Short production runs — from 1 to several hundred pieces.
Short-run production is not a lesser version of mass production. It is a different arithmetic: quick changeovers, one machine, no minimum order and a decision the same day.
Short-run production
Why large plants say no at twenty pieces — and we do not.
A plant with forty lathes and an IATF certificate breaks even at a few hundred pieces, because that is what merely launching a job costs there: production planning, quality documentation, a slot in the schedule. Below that threshold refusing is cheaper than accepting — no ill will involved, just arithmetic.
Here the same run goes through one machine and one person, who writes the program and sets it up. There is no schedule to squeeze into and no internal sign-offs. That is why twenty pieces is a normal job for us, and the answer to an inquiry arrives within a day, not after a week.
When it pays off
Typical order sizes.
- 1 piece
- a missing part, a repair, a sample for approval
- 2–10 pieces
- a prototype and trial run, parts for stock
- 10–100 pieces
- a production run, spare parts for machines
- 100–500 pieces
- repeat production, schedule to be agreed
- over 500 pieces
- write to us — we will tell you honestly whether we are the best address
The price per piece drops most between the first and the tenth piece, because the setup cost spreads over the whole batch. It is worth stating the expected yearly quantity in your inquiry, even if you are ordering one piece now.
Machinery
What the AVIAturn 35MY lathe can machine.
Everything below is done on one machine — no subcontracting and no downtime between operations. Live tooling and a Y axis mean a part with a milled flat, a cross hole or a keyway leaves the lathe finished.
- Maximum turning diameter
- up to 350 mm over the bed
- Maximum turning length
- up to 580 mm
- Bar stock through the spindle
- up to Ø65 mm
- Spindle bore
- Ø75.5 mm
- Three-jaw chuck
- Ø210 mm
- Spindle speed
- up to 5000 rpm
- Tool turret
- 12 positions
- Live tooling
- yes, up to 5000 rpm
- Y axis
- ±50 mm
- Control
- FANUC 0i-TF
- Tolerances
- IT7 as standard, tighter on request
- Minimum quantity
- 1 piece
Your part does not fit within these dimensions? Write anyway — some jobs we split into operations, others we pass on to a trusted shop nearby.
Questions
About runs and prices.
Do you have a minimum order quantity or value?
No. One piece is a fully-fledged job. For a very simple part the shipping can occasionally cost more than the machining — when that happens, we say so openly in the quote.
How much does production setup cost?
We do not invoice it separately — it is included in the price per piece, which is why a single piece costs more per unit than ten. The program stays with us after the first job, so repeating the same part a year later is already cheaper.
Can you keep parts in stock and ship in batches?
Yes. For repeat orders we agree to machine the whole run at once and ship in tranches — for maintenance departments this is usually the cheapest arrangement.
Will I get a sample for approval before the whole run?
For larger runs, yes, as standard: we machine the first piece, send it or a measurement report, and only start the rest after your approval.
Wycena
State the quantity and material — we will work out the rest.
Quoting a run usually takes us one working day. Tell us how many pieces you need now and how many you expect to order within a year.
Request a quote