Hello Matthieu, I am a production support engineer at Xometry. You mention high-speed steels, HSS type, which indeed do not appear as such in our list for pieces made by CNC machining. We carry out many orders for various customers with high-strength steels, such as 90MnCrV8, 20MnCr5, stainless steel 17-4PH, and many others. For some, a core hardening or carburizing allows to increase the hardness and/or resistance, and we can also make manual quotes if you need an alloy or a post-treatment that does not appear in our standard list. Please note, however, that Xometry is not specialized in making Mill or Turning plate type tools, but for special tools, we have partners in our network who have precision milling and turning tools, which will probably be able to meet your needs. Do not hesitate to consult our sales team in this regard. I hope this can help you, do not hesitate if you have other questions. Pierre-Yves Huet

Hello
Sheet metal forming seems suitable for most of your parts visible in the picture.
For the central tube, I do not see any other appropriate technology, but know that it can be obtained in two ways: by extrusion of rectangular profile or by bending of sheet metal and welding, then sanded. These two processes are common among semi-finished product manufacturers, so it is recommended to inquire about existing standard profiles for the material that interests you. There are profiles that are very widespread and can be supplied regardless of the country of production, others that are rarer and may have to be manufactured on demand, therefore for a much higher price.
In any case, rectangular profiles are very common in the industry, and know that their longitudinal edges are almost always rounded.

As for solidity, it depends on the requested material, but in general it is almost as good as for a machined part, at least in steel.

I hope my answer can help you.

Hello
If the geometry of your piece and its use allow it, you might consider replacing the silicone foam with the PEEK GF material (glass fiber loaded), which can be shaped by CNC machining: it’s a technical polymer with good thermal resistance capabilities, and that can be machined with high precision. You can find its characteristics on our website: https://xometry.pro/fr/materiaux/peek-charge-de-verre/
However, it is an expensive and very rigid material, therefore if you want a flexible material, you will need to search for a flexible plastic material suitable for 3D printing and/or plastic injection that can withstand temperatures above 250°, which we do not know of.

Hello
I work at Xometry as a DFM engineer and production support. The topic of nested files is interesting but their management can vary between sheet part manufacturers, as some have the habit of creating the nesting themselves from the received DXF or 3D files.
Here’s a complete article to explain the advantages of nesting, and shows a case where nested files are cheaper because the used space is reduced, compared to shapes placed next to each other without optimization:
https://xometry.pro/en/articles/sheet-metal-nested-files/

Unfortunately, I do not have the answer as to why the total price of separately encrypted files is almost the same as with a single nested file, but my hypothesis is that the total surface area of material required and edges to be cut are almost identical.
The nesting done by you can make the work easier for a sheet metal worker, especially if it is well done. Here is an excerpt from the article on margins and spacing:
“In the context of laser cutting, it will be necessary to maintain a margin of 6.5 mm, with a spacing of 0.8 mm between each piece”

In conclusion, I would also like to add that our algorithm is regularly updated and improved to provide an ever more accurate and personalized quote, and it’s possible that the automatic quote already uses the nesting model to calculate the total material cost, which may explain why in your case, the prices are almost identical.

Hello
Bead blasting is a common surface finish, particularly for aluminum parts, which can be the final finish or prior to additional protection, such as anodizing, passivation (in the case of steel) or painting. It involves projecting glass beads or other materials onto the surfaces of the treated part, in order to erase machining, cutting or other undesired traces, and to give a satin and matte appearance, very homogeneous.

Generally, this operation affects the few µm on the surface of the part, and can slightly deform the first 10µm. It is therefore common to protect tapped holes, threads and surfaces with very tight tolerances (intervals <20µm), but this is not necessarily mandatory.

When ordering a part from Xometry, for example, it is not necessary to indicate the surfaces to protect, unless this protection is known to be necessary by the customer. For very small and fragile geometric details, for example protruding shapes less than 5 millimeters wide, which could break by hand, it is advised not to proceed with this treatment, due to the pressure of the bead jet.

In terms of mechanical modifications, bead blasting will slightly increase the hardness of the surfaces, but not as much as hard anodizing, with which it can be combined, or tempering or nitriding treatments (for steels).

I hope these information can help you. We also have an article on the subject of surface finishes (here for machined parts, but some apply after other processes): https://xometry.pro/fr/articles/usinage-cnc-finitions/

Hello,
There are several possibilities.
The first is to choose a hard aluminum alloy, such as EN AW-7075, which Xometry offers in its standard materials.
Alternatively, or in addition, it may be recommended to request a type III “hard” sulfuric anodization treatment, which improves surface hardness and protects parts from shocks, scratches, and wear in general.
A standard anodization, type II, may be sufficient, depending on the uses.
More details in this article: https://xometry.pro/en/articles/anodisation-aluminium/

Hello, there are several types of anodizing, the most common being:

• Type II anodizing: sulfuric acid anodizing. This is the standard anodizing at Xometry, and it can be either neutral or colored, which is often chosen as aesthetic post-treatment
• Type III anodizing: hard anodizing. The anodized layer is thicker, resulting in better resistance to wear and external agents, and increasing surface hardness. But this type of anodizing alters the natural color of aluminum and the choice of colors is more restricted.

A more detailed comparison of these types of anodizing is given in this article: https://xometry.pro/fr/articles/anodisation-aluminium/ The aluminum alloys most favorable for a type II anodizing, for a homogeneous aesthetic rendering are the 6000 class alloys, in particular 6061 and 6082. They are also particularly indicated for a hard anodizing, type III. The 5000 class alloys (ex: 5083) and 7000 class (ex: 7075) can also be anodized in type II or III but the aesthetic rendering will be more uncertain, this will depend on the dimensions and which particular alloy. For example, zinc alloys, class 7000, will take on a slightly yellow-brown hue via this treatment.