Without them, the world as we know it would probably cease to function, and yet most people carry on their lives without ever giving them a second thought. It is difficult to think of many areas of our everyday existence that do not rely upon machined parts in order to function and they make otherwise difficult tasks simple and straightforward. Yet we barely give them a thought as we live our lives, and despite the fact that we trust them implicitly with our safety and well-being, many people have no idea they are there.  A simple trip to a large shopping centre can involve various short journeys on escalators and elevators that are comprised of many moving, carefully machined parts, which if they were to fail would cause possibly catastrophic results. Yet we put our trust in these parts, and rightly so.

Consider the average home in the UK:- Everything from kitchen appliances and furniture, UPVC windows and doors, plumbing and electrical fittings, electronic items such as televisions, computers and telephones, and even the locks on the doors are reliant on machined parts which are made from a variety of metals and plastics. Look outside at the family car and you will see a prime example of something that has become so reliable and therefore taken for granted simply because it has so many quality machined parts in it. Even within ourselves, you can find evidence this; complex replacement joints such as hip joints are all produced using the same methods as are used when producing parts for the suspension on a motor car.

Broken leg victims who need their bones to be pinned or held together with screws and plates may well give thanks and praise to the skills of the surgeons who put the parts in, but how many consider the skill required to produce those high precision machined parts that may literally hold them together? Those quality components have to be made with the utmost care in all aspects of their production, because the consequences are dire if they are not. This is why many precision engineers spend as long as most doctors, lawyers and vets in their initial training, between 5 and 7 years on average.

So is it so difficult to machine a material to produce a precision machined part? The answer is no, if you have the skills and experience that are gained from working in the industry for a number of years. Combine this with heavy investment in the latest machine tools and equipment and you are on the road to success. The fundamental reason why one material will cut another is straightforward enough; a hard material will cut a softer one. After that however, there are a huge number of variables to consider. The size, material and geometry of the tool being used to cut with, the feeds and speeds used to cut, how to hold the two parts, and many other infinitely variable data needs to be considered. Every one of these variables needs to be selected carefully for best results, and if only one of them is wrong, the results can often be very expensive, with many thousands of pounds worth of equipment and materials destroyed. Skilled precision engineers, such as those at Machined Precision Components Ltd. in Watton Norfolk, have the ability to produce the most complex and precise machined parts imaginable, and all at a competitive price. As Quality Director David Isbell says “We have experience in machining all materials from plastics up to stainless steels and high grade alloys. We can produce detailed 3 dimensional profiles, complex screw threads and engraving.”

Our lives are affected and controlled by machined parts in many ways every day, yet we barely notice them. So next time you are out shopping, or using one of the many labour-saving devices within your own home, give a little thought to those vitally important yet virtually invisible machined parts that make your life so much easier!