At this volume the job changes character. Setup cost is no longer a factor, dedicated tooling pays for itself, and the questions that matter become consistency, traceability and schedule reliability.
At 100 pieces a general-purpose fixture is the sensible choice. At 5,000, a purpose-built multi-part fixture that cuts load/unload time in half pays for itself within the first few hundred pieces.
Plate and bar are purchased against the full run rather than per batch, which improves the price and — more importantly — means the whole order comes from a consistent material lot, so heat treat and machining behaviour do not vary mid-run.
At low volume you inspect the parts. At 10,000 pieces you monitor the process: dimensions are tracked through the run so tool wear is corrected before it produces an out-of-tolerance part.
Once a part is in production, a missed shipment stops a customer's line. Capacity is reserved for repeat work, and the second run is scheduled against a known process rather than an estimate.
Representative pricing for the same medium-complexity aluminum part used across our volume pages — 80 × 60 × 25 mm, 6061-T6, as machined, CMM report on critical features.
| Quantity | Price per part | Order total | Tooling | Typical lead time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 pcs | $14 | $14,000 | Standard fixtures | 20–25 days |
| 2,500 pcs | $12.50 | $31,250 | Optimised fixture | 25–30 days |
| 5,000 pcs | $11 | $55,000 | Dedicated multi-part fixture | 30–35 days |
| 10,000 pcs | $9.80 | $98,000 | Dedicated fixture + second operation cell | 35–45 days |
Aluminum, 6061-T6. Prices include material, machining, in-process SPC checks, final inspection report and export packing. Finishing (anodizing, plating), freight and any special packaging are separate line items. Titanium and engineering plastics quoted per project.
Between 1,000 and 5,000 pieces, setup cost is already negligible — so the 20% reduction comes from three places: production-lot material pricing, fixtures that shorten load/unload, and process optimisation after the first few hundred pieces have shown where cycle time is being spent. Between 5,000 and 10,000 the gain is smaller (about 11%) and comes mostly from material pricing and dedicated second-operation capacity.
How cycle time, material and setup combine into a part price: CNC machining cost per hour
| Control point | What is checked | Frequency | Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material incoming | Alloy and temper, mill certificates, lot number | Every lot | Certificate file, traceable to parts |
| First article inspection | All drawing dimensions on the first part | Start of run and after any change | FAI report |
| In-process SPC | Critical dimensions against control limits | Defined interval per feature | SPC charts, tool wear trend |
| Tool change discipline | Tool life counted in parts, not guessed | Scheduled | Tool log per program |
| Final inspection | Dimensional report on specified features | Per release | Inspection report with shipment |
| Traceability | Material lot → batch → parts → report | Continuous | Batch record retained |
At some volume, another process becomes cheaper than machining — and it is not in our interest for you to find that out after you have placed a machining order.
| Your situation | What usually wins | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Aluminum, 10,000–20,000+ pcs/year, moderate tolerances | Die casting + secondary machining | Tooling amortises; per-part cost drops sharply |
| Plastic, 10,000+ pcs, simple geometry | Injection moulding | Mould cost recovered over the run |
| Simple geometry, very high volume | Extrusion + cut-to-length | No per-part machining time at all |
| Tight tolerances (±0.01 mm), any volume | CNC machining | Casting cannot hold it without expensive secondary work |
| Design still changing, 1,000–10,000 pcs | CNC machining | No tooling to scrap when the revision lands |
| Low-to-mid volume with complex features | CNC machining | Five-axis geometry is where machining is unrivalled |
If your volume is heading for the crossover, we will say so in the quote — and where it makes sense we will quote the machined bridge volume while you tool up, rather than argue for a process that stops being competitive.
Run the full quantity once to lock in the volume price, then ship against scheduled releases. You get the 5,000-piece unit price while holding a fraction of the inventory.
For recurring production we reserve machine time ahead of the order, so the second and third runs are scheduled against a known process instead of competing for capacity.
Material for the full run is purchased together, so anodizing results, heat treat response and machining behaviour stay uniform from the first part to the last.
For a medium-complexity aluminum part, 5,000 pieces typically lands around $11 per part — down from about $14 at 1,000 pieces and $21 at 200. At this volume material is bought in production lots, tooling is purpose-built for the part, and cycle time benefits from process optimisation. Beyond 5,000 the curve is nearly flat; most of the remaining gain comes from material pricing and fixture efficiency.
The process is locked and documented before the run: one program, one fixture set, recorded parameters, and a defined tool change schedule. Statistical process control monitors critical dimensions through the run so drift is caught while it is still a trend rather than a batch of scrap. Material lots are traceable to finished parts, and inspection reports ship with each release.
The crossover depends on geometry and material more than on a single number, but as a rule of thumb: aluminum parts above roughly 10,000–20,000 pieces a year often justify die casting, and plastic parts above 10,000 pieces usually justify injection moulding, because tooling amortises. Machining stays competitive for tight tolerances, low-to-mid volume, design revisions, and parts where the tooling cost cannot be justified. We will tell you when your volume crosses that line instead of quoting machining indefinitely.
Yes. For repeat parts we run the full batch once — which locks in the quantity price — and hold stock for release against your schedule. That reduces your inventory carrying cost while keeping the unit price of the full run. Tell us your monthly consumption and we will quote a batch-and-release arrangement instead of a single shipment.
Aluminum parts at 10,000 pieces typically ship in 35–45 days from drawing approval, running across multiple machines and shifts. The schedule depends more on material availability and finishing capacity than on machining itself. For repeat orders with reserved capacity, the second run is usually faster because tooling, programs and process documentation already exist.
Tell us the quantity per release and how often you reorder. We will quote the run at that quantity and flag whether your volume is approaching the point where a different process wins.