[levelzero]

I've tried this before with mixed results. I've streamlined my requirements and am hoping to get this taken care of in short order. I am looking for a shop/individual that can supply the initial order of this part as well as a few dozen other steel parts and that will be able to serve me in the future when I need to reorder.

I will be perfectly honest, price is the number one consideration for these parts, as with the other steel parts I need produced. I used to make them in house but no longer have the machine time available. I need to be able to purchase these for roughly half of retail pricing, or it's just not worth the time/effort.

Material: 0.375" Hot Rolled Steel or equivalent.
Process: Profile/Pocket milling. No need to face/grind, we will tumble them in house. Will consider others as long as the finish is acceptable.
Quantity: 50 (possible more if the price is right)
Tolerances: 0.005"
Finishing: None
Expected delivery: March 5 2010
Payment method: Mastercard

Thanks in advance.

[1Adam12]

Looking at this part and QTY, I think there is two ways to quote.

First way is part by part 2 opp's (good for short runs or 1 timers)

If very steady work, maybe fixture it to speed up machining time, 25 or 50 parts on table at once..

I can do both......
And turn around right now is good because we are slow on work now...
Bad times......

Adam T. Bryan

L & B TOOL

[levelzero]

Reorders will be every 3-6 months unless I figure out a way to increase sales. I am willing to order more if it helps with pricing, but it has to be within reason as I have a fair number of other parts I want to get back into our catalog.

I always found a simple fixture was the easiest way. I cut the stock to size, drilled the 2 small holes and started the first run. While it was going I could finish cutting/drilling the rest.

[rchunter94]

PM sent ,
thanks,
Russ Kinsey

[louispechmann]

Reorders will be every 3-6 months unless I figure out a way to increase sales. I am willing to order more if it helps with pricing, but it has to be within reason as I have a fair number of other parts I want to get back into our catalog.

I always found a simple fixture was the easiest way. I cut the stock to size, drilled the 2 small holes and started the first run. While it was going I could finish cutting/drilling the rest.

do you have an email address, I can send you some pricing?

[levelzero]

do you have an email address, I can send you some pricing?

Please send it via PM so I can keep all quotes in one central location.

[Dualkit]

I've tried this before with mixed results. I've streamlined my requirements and am hoping to get this taken care of in short order. I am looking for a shop/individual that can supply the initial order of this part as well as a few dozen other steel parts and that will be able to serve me in the future when I need to reorder.

I will be perfectly honest, price is the number one consideration for these parts, as with the other steel parts I need produced. I used to make them in house but no longer have the machine time available. I need to be able to purchase these for roughly half of retail pricing, or it's just not worth the time/effort.

Material: 0.375" Hot Rolled Steel or equivalent.
Process: Profile/Pocket milling. No need to face/grind, we will tumble them in house. Will consider others as long as the finish is acceptable.
Quantity: 50 (possible more if the price is right)
Tolerances: 0.005"
Finishing: None
Expected delivery: March 5 2010
Payment method: Mastercard

Thanks in advance.

I have seen similar parts retail for $12.00 each. So if your target price is $6.00 or less, I think the right thing to do would be to put your target price out there for all to see. Be kind to the desperate masses scrounging for work, and let them know what they are up against. I doubt someone will up their quote price to get to that $6.00. I am sure too many people are spending their valuable quoting this job with no hope of getting the work.

[Matt@RFR]

Exactly. If you know how much you need to buy these for, just spill it. It will save everybody time, including you.

[levelzero]

I have seen similar parts retail for $12.00 each. So if your target price is $6.00 or less, I think the right thing to do would be to put your target price out there for all to see. Be kind to the desperate masses scrounging for work, and let them know what they are up against. I doubt someone will up their quote price to get to that $6.00. I am sure too many people are spending their valuable quoting this job with no hope of getting the work.

Exactly. If you know how much you need to buy these for, just spill it. It will save everybody time, including you.

I can respect your point of view(s), and do see the validity in the point you both are making. As the consumer and as a business owner I have chosen not to set a definitive price point in order to receive quotes that are reflective of shop rates and not my target price point. I was upfront about my needs in an effort to prevent quotes that are well outside the range of what is workable. By receiving quotes that are reflective of a shops/individuals rates I am also able to compile a list of potential suppliers for future needs.

I understand people not wanting to waste their time quoting a job they have no hope in securing. I have done what I can to be fair to suppliers, but at the end of the day my first concern is having the needs of my business met. Those needs extend beyond having a part produced cheaply. This part was specifically chosen not because I need it, but because it is the one that has always been a problem to have produced for a price that is feasible. My hope is that by finding a shop/individual that can supply these parts within my workable budget, they will be able to supply anything I need.

[BlackbirdMFG]

If you are looking for price only then you should put this listing up on MFG.com. It's free to you. You will certainly get quotes for the lowest price just to get a job. I am sure the suppliers would like to have the quoting opportunity given the state of the economy. Personally I think it is dispicable. Short term tactics like this will will result in long term consequences for everyone. I would encourage everyone to only quote a fair price for this job. Otherwise you are hurting yourself in the long run as more of these "one time" opportunities continue to suck the life out of manufacturing in the US.

[levelzero]

Thank you to all that quoted. The job has been awarded to one of the forum members.

[Dualkit]

If you are looking for price only then you should put this listing up on MFG.com. It's free to you. You will certainly get quotes for the lowest price just to get a job. I am sure the suppliers would like to have the quoting opportunity given the state of the economy. Personally I think it is dispicable. Short term tactics like this will will result in long term consequences for everyone. I would encourage everyone to only quote a fair price for this job. Otherwise you are hurting yourself in the long run as more of these "one time" opportunities continue to suck the life out of manufacturing in the US.

Agreed. Seems like too many people give away work thinking they will establish themselves with a new customer, and make money down the road, this seldom works. I have quoted a few jobs lately where someone asked me to match a price of their defunct supplier. I found quite a few people getting parts in the USA for the cost of material and tooling, and not much more.
Like this one, matching half of retail at the quantity of 50, on a part like this doesn't leave a whole lot of room for profit. So if the customer likes your parts and you made next to nothing, what next? You think he will toss you something you could make good money on? I don't think so.

[universalfab]

You'd only need to have been bidding on jobs for the past month to know that this job and most 95% or more "probably more" of the jobs go for dirt cheap. Pennies it's pretty much a given waste of time bidding on these things if your really not doing it just for the he!! of it. I am no hobbyist punk who doesn't know how to bid or what a job takes to start and finish. I figured that the winning moron who won this job and beat my quote probably profitted $50.00 if he's lucky, that is if he's lucky. That's also not counting their worthless time. All that takes into play is their material, which had to be stollen because that in itself is like $65.00 -$70.00 if I recall right "that is what most people on here are paying most likely". Then you have electric bill which is going to cost some money and then you have a bunch of expensive worn out endmills you would have to take into consideration. Most likely this was some jack off who did'nt own the machines, tooling, material, electricity and sure did'nt pay anyone to use it. That is if these things were machined out. There is no way anybody could make anymoney unless they were stealling. I don't necessarilly agree with him throwing out what he's looking to beat as far as price goes. That does narrow down the whole point of bidding. You get what you pay for, I sure know I'm not doing these things for no $3.00-$4.00 a part way to cheap for me. I've got overhead like anyone who runs a machining/fabricating business, such as insurance, electric, maintnance, employees and tooling. This guy has already been on here with this part about 2-3 months ago. I bid and lost, just like this time. Do ya think he's looking for another desperate sucker or thief to take this job on? Anyone that is legitamate has to be a complete moron and how they'd still be in business I don't know and hopefully they go out of business because this kind of
bullsh1t is what's helping destroy our economy and this industry. So what happend to the last sucker who got this job?

[Cartel, LLC]

i jumped in there and through out a quote as well... $7.50 each for 50 or $6.25 each for 100. i thought that was a fair price as i already have fixtures that would allow me to do several at a time. apparently that wasnt cheap enough?

[Dualkit]

I passed on this one, as I knew someone would give it away. I believe way more people have CNC mills than lathes, so the prices on mill work in here unless it is complicated go for next to nothing. These days you can pick up a used CNC Mill for $1500, I think everybody has one.

[DareBee]

As a laser cut part, those would likely be about $2 - 3 ea.
Last time he wanted finished faces or CRS which made it X5.
And then the shipping cost was like $100 for the weight.

Just like Mould making - China will make the whole mould for less than we pay for the steel to machine it from.

[Dualkit]

As a laser cut part, those would likely be about $2 - 3 ea.
Last time he wanted finished faces or CRS which made it X5.
And then the shipping cost was like $100 for the weight.

Just like Mould making - China will make the whole mould for less than we pay for the steel to machine it from.

How long would it take to program and set-up the laser? We are only talking 50 parts.

[universalfab]

i jumped in there and through out a quote as well... $7.50 each for 50 or $6.25 each for 100. i thought that was a fair price as i already have fixtures that would allow me to do several at a time. apparently that wasnt cheap enough?

Nope that was most likely way to high, my price was better then yours and I still lost it. I'm sure this job went for pennies.

[universalfab]

As a laser cut part, those would likely be about $2 - 3 ea.
Last time he wanted finished faces or CRS which made it X5.
And then the shipping cost was like $100 for the weight.

Just like Mould making - China will make the whole mould for less than we pay for the steel to machine it from.

Well lasering 3/8" material can be done, but your talking about a healthy laser. We could've probably done it with our laser, but we really only like to go up to 3/16". And for something like this it's just not worth the money in electricity or gasses. Settup and programming in my opinion with the laser for me is fairly quick. I don't doubt that someone that was completely moronic got this job or someone with a waterjet.

[lehich]

the cheapest way is find some one with waterjet table... I've used this service before much cheaper then CNC...