Both companies did not have to rebuild the part either. In other words, I did not have to export my 3D solid model into a 2D .DXF format, and then spend another hour creating a detailed .PDF drawing. I did not have to worry about if they were going to re-create the part properly. Both companies could read my 3D SolidWorks file or .STEP file. This is definitely a bonus. This is the year 2008 and I'm still a little surprised how many companies are old school and use paper drawings (PDF in this case) and inefficiently re-create the part manually.
Hear, hear. I'm suprised how often I come across a shop that still requires paper drawings. They're willing to invest in the machinery, but not the software; probably because the machine is tangible.
The worst one was a couple of months ago when I had to ship out some work to another shop in the area. I was super busy and the part was fairly complex, so he got the job because he had a multi-function Mazak with onboard CAM. Well, to help himout, I e-mail him the 3D model along some simple drawings with specific views so that he can extract toolpaths quickly and easily. A couple of days later he calls me to tell me that he's starting the job and that he needs some more info. He asks for a set of paper drawings at 10x scale so that he can measure the geometry with a ruler and punch it into the Mazak. At first I laugh, "Nice one" I say, but he is dead serious. The Mazak has CAM, but he has no way to get the electronic data into it, either it doesn't have the import feature or he doesn't know how. By now, it's too late to go to another shop because my customer can't wait.
I tell him there is no way that I would accept parts that are approximated from a paper drawing. Instead, I offer to generate the coordinates of every line and arc and their radii, so that he can rebuild it accurately at the controller. When he gets the parts done, he has the gall to tell me that he should be charging me for 2 days of programming, but he will do me a favor and work it into the price when I reorder. Guess what, i'm not going to reorder.
On a $2,300 job for 16 pieces, he spent 2 days programming. The machine is worth $300K and the software to run it is probably $10K to $15K. I wouldn't be suprised if he's lost 10 times that to customers that don't reorder because he can't meet their needs.
Most of the jobs that I do go straight from CAD model to final machined part with very little work from me. I've got a job in the queue that calls for 360 holes per part; with CAM, it will take me less than 5 minutes to post accurate gcode.
