When this applies
- The equipment is mechanically sound but parts are unavailable
- Manuals are incomplete, missing or in another language
- Downtime cost far exceeds the cost of a remade component
- You are building a critical-spares programme
Measure before the machine comes apart
Capture what you can while the assembly is still together: shaft-to-shaft distances, mounting-hole patterns, stack heights, belt and chain paths. Once the machine is stripped, those relationships are the hardest thing to reconstruct and the most common cause of a remade part that will not fit.
- Photograph the assembly from several angles before disassembly
- Record mating component numbers (bearings, seals, motors)
- Note any shimming, packing or field modifications
Imperial, metric and older standards
European and Japanese machines mix standards freely, and older threads may not match anything current. Ask the shop to verify thread form and pitch on the sample rather than assuming from a measurement. It is a ten-minute check that prevents a scrapped part.
Planned versus emergency work
Rush single-piece work carries a premium because it displaces scheduled jobs. If the equipment is critical, the cheaper route is a planned spares run during normal scheduling. Identify the two or three components that stop the line and have them made before they fail.
RFQ checklist
Include these in your request and suppliers can quote without a round of questions.
- Machine make, model and approximate age
- Where the part sits and what it does
- Whether the machine is currently down
- Sample availability and shipping willingness
- Any known modifications from original build