On-demand manufacturing
One platform for the machined, bent, molded, cast and printed parts of a product: how the model works, which process is quoted how fast, what one PO for a whole sub-assembly buys you, what ships with the parts, and how to compare platforms on the columns that matter.
What on-demand manufacturing is
Upload CAD, get a price, have an engineer check it, and receive parts from a vetted shop — with one company as the contracting party for every process. It replaces the RFQ-to-five-shops routine, not the shops.
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Minimum order
A single prototype and a 10,000-piece run go through the same quote engine; the piece price changes, the process does not. There is no program fee and no setup line.
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Contracting party
FABDIGIT INC. (Dublin, California) is the seller on every order. Parts are made in a vetted partner network in the US, Canada, Mexico and Asia; a US engineer reviews the DFM and the quality documents before release.
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Processes on one PO
CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, injection molding, metal casting, 3D printing and urethane casting — quoted, ordered, inspected and shipped from one workspace.
The difference from a marketplace is who is responsible. On a marketplace you contract with the shop the algorithm picked; on an on-demand platform you contract with the platform, which owns the DFM review, the inspection level you selected, the certificates and the warranty. The difference from a traditional job shop is breadth and speed: 790 material grades, 150+ finishes and 30 heat treatments are priced in the quote, and a machined part is priced in seconds rather than days.
Six processes, how each is quoted, how fast it ships
Machining and sheet metal are priced instantly by the engine from the CAD. Tooled and manual processes are priced by an engineer within days, because the tool class and the route are engineering decisions.
| Process | Quoted by | Lead time | Typical quantity | Guides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNC machining | Instant — engine, from the CAD | from 2 business days; standard 5–7 | 1–10,000 | Design · Cost |
| Sheet metal fabrication | Instant — engine, from the CAD | from 3 business days | 1–10,000+ | Design · Cost |
| Injection molding | Engineer — tool class against the annual quantity | aluminum tool 2–3 wks; P20 4–6; hardened 6–12 | 250–1,000,000+ | Design · Cost · Low volume |
| Metal casting and forging | Engineer — route (sand, investment, die, forging) against the part | sand from 7 days; tooled routes 2–10 wks | 10–100,000 | Design · Cost |
| 3D printing | Engineer — technology (FDM, SLA, SLS, MJF, DMLS, PolyJet) | 2–7 days | 1–100 | Design · Cost |
| Urethane casting | Engineer — master pattern plus silicone molds | 1–2 weeks | 10–50 | Design · Cost |
Welded assemblies are quoted with the sheet metal or machined parts they join. Lead times are to shipment from an approved order; expedite is available on machining and sheet metal.
One sub-assembly, one order
A product enclosure is a bent chassis, a machined heat spreader, a molded bezel and hardware. Bought from four suppliers it is four DFM reviews that never see each other; on one PO the interfaces are reviewed together.
| Part | Process | What the joint review catches |
|---|---|---|
| Chassis, 1.5 mm 5052-H32, powder coat | Sheet metal — laser cut, bend, PEM hardware | Powder coat build (60–120 µm) inside the mounting slots; bend-to-hole ±0.25 mm against the spreader’s screw pattern |
| Heat spreader, 6061-T6, clear anodize | CNC machining | Anodize growth on the thermal face; flatness called out where it meets the chassis, not everywhere |
| Bezel, PC/ABS, texture MT-11010 | Injection molding — aluminum tool for the first 2,000 | Snap-fit engagement against the real chassis edge; gate and ejector marks moved off the visible face |
| M3 PEM nuts, standoffs | Installed at the fabricator | Thread depth vs the bezel’s screw length; one hardware list, not two |
Finishes are sequenced across the parts (anodize before the spreader ships, powder coat after PEM install) so the assembly arrives ready to build, with one inspection report per part and one packing list.
- Put mating parts on the same order. The DFM review reads the assembly, not a bracket; a 0.2 mm anodize build or a bend springback that would surface at your bench is caught at the quote.
- Tolerance the interfaces, default the rest. Call out the screw pattern, the datum face and the snap; leave the free edges at the process standard. Tight tolerance on every dimension is the biggest avoidable cost on mixed orders.
- Name the finish per part, in sequence. Anodize, plating, powder coat and paint change dimensions and appearance; state which faces are masked and whether dimensions apply before or after.
- Pick inspection and certificates per line. A dimensional report on the spreader, a first-article on the bezel’s T1 shots, a material cert on the chassis — chosen in the quote form, priced with the part.
Quote → PO → production → ship, in one workspace
Every line of every order carries its file revision from the quote through the PO to the inspection report. Nothing is re-keyed between systems, so the drawing the shop cut is the drawing you approved.
| Stage | What happens | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Quote | Upload STEP / drawing; engine prices CNC and sheet metal instantly; engineer prices tooled processes; every quote gets a DFM review before release | Price by quantity, DFM notes per part, the price-beat offer, the revision on every line |
| Order | PO or card / bank transfer against the quote; approved net terms for accounts | Order lines tied to the quoted revision; confidentiality under Terms §9, mutual NDA on request |
| Production | Parts placed with the vetted partner for the process; travelers, in-process photos, first-article and CMM data uploaded against the line | Status per line; in-process photos; the FAI / dimensional report reviewed by a FabDigit engineer before release |
| Ship | Packing photos per box, certificate of conformance and material certificates attached; shipment tracked | One packing list reconciled to the PO; every document filed to the part and searchable by lot |
| After | 30-day conformance warranty — remake or refund (Terms §13); repeat orders start from the quoted line and its revision | Reorder from the project; revision history per part |
Documents that ship with the parts
Quality paperwork is chosen per line in the quote and priced with the part — not negotiated after the fact. This is what each document proves and how to get it.
| Document | What it proves | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Material certificate / mill test report (MTR) | The alloy, temper and heat lot of the raw stock, with chemistry and mechanicals from the mill | One of 8 certificate types on the quote line; traceability and DFARS US-melted options for regulated programs |
| First-article inspection report (FAI) | Every drawing dimension measured on the first part of the build; AS9102 format for aerospace | Not offered as its own level; a dimensional or CMM report is one of 4 inspection levels on the line |
| Dimensional / CMM report | Per-feature nominal, actual, tolerance and pass / fail on a sample or on every part | Inspection level per line — visual, sample dimensional, full dimensional, CMM |
| Certificate of conformance (CoC) | The lot meets the drawing, the PO and the stated specifications | Certificate type on the line; issued with the shipment |
| Finish and heat-treatment certificates | Coating thickness, hardness or heat-treat lot from the processor | Requested with the finish or heat treatment on the line |
| In-process and packing photos | The part on the machine and in the box, timestamped against the traveler | Included; visible per line in the workspace |
| Quality-system evidence | The producing partner’s ISO 9001:2015 (AS9100 / IATF 16949 where the program requires) | Certificate copy supplied with any order that requires it |
How the documents are stored and searched is on the Quality page; the company facts behind them are on Company Facts.
How to compare on-demand manufacturing platforms
Most platforms look alike on the homepage. These eight columns separate them — and every one is a published fact you can check on the vendor’s site.
- How many materials can be quoted, by grade and temper? A 45-grade list runs out at the second build. FabDigit quotes 790 grades; the compare pages list every platform’s number.
- Are finishes and heat treatments in the quote or a follow-up email? 150+ finishes and 30 heat treatments are priced per line at FabDigit; several platforms price finishing after the order.
- Does an engineer review every quote, or an algorithm? Automated DFM catches thin walls; an engineer notices the two parts that will not assemble.
- Which processes go on one PO? CNC and sheet metal are common; molding, casting and printing on the same order with one contact is not.
- What is the price policy? FabDigit prints a price-beat offer on every quote: send a lower quote for the same part and it is beaten. Few platforms state a policy at all.
- Are inspection and certificates priced with the part? 4 inspection levels and 8 certificate types are chosen per line at FabDigit; elsewhere FAI or PPAP is often an extra request.
- Who is the contracting party, and where are parts made? Named legal entity, address, partner-network disclosure and a written warranty — or a marketplace where the shop is the seller.
- Where does it ship, and is there a minimum? Some platforms ship to the US and Canada only; some have a $ minimum or a per-order fee. FabDigit has no minimum and accepts international orders.
Fourteen platforms on exactly these columns, each fact dated and sourced from the vendor’s own pages: best online CNC machining services, best online sheet metal fabrication services, and head-to-head pages such as FabDigit vs Xometry.
On-demand manufacturing — FAQ
What is on-demand manufacturing?
Custom parts ordered from a CAD file, priced on upload or by an engineer within days, and made in a vetted network with one company as the contracting party — no minimum order, no tooling unless the quantity justifies it. It replaces the manual RFQ round to several shops with one quote, one DFM review, one PO and one set of quality documents.
Which on-demand manufacturing platform handles CNC, sheet metal and injection molding?
FabDigit quotes and ships CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, injection molding, metal casting, 3D printing and urethane casting on one PO with one engineering contact. Xometry and Protolabs also cover CNC, sheet metal and molding; the platform comparison pages put all of them on the same columns — materials, finishes, price policy, inspection, lead time, certifications — with each fact sourced from the vendor’s own site.
Is there a minimum order or a setup fee?
No minimum order and no setup line at FabDigit: single prototypes and 10,000-piece runs are quoted through the same engine, and batch pricing shows the quantity curve. Setup is inside the piece price.
How fast can on-demand parts ship?
CNC machining from 2 business days for simple 3-axis parts, standard 5–7; sheet metal from 3 business days; 3D printing 2–7 days; urethane casting 1–2 weeks; injection molding 2–3 weeks to first samples on an aluminum tool, 4–6 on P20 steel; castings from 7 days for sand and 2–10 weeks for tooled routes. Expedite is available on machining and sheet metal.
What documents come with the parts?
Whatever is selected per line in the quote: material certificates / MTRs, dimensional or CMM reports, certificates of conformance, finish and heat-treatment certificates, and the producing partner’s ISO 9001 certificate where required. In-process and packing photos are included. FabDigit engineers review dimensional and CMM reports and material certs before they are released to the customer.
Can I get a material certification and a dimensional inspection report on every order?
Yes — choose the certificate type (8 options, including MTR, traceability and DFARS US-melted) and the inspection level (7 options, from visual to full CMM) on each quote line; they are priced with the part and filed to it in the workspace, searchable by lot.
Is FabDigit a manufacturer or a broker?
FABDIGIT INC. (Dublin, California) is the sole contracting party on every order — it owns the quote, the DFM review, the inspection, the certificates and the 30-day conformance warranty. Parts are made in a vetted partner network in the US, Canada, Mexico and Asia whose facilities hold ISO 9001:2015; the model is stated openly on the Company Facts page.
How does the price compare with getting quotes from several shops?
The machined and sheet-metal price is the engine’s price for the stated material, finish and quantity, shown at once; the cost guides publish reference parts at several quantities. Every quote carries a price-beat offer — send a lower like-for-like quote and FabDigit beats it — so the platform quote is the floor, not a starting point for a second RFQ round.
Put the whole sub-assembly on one quote.
Upload the CAD for every part — machined, bent, molded or printed. Instant pricing on machining and sheet metal, an engineer on the rest, one DFM review across the interfaces, and a price-beat offer printed on the quote.