We understand; especially if you are a new customer, that you want to see that your components will be made correctly, so we can support you with offering samples. However; samples can become costly with minimum charges for material and machine setup times only spread over a small batch of parts.
Where possible, we offer first-offs instead which; as the name suggests, is just the first small batch (of around 10 pieces) of the bulk production run which we can send for you to check over whilst we still continue manufacturing the bulk.
When to Choose First-offs or Samples?
Samples:
We will always encourage placing a sample order for brand new products which will require testing or proof of concept; where the results may lead to a design change of the component.
If there is any possibility that the drawing will be amended; which means the machine would need to be setup differently and re-programmed, then one-off sample orders will need to be placed.
First-Offs:
However, if the component is already tried and tested, and you just want to confirm that our quality meets your standards, then first-offs could be the way forward.
As the first offs are taken off the machine which is manufacturing the bulk order; this means you can check the quality of the parts whilst the machine is still running. This means, as long as no problems are found, there are no delays to production.
Quality Control
Whether you choose first-offs or samples, our quality control team will ensure the components are made to the specification on your drawing.
Any quality issues you may have (if our parts do differ from the drawing) are our responsibility to rectify and get right for you.
We can also offer bespoke inspection services such as:
- ISIR (Initial Sample Inspection Report)
- FAIR (First Article Inspection Report)
- FMEA (Failure Mode & Effect Analysis)
- PPAP (Production Part Approval Process)
Find out more about these reports and the services we offer on our quality assurance page.