally divided into: injection molding, extrusion molding, blowing molds and so on.
How long is the mold life I can expect?
There are many factors that affect the mold life, like
mold structure design, the steel type properties, and conditions, mold working state, mold maintenance,etc.
1) mold structure design -a reasonable die structure helps to improve the bearing capacity of the die, minus the mechanical load borne by the die.
2) steel type properties – we should choose the right steel type depending on your expected production quantity.
3) Tooling quality- any defects for the mold components during machining, Electrical discharge machining, quenching, and surface treatment will have a significant impact on the wear resistance, bite resistance, and fracture resistance of molds.
4) mold processing technology- when molds are in working state, the accuracy and stiffness of the equipment used, the state of the material to be processed, die preheating and cooling conditions will affect the life of the die.
What is parting line(or parting surface) for mold?
Every mold is divided into two halves, the parting line ( or parting surface) is where the core meets the cavity, that is where the moving halve and the fixed halve meets and formed an edge.
It’s usually located at the largest section of a product, and when we start on mold DFM reports, it’s always crucial to decide where one part will meet the other. And then we have to discuss with the customer if this parting line is ok for them, because some parts have cosmetic request.
What is the appropriate wall thickness for my plastic molding?
The suitable wall thickness for plastic molding projects is around 1mm-3.5mm, and we also need to check the product structures to suggest the most accurate thickness.
When you have a ready molding project to move forward, please feel free to talk with our molding engineers to get the expert molding suggestions.
What is the commonly used shrinkage of plastic materials?
Plastic molding shrinkage is the shrinkage of plastic parts during cooling after injection molding.
Depending on plastic type, wall thickness, cooling rates and other variables, typical shrinkage varies between 0.001/in/in and .020/in/in. Generally speaking, the average rate of shrinkage is around 0.006/in/in.