Product example
Agricultural Equipment Drive Components
A gear-shaped agricultural machinery reference with a shaped central opening. Review mating geometry, duty and material requirements.
SINTS / Product category
Custom OEM metal components by MIM, PM and machining
Custom OEM metal components are parts that do not fit a standard category — agricultural equipment drive parts, personal-care hardware, custom structural links and mechanisms that span several applications. SINTS reviews these from the drawing, comparing metal injection molding (MIM), powder metallurgy (PM), gear manufacturing, machining and hybrid routes before recommending any of them.
Product examples
Product example
Beauty Device Rings and Metal Fittings
A ring-shaped hardware reference with an exterior finish. Define its locating surfaces, attachment and appearance requirements.
Product example
Stainless Steel Razor Handle
A shaped handle with grip and connection features. Separate appearance, grip surfaces and the head attachment in the specification.
Product example
Custom Powder Metal Structural Links
Paired structural forms with eyes and shaped ends. The drawing should identify the load path, holes and mating contacts.
Examples from the SINTS product catalog, shown for component identification. These are custom parts, not stock specifications. Dimensions, material, supply scope and acceptance requirements are confirmed from your project drawing.
All 11 product references
Complete Custom OEM Metal Components Catalog
Explore each component in detail, including its interfaces, manufacturing review and drawing requirements.
Custom equipment & personal-care parts
A closer look at the parts
Razor handles: coordinate geometry and the finished surface
The handle reference combines an exterior grip with an attachment feature. Mark the visible surfaces and the interfaces to the head, and provide finish expectations. A drawing review can compare how to form the body while retaining the necessary finishing of critical features.
Custom parts: start with function and a complete drawing
The agricultural and structural examples represent different shapes and uses, not a shared specification. State what the part does, how it mounts and which dimensions control its function. Standard and specialty material requests are reviewed individually for the proposed route.
What to define for a similar component
The part drawing and its assembly determine the manufacturing route and the inspection plan.
Drawing definition
Drawing revision, 3D model, datums, critical dimensions and mating components.
Material & environment
Required material properties, operating conditions and any special material request.
Finish & assembly
Appearance, coating, contact surfaces and fits in the final condition.
Production plan
Prototype needs, expected quantities, inspection records and packaging.
Specification Reference
OEM component specifications, process limits and project timing
Three reference tables that cut across part families: the full grade set available for OEM work, where each forming route stops, and how a component moves from drawing to first article.
Grade set available for OEM components
| Grade | Condition | Yield / UTS (MPa) | Elong. | Hardness | Density (g/cm³) | Why it is used here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 316L | Sintered | 250 / 498 | 40% | 110–160 HV | 7.75 | Corrosion first. Medical, food, marine and wash-down parts; the grade to reach for when the environment is the constraint. |
| 17-4PH | Sintered → aged | 720 / 900 → 1070 / 1160 | 11% → 7% | 20–25 → 35–45 HRC | 7.50 | The general-purpose high-strength stainless. One alloy covers a lot of OEM work because the ageing treatment sets the strength. |
| 4605 (Fe-2Ni) | Sintered → heat treated | 500 / 700 → 1425 / 1610 | 11% → 3% | 70–100 HRB → 45–50 HRC | 7.50 | Cost-effective strength for structure parts. The cheapest route to a hardened part in this set. |
| 4140 (42CrMo4) | Heat treated | 1400 / 1405 | 5% | 40–45 HRC | 7.50 | Through-hardened shafts, gears and high-load fasteners with a well-known heat-treat response. |
| 440C | Sintered | 1550 / 1750 | 1% | 58–62 HRC | 7.50 | The wear extreme: blades, nozzles, bearing parts. Only where 1% elongation is acceptable. |
| Ti-6Al-4V (TC4) | Sintered | 950 / ≤1764 | 10–15% | 30–36 HRC | 4.50 | Weight-critical work. Feedstock runs roughly five to ten times stainless, so it is specified when mass or biocompatibility decides. |
This is the working set, not the whole catalogue: the materials page carries thirteen grades including aluminium, copper and zinc, and additional materials can be evaluated per project. The grade named on the drawing is often not the cheapest one that meets the requirement — that comparison belongs in the quotation.
Process limits that decide the route
| Requirement | Powder compaction | MIM | What it means here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geometry complexity | Axial pressing; undercuts and cross-holes need a second operation | Moulds complex 3D geometry, undercuts and cross-holes in one piece | The single biggest route decision, and the one most often made on habit rather than on the drawing |
| Wall section | Set by fill, ejection and green strength; reviewed per part | 1–3 mm works comfortably; below about 0.5 mm cavity fill is at risk | Thin walls plus complex geometry is where MIM is the only forming answer |
| General dimension, as sintered | Roughly ±0.3–0.5% of the dimension | Roughly ±0.3–0.5% of the dimension | The same percentage gives very different absolute values on a 3 mm feature and a 60 mm one |
| Features tighter than about ±0.05 mm | Sizing or machining | Machining after sintering | Plan the finishing operation into the drawing review, not into the corrective action afterwards |
| Density and its consequence | Density follows compacting pressure and mass distribution | Same, with more freedom in geometry | Threads rolled, wear faces and pressure-tight parts all depend on density before they depend on alloy |
| Economic volume | Tooling-led; reviewed against annual demand | Tooling-led; reviewed against annual demand | As a rule of thumb, below a few thousand pieces a year, machining usually wins on total cost |
Percentage tolerances follow the published MIM tolerance note and are planning arithmetic. The press tonnages, thermal capacity and inspection instruments behind these limits are listed on the capabilities page, so the claim can be checked rather than taken on trust.
From drawing to first article
| Stage | Typical lead time | What you receive | What we need from you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drawing review and DFM feedback | Issued with the quotation | Feature-by-feature route proposal, tolerance and finishing notes, and the open points that must be answered before tooling | 2D drawing with tolerances and datums, STEP model, target annual volume, material or the performance requirement |
| Tooling | 25–30 days as quoted on recent programs | Mould or die built and released to trial condition | Approval of the DFM report and confirmation of the alloy |
| T0 samples | 7–10 days after tooling release as quoted on recent programs | Parts plus a dimensional report against the drawing | Agreed inspection plan and datum scheme |
| Sizing, finishing and heat treatment | Runs inside or immediately after the sample stage | Sized and finished parts, hardness and density results where specified | Which features must be held after sintering, and which may be finished |
| First-article report | With the first approved samples | Dimensions, material, hardness and density measured in-house rather than subcontracted | Drawing with the critical characteristics marked |
| Production release | After sample approval | Serial production to the agreed inspection plan | Confirmed annual volume, MOQ and packaging |
Tooling and sample durations above are the lead times quoted on recent programs of comparable size, not a standard promise; the schedule for a specific part is confirmed with its quotation. Every result in the first-article report is measured on the instruments listed on the capabilities page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Custom OEM metal components are parts built to a customer drawing rather than to a standard category. These answers cover how the manufacturing route is chosen, what materials can be considered and how to start.
What makes a part a custom OEM component?
It is a part defined by your drawing rather than by a catalogue entry — a drive component for a specific machine, a personal-care fitting, a structural link or a mechanism part that belongs to one program. The distinction matters because the review starts from function and interfaces rather than from an existing example, and the process route is chosen afterwards.
How does SINTS choose between MIM, PM, machining and a hybrid route?
By comparing the part's geometry, material, annual volume, critical interfaces and finishing needs rather than by promoting one process. Near-net shaping is worth evaluating when the geometry has complexity that would otherwise require several operations and the volume supports tooling; machining remains the reference when volume is low, accuracy is extreme or the design may still change. Hybrid routes are common when a functional surface has to be finished after forming.
What materials can be considered for a custom part?
Stainless steel grades including 316L, low-alloy and sinter-hardening steels, soft-magnetic alloys and other powder-metallurgy material families can be reviewed depending on the required strength, corrosion resistance, wear behaviour and magnetic properties. The material is selected against the application requirement and the process route together, and the final grade is confirmed for the specific program rather than assumed from the family name.
What should be on the drawing before a review starts?
The part definition, the functional features and datums, tolerances tied to their function, the material or property requirements, the surface and finishing requirements, the mating parts and interfaces, annual volume and any applicable standard or documentation requirement. A complete drawing shortens the review considerably, because it lets the route be proposed against stated requirements instead of assumptions.
How do appearance and assembly requirements affect the route?
They can decide it. A visible surface or a controlled appearance standard may require a specific finishing operation regardless of how the body is formed, and an assembly with tight alignment may need a machined locating feature after sintering. Where appearance or assembly matters, it belongs in the request from the start so the route and the inspection plan are built around it.
Discuss your component
Start with your drawing
Send your 2D/3D drawing, part function, material and finish requirements, target quantity and sample timeline.