The demand for custom auto parts is continuously growing, taking its place as one of the most common parts manufactured in different CNC machining facilities. With millions of cars manufactured identically, enthusiasts tweak and customize their car parts to add a sense of individuality to their automobiles. Typically, these car parts are incorporated to improve an automobile’s aesthetics and performance.
The reason you may be reading this article right now is that you might be considering to avail or fabricate custom auto parts, right? To set your footing on the ground, we will be orienting you to the fundamentals you need to learn in getting your custom CNC parts machined.
Top 3 Applications for custom auto parts
In contrast to popular belief, custom auto parts are not just used to beautify your car. These parts are also used in a wide array of applications other than that. Below are some of the use cases:
Promote Individuality of your Car
This is adding a touch of your personality as an owner. You may add a custom machined gear shift knob, customized wheel rims, bumpers, and many more, according to your preference.
Performance Enhancement
One of the use cases for custom machined auto parts is car tuning or functional modification. This involves changing stock parts into custom-made parts like the intake manifold, crankshafts, camshafts, engine cylinder & pistons, and suspension. In the car racing industry, the customization of these parts is necessary to push an engine beyond its optimum performance and achieve an advantage over other competitors.
Aftermarket Replacement Parts
Sometimes machining auto parts for replacement is quicker than acquiring one from the supplier. Also, CNC machining is one of the most reliable solutions for fabricating spare parts not sold anywhere in the market because they may be already obsolete.
Advantages of Machining Custom Auto Parts: Why CNC?
CNC machining is one of the most established ways for custom auto parts because of its scalability and ability to produce parts rapidly, precisely, and accurately.
Precise and Accurate Parts
Many auto parts explicitly used for car tuning have a very tight and controlled tolerance for their feature dimensions. This is to ensure that the components function the way it is intended to. To achieve this specific requirement for custom auto parts, CNC machining is the way to go.
In machining, you can always control the dimensions to up to +/-.0005 from the parts’ nominal measurement. Additionally, different machining processes are available for you to achieve any surface finish requirement.
Rapid Manufacturing
A good thing about machining compared to other metal fabrication methods is that parts can be machined rapidly. This is for the fact that machining parts do not need to have molds and other jigs. As long as you already have your design and your CNC program ready, the production of parts can be expedited according to the timeframe you need.
Scalable Production
You can easily scale your production volume from low to high or vise versa when fabricating through CNC machining. The process for CNC is highly repeatable, which is why either way, with a high volume or low volume, machining can still be reasonable. For this exact reason, CNC fabrication is perfect for prototyping, bespoke parts manufacturing, and even mass production of parts.
Top 5 In-demand Custom Auto Parts in the Industry
1. Interior Design Components/ Dashboard Aesthetics
Adding a touch of intricate CNC masterpiece into your steering wheel or shift knob significantly adds to the elegance of your car interiors. Examples of the machined components you can see are custom busts, shapes, buttons, knobs, and many more.
2. Engine Block Components
One of the commonly machined custom auto parts includes some important components in a car’s combustion engine. Examples of the parts are cylinders, pistons, engine blocks, and intake manifolds. These are critical components that require a highly precise and accurate fabrication process like CNC machining.
3. Gears
Gears used in the automotive industry are commonly fabricated and finished through CNC because of their function criticality. As with other components, accuracy, precision, and high strength is the top priority for gears.
4. Wheel Discs
Machined wheel discs add a different level of overall elegance to a car. That is why many car enthusiasts are fond of adding these to their upgrades. Typically, these wheel components are fabricated through a CNC milling process to achieve the profile or shape.
5. Cam Shafts
These components are typically machined to maintain their structural integrity and precision. Camshafts are one of the most critical components in an automobile that significantly affects fuel combustion efficiency and efficacy.
What to look for in choosing a partner for manufacturing your Custom Auto parts
As the market for machined auto parts is growing, so are the contract manufacturers too. With all the manufacturers out there, how are you going to choose the right partner for you?
1. Reasonable Pricing
Choose a manufacturer that quotes your parts reasonably based on the processes and materials needed to produce them. Be mindful of the quotations that may be either too expensive or too good to be true. Choose a contract manufacturer that will provide the most value out of your price.
2. Established Machining Capability
A machining facility’s capability may include its ability to produce parts and the availability of different machining processes. This is important for you when looking for a partner for your custom auto parts to assure that your parts will be made according to the requirements you set for them.
3. Manufacturing Process Efficiency
When partnering with a machining facility, you should see that their processes are efficient, effective, and traceable. How a process is flowed out will be synonymous with the quality of parts they produce. In addition to the custom auto part’s quality is the delivery of parts on time. An efficient process means quicker turnaround time from request to production.
4. Engineering Support
You should look for a company that is ready to work with you in producing your custom auto parts successfully. Be it in the rendering of engineering and design services to the engagement in after-sales support. Entrust your parts to be fabricated by a company that treats you more as a partner than just mere clients.
