The range where a part stops being a prototype and starts being a product. Setup cost is spread thin, material is bought at better pricing, and the process is locked so every piece matches the first.
The design is validated and you need real units — for field trials, customer samples, or the first production run — without committing to a full-scale order.
Injection mould tooling takes 8–16 weeks. Machined parts cover the gap so your product launch is not held hostage by a mould schedule.
Low-volume instruments, industrial equipment, and specialised machinery often need 200–800 units a year. Machining is the right process at that volume, not a compromise.
At 100–1,000 pieces you can still change the design between batches without scrapping tooling. That flexibility has real value in the first year of a product.
Representative pricing for a medium-complexity aluminum part — roughly 80 × 60 × 25 mm, pockets, holes and threads, 6061-T6, as machined, CMM report on critical features. Your part will differ; these bands show the shape of the curve.
| Quantity | Price per part | Order total | Setup share of price | Typical lead time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 pcs | $24 | $2,400 | ~10% | 12–15 days |
| 250 pcs | $19 | $4,750 | ~6% | 15–18 days |
| 500 pcs | $16 | $8,000 | ~4% | 18–20 days |
| 1,000 pcs | $14 | $14,000 | ~2% | 20–25 days |
Aluminum, 6061-T6. Stainless steel 304/316L typically adds 15–30% because of slower cutting and passivation. Titanium and PEEK are quoted per project. Prices include material, machining, standard inspection and export packing; freight and finishing are line items.
100 → 500 pieces cuts the price per part by about a third. 500 → 1,000 cuts it by another ~13%. Beyond 1,000 the curve is nearly flat, because setup cost is no longer meaningful and what remains is material and cycle time. If you are choosing between 500 and 1,000 purely on unit price, the difference is usually smaller than the cost of carrying the extra inventory.
Full cost breakdown including materials, tooling and landed cost: CNC machining cost per hour
A 1,000-piece order is not 1,000 separate jobs. It is one documented process, run repeatedly, with checks that catch drift before it becomes scrap.
Program, tool list, fixture design and inspection plan are fixed and documented. The first article is inspected against the drawing before the batch proceeds past the first few pieces.
Critical dimensions are measured at set intervals through the run — not only at the end. Tool wear shows up in dimensions before it shows up in scrap, and catching it early is what separates a controlled process from a hopeful one.
Speeds, feeds, coolant and tool change schedule are recorded. If the batch runs across two shifts or two machines, the second run is set up to the same record, not to memory.
Every order ships with a dimensional inspection report on the critical features and material certificates from the mill. Batch traceability runs from material lot to finished part.
| Process | Best fit at 100–1,000 pcs | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 3-axis / 4-axis milling | Housings, brackets, plates, covers | Most economical; single or two setups |
| 5-axis milling | Complex geometry, multi-face features | Fewer setups at this volume pays for the machine premium |
| CNC turning | Shafts, bushings, fittings, spacers | Bar-fed where diameter allows |
| Swiss-type turning | Small precision parts, Ø2–20 mm | Ideal once volume justifies bar loading |
| Aluminum alloys | 6061, 7075, 5083, 2024 | See the grade comparison |
| Stainless / titanium | 304, 316L, 17-4 PH, Ti Grade 5 | Slower cycle, tighter process control |
| Engineering plastics | PEEK, PTFE, PPS, PAI, PEI | Annealing and dimensional stability matter at volume |
For a medium-complexity aluminum part, the price per piece typically falls from around $24 at 100 pieces to around $14 at 1,000 pieces — a reduction of roughly 40%. Most of that comes from setup and programming cost spreading across the batch, plus better material pricing at higher volumes. The curve is steep between 100 and 500 and flattens noticeably after that.
For aluminum parts, 500 pieces typically ship in 18–20 days from drawing approval; stainless steel adds 2–5 days because of slower cutting and, where required, passivation. Rush scheduling is available on most quantities and is quoted separately, because it involves running the batch across additional shifts rather than simply promising a shorter date.
Yes, and that is the point of a production setup: one program, one fixture set, documented parameters, and inspection at defined intervals rather than only at the end. First article inspection confirms the process before the batch runs. In-process checks catch tool wear drift. The dimensional report that ships with the order covers the features you specified as critical.
It depends on your consumption, not on the price break. The largest per-piece savings in this range occur between 100 and 300 pieces; beyond 500 the curve flattens enough that tying up cash in inventory usually costs more than the unit price saves. If you expect design revisions, order the smaller quantity and reorder after the revision settles.
For repeat parts, we can run the full batch once and ship against scheduled releases, which locks in the quantity price while reducing your inventory carrying cost. This is arranged per project — tell us your monthly consumption and we will quote a batch-and-release schedule rather than a single shipment.
Include the real quantity and we will quote it at that quantity, with the next price break shown so you can see whether stepping up is worth it.