Precision
Precision Machined Components
Tight tolerances mean nothing without inspection to back them up.
If you’re sourcing precision machined components, here’s what the numbers look like: ±0.005 in is comfortable standard work, ±0.001 in is the typical hold on critical turned diameters, and ground or wire-EDM features reach ±0.0001-0.0002 in. As a Michigan-based supplier, the team quotes from your print in 24-48 hours, gets the parts made to it, and inspects every one against the drawing before it ships, with no minimum order. Send your files to start.
Updated June 2026
What “precision” means in actual numbers
Precision is a number on a drawing, not an adjective. For machined components, the honest tiers look like this: ±0.005 in is everyday standard machining and rarely adds cost; ±0.001 in is the typical hold on critical turned diameters and tight milled features; and ±0.0001-0.0002 in is the realm of ground surfaces and wire EDM, where you’re paying for a separate, slower operation. Knowing which tier your feature actually needs is most of the cost conversation.
The trap is uniform tightness. A part toleranced at ±0.001 in across every dimension costs far more than one that holds ±0.001 in only on the two diameters that mate to a bearing and leaves the rest at ±0.005 in. The function lives in a handful of features; the rest is just holding the part together. Calling that out on the print is the single biggest lever you have on price.
How to spec a print without over-tolerancing it
A clean print does two things: it sets a sane default block tolerance, ±0.005 in is plenty for most surfaces, and then it tightens only the dimensions that earn it. A bearing bore, a slip fit, a sealing face, a locating pin: those get a real tolerance and a callout. Everything else rides the default. If a dimension doesn’t touch another part or a function, it almost never needs to be tight.
Every quote here includes a DFM review at no charge, and over-tolerancing is the first thing it catches. If a callout is quietly expensive, a ±0.0005 in that was meant to be ±0.005 in, a fine finish on a face nobody sees, the quote says so and proposes the cheaper equivalent before any metal moves. That feedback comes back inside the same 24-48 hours as the price.
Inspected against the print, before it ships
A tolerance you can’t verify is a hope, not a spec. Every part is inspected against your drawing before it ships. The critical dimensions you flagged get measured and confirmed to the callout, not eyeballed. Inspection is done by the team and it’s never skipped for speed, including on rush jobs. A fast part that’s out of tolerance is the most expensive kind of part there is.
This matters most where the print and the process meet. Tell the team which dimensions are sacred and they’re measured and reported; mark a fit that has to seat and it’s checked to seat. The drawing is the contract, and inspection is how that contract gets honored before a part ever reaches your bench.
Which process holds which tolerance
Tolerance follows process, so the right component often takes more than one. Milling and turning get you into the ±0.001 in range on critical features. Typical turned diameters hold ±0.001 in, tighter on request. When a feature needs to go past what cutting can repeatably hold, it moves to a finishing operation: grinding for flat and cylindrical surfaces to ±0.0001 in, wire EDM for sharp internal corners, hardened material, and profiles to ±0.0002 in.
People searching for a “metal parts manufacturer” usually want exactly this: one place to send the print and trust that the tolerances come back verified. The brand is a supplier and sourcing partner, not the equipment, but that’s the point of a single point of contact. Components in aluminum, steel, 17-4 PH stainless, titanium, brass, and engineering plastics get quoted, made to spec, inspected, and shipped, with the process matched to the tightest feature on the drawing. The FAQs cover the rest.
Questions
Before you send a job.
01 What tolerances can you actually hold?
±0.005 in is comfortable standard work, ±0.001 in is typical on critical turned diameters and tight milled features, and ground or wire-EDM features reach ±0.0001-0.0002 in. Mark the critical dimensions on your drawing and the part is quoted and inspected to those callouts.
02 How do I avoid over-tolerancing my part?
Set a sensible default, ±0.005 in covers most surfaces, and tighten only the features that mate or function. If a dimension doesn’t touch another part, it rarely needs to be tight. The free DFM review on every quote flags any callout that’s costing you more than the function needs.
03 How are tight tolerances verified before parts ship?
Every part is inspected against your print before it ships. The dimensions you flag as critical are measured and confirmed to the callout by the team, and inspection is never skipped for speed, including on rush jobs.
04 Which process holds the tightest tolerances?
05 I’m looking for a metal parts manufacturer, is that what this is?
That’s the search term, and this is the supplier side of it. MI CNC Parts is a Michigan-based supplier and sourcing partner: send the print, get a quote in 24-48 hours, and the components come back made to spec, inspected against the drawing, and shipped. One point of contact for tight-tolerance metal parts.
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A quote in 24-48 hours, no minimums. Like the quote, and we’ll make your parts and ship them to you.
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