Online CNC
machining services

We use machine learning algorithms to calculate the exact cost of any machinable part directly from a CAD file, based on millions of CNC machining orders we’ve previously processed. No more waiting for technicians to get back to you via email, we can generate an exact quote for you instantly (well, in about 5 seconds).

This means you always know the price up front. Simply upload a CAD file to generate a quote: get an instant CNC machining quote. Our quotes are completely free, you only need to create an account so we can protect your IP.

It’s so easy to use that we encourage mechanical engineers to use it constantly as they optimise their designs for cost. Whenever you’ve made a new design iteration, simply load both the old and the new design into our quoting tool and see if the price is different.

This technology means our manufacturing partners also don’t need to do their own machining quotes, which means less overhead for them. This makes the whole process less expensive, which translates into lower prices for our customers.

The main costs associated with CNC machining can be grouped into machining time, start-up costs, material costs, and feature costs. To reduce costs you need to understand the impact of these factors on cost.

The best way to reduce machining time is to design features that can be machined quickly, for example by choosing the correct radii for internal corners, reducing cavity depth, increasing wall thicknesses, limiting thread length and designing holes with standard sizes.

Material costs can be reduced by considering the size of the blank required, and the cost and machinability of the bulk material (softer alloys are faster to machine).

Start-up costs can be reduced by reducing the number part rotations or repositioning required to finish the part, for example by separating geometries into multiple parts that can be assembled later.

Feature costs can be reduced by only using tolerances when strictly necessary, removing all text & lettering, and avoiding multiple surface finishes.

These tips can be read in more detail in our full guide to reducing the cost of CNC machined parts.

In manufacturing you’re only as good as your last order, so we take quality seriously.

We don’t just accept anyone into our network of manufacturing partners, we have a rigorous supplier vetting process and only accept top-performing partners to ensure we continue to deliver the highest quality parts to our customers. We also have people on the ground completing regular quality checks of our partners’ facilities.

We include a comprehensive, standardized inspection report with every order to ensure quality metrics are being met, and offer a first article inspection service on orders of 100+ units.

We also have multiple certifications available on request, including but not limited to ISO9001, ISO13485 and AS9100.

Follow this link to read more about our quality assurance measures.

Hubs was started by mechanical engineers and we have many more engineers and technicians in our team. Together we’ve written a lot of content on CNC machining over the years. You can find a selection of resources below, or you can head to our knowledge hub and filter on CNC machining to read case studies, in-depth design guidelines and explanations of different surface finishes.

We’ve also written a complete engineering guide to CNC machining, which has been updated for 2020. Here you can learn about how the many different kinds of mills and lathes work and the different materials available, so you can easily compare their benefits & limitations. You’ll also learn the basic design rules for machining and the most common applications of each material and surface finish, so you can make the right choices every time.