The military supply chain faces a wide range of complex issues, which demand unique pieces of equipment and machinery. Because of this, it’s not uncommon for there to be custom engineering requirements.
In the manufacturing space today, you have experienced, specialist companies who can provide custom fasteners and fabrication for any application. This means you’re not limited to standard sizes and stock bolts.
With that being said, in this blog post, we’re going to explore custom engineering for military applications in further detail so you can get a better understanding.
What to expect from a custom engineering business
A custom engineering team will be able to produce locknuts, knobs, inserts, washers, nuts, bolts, screws, and other military fasteners and project pieces to suit your specific needs.
From prototype to production, and all of the way through inventory management, the custom machining company you align with will be there for you every step of the way.
They’ll create custom fasteners and products from a wide range of materials, including stainless steel, plastic, alloy steel, nylon, carbon steel, brass, copper, and aluminum.
Plus, they can customize tolerances, threads, width, length, undersize head, and oversize head to suit your military project.
This is the only way of making sure you get the systems and equipment you require for the specialist military work you face.
What should you look for in a military custom engineering business?
When looking for custom engineering services, it’s imperative to look for a company that can fulfil the following requirements:
- Access to industry-leading machinery – There is only one place to begin, and this is by making sure the company you choose works with state-of-the-art machinery. This will enable them to work with tight tolerances, special materials, and any specific requirements you may have.
- Compliance and certification – As you want parts developed for military industries, it’s imperative to make sure you work with a custom engineering service provider that has the relevant certifications. You cannot afford to cut corners when it comes to DFARs compliance, so make sure that the business you choose ticks these boxes.
- Expert design support – Next, it’s wise to look for custom design services that involved help from experts with many years of experience and an understanding of how military machining works.
- A good reputation – We always advise that you take the time to read reviews that have been left by people who have used the custom military engineering services in question before. This is the only way to find out whether past clients have been impressed, if the service is reliable, and what sort of success rate the business has.
- Material choice – You’ll also need to find out what materials are available for heavy fabrication when selecting a custom engineering firm. Do they provide brass, aluminum, alloy steel, and carbon steel? What about copper alloys and nickel alloys? Are any specialty materials accessible?
- Typical lead times – You’ll also want to find out how long it’s going to take for you to get the machining parts you require. Will it take a couple of weeks? Should you expect to wait longer? Time is of the essence in the military industries, so you need to find out more about the expected timeline before agreeing to move forward with a specific company.
- Traceability – We are sure you already know just how critical full material traceability is when manufacturing for the military. Every part and raw material needs to be traced back to the source.
- Finishing services – In addition to the features we’ve discussed so far, you’ll need to discover what sort of finishing services are available. Examples include hot forging, heat treatments, grinding, coating, CNC machining, cleaning, and polishing.
- Customer support and communication – Last but not least, customer support is critical when working with any type of business. Nevertheless, this is even more critical when you’re working on a custom project whereby a team of experts are creating something specific for you. This is why you need to establish lines of communication from the off. Discover who you’ll be working with and talking to throughout the project so you can ensure it goes smoothly.
Aligning with a custom engineering business to get the exact products you need
From electrical systems to high-quality fasteners for assembly, working with a custom engineering firm is the only way you can ensure you get the precise components you need.
In the military industry, whereby you can never afford to cut corners and requirements change all of the time, it makes sense to team up with a firm that can deliver everything to your exact expectations.
