TCI Precision Metals has expanded its offering of Standard Machine-Ready Blanks and added a new, easy to use, online store, www.shop.tciprecision.com. Customers can now search and select from more than 1,700 standard sizes, alloy, and tolerance configurations. On-hand inventory is ready for quick delivery to meet short deadlines in low quantities, using the easy-to-search online store. The online store also offers aluminum drops (remnants), and precision vise jaws. 

“TCI Precision Metals has long been a resource for custom precision machined blanks designed to eliminate material prep and reduce cycle times in production machining. Custom size precision machine-ready blanks and large volume production pricing are always available, but when standard sizes and tolerances are a fit, our new online sourcing and purchasing option is fast and cost effective,” said Ben Belzer, president and COO of TCI Precision Metals. 

Standard Machine-Ready Blanks are pre-machined materials produced square, flat, and parallel, making them ready for finish machining, and eliminating the need for in-house material prep. Two types of Standard Blanks are available in pre-configured dimension and alloy combinations:

2-Side Precision Blanks— Each blank is precision ground or milled 2-sides for thickness and flatness to +/-.002????. Width and length are saw cut or waterjet cut to +/-.060???? 

6-Side Precision Blanks— Each blank is precision ground or milled 2-sides for thickness and flatness and milled 4-sides for width and length. All dimensions +/-.002???? 

When larger quantities are required, or tolerances need to be even tighter, net- or near-net size, custom machine-ready blanks provide all the benefits of standard blanks but are produced to customer specified dimensions as close as - +/-.0005???? dimensionally and as close as .002???? in flatness, squareness, and parallelism.  

By starting with machine-ready blanks you eliminate the need for specialized machines or tying up machines that are better served performing other operations. Bottlenecks created by time consuming setup and squaring operations are avoided, saving even more time. This increases shop capacity without adding overhead.

Machine-ready blanks arrive deburred, cleaned and vacuum packaged to eliminate the possibility of any damage in handling and shipping, and are ready to go directly from receiving into the customer’s CNC machining center. By ending prep time and minimizing setup time, your operators and machines get to the high-value work of finish machining, faster. Consistent tolerances from blank-to-blank reduce operator and machine time spent adjusting setups and work holding fixtures, which saves valuable spindle time.

Machine-ready blanks are made flat and designed to stay that way. Flatness is especially important as it eliminates the tendency for movement during the machining process, especially with large surface area parts. Demand for flat material that resists movement during machining is high for two reasons, one, part movement can turn parts into scrap, and two, creating flat material, on your shop floor, that resists movement is harder than many people might think. The top and bottom surfaces of machine-ready blanks are processed simultaneously, which maintains flatness and reduces hidden stress introduced into the material during milling.