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Machining

Five drawing notes that cut machining lead time

PHPiet Hendriks · 30 Jul 2026 · 1 min read
Five drawing notes that cut machining lead time

Most of the days lost on a machined part are lost before the first chip. A drawing that answers the programmer’s questions goes straight to the machine; one that doesn’t waits in a queue for an email reply.

Notes that save a week

  • Datums that match how the part is used, not how it was modelled
  • A general tolerance class, so only the critical features carry their own
  • Surface finish only where it matters
  • The delivery condition of the blank: cast, forged, normalised or quenched and tempered
  • A STEP model with the same revision letter as the PDF

Send all five with the enquiry and we can usually quote machining in two working days and start programming the day the order lands.

Piet Hendriks
Piet Hendriks1 article

Head of machining. Built the CMM room in 2015 and reads your drawing before the programmer does.

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