Which OneDo You Need?

CNC machining wins on repeatability, complex geometry and quantity, while manual machining is often faster and cheaper for a single simple part, a repair, or work where the dimensions are being determined as the job proceeds.

A job shop makes varying parts to each customer's specification and is built around constant changeover, while a production shop makes long runs of the same part and is built around minimising cost per piece.

Casting is economical for complex shapes in high volume once the pattern or die exists, while machining from solid is faster and cheaper at low quantities and generally produces a stronger, more consistent part.

A weldment is usually cheaper and faster for large, mostly open structures, while machining from solid gives a stronger, dimensionally more stable part with no heat-affected zones or welding distortion.

Reverse engineering reproduces an existing part from the part itself and is the fastest, lowest-risk route to a replacement, while a new design is warranted when the original failed prematurely or its requirements have changed.

Carbon and alloy steels are stronger for the money and far cheaper to machine, while stainless steels resist corrosion without coating — a difference that matters most in wet, marine, chemical or sanitary service.

Machining removes material from a solid piece to produce a shape, while fabrication cuts, forms and joins separate pieces of material together — and most real components need both.