Confidently transition from concept to component with expert design input that ensures efficiency, quality, and ease of manufacture.
Need help turning your product design into something that can be manufactured efficiently? Our experienced engineers work closely with designers and product developers to refine manufacturing designs, helping improve both cost and performance.
We can also support with reverse engineering and create clear machining drawings so your parts are easy to manufacture, repeatable, and priced right.
Design for manufacture, often called DfM, is a process that optimises part design for cost-effective and reliable production. It focuses on simplifying part features, material choices, and tolerances to achieve the best machining results. DfM ensures your parts are easier to make, saving time and cost without sacrificing performance.
Our design for manufacture service is here to make your components easier and more cost-effective to produce. We work with your initial drawings, sketches, or 3D CAD files to review every detail of your design. You’ll receive markups, updated CAD models, and clear documentation to help you move forward with confidence.
We work with common 2D file formats like PDF and DXF, as well as 3D models like STEP files. Our engineers also accept physical samples or basic sketches to reverse engineer into precise machining drawings. You get a complete, production-ready package that ensures your parts meet your needs and your budget.
Our design for manufacture process ensures that your parts are ready for efficient, cost-effective machining.
Here’s how it works:
Start by sharing a brief overview of your component or assembly.
You can get in touch via our quote form, email, or a quick phone call.
We’ll ask for drawings or concept sketches, functional requirements, materials, volumes, and any challenges you’re facing so we can quickly assess how we can help.
We’ll set up a no-obligation call with one of our experienced engineers to better understand your design goals, constraints, and commercial objectives.
Whether you're working on a new product or need help refining an existing one, this is your opportunity to get engineering-led input before production.
Based on your requirements, we’ll provide a clear and detailed quote outlining the scope of work.
This will include deliverables (such as drawings or optimised models), timescales, and pricing.
We’ll also confirm if the design is suitable for CNC machining or if improvements could make it more efficient to produce.
Once approved, our engineering team will begin refining your design for manufacture.
We focus on improving tolerance stack-ups, reducing complexity, ensuring machinability, and selecting appropriate geometries for cost-effective machining.
We keep you involved throughout by sharing updates, discussing options, and making sure the design aligns with your goals.
When your design is finalised, we’ll present it to you for review.
You’ll receive fully detailed manufacturing drawings and, if required, CAD files for integration into your wider assemblies.
We’ll make any final adjustments based on your feedback, ensuring everything is production-ready and meets your expectations.
Our Design for Manufacture service gives you more than just advice—it gives you complete, production-ready documentation to move your project forward with clarity and control.
Whether you’re refining a concept or preparing for full production, you’ll receive the assets you need to machine with confidence.
No, you don’t need a finished CAD model to get started with our design for manufacture service. We can work from PDF drawings or physical samples. Our team will create detailed machining drawings to support your project.
Our design for manufacturing services can be included in your machining quote depending on the complexity of your project. In most cases, we’ll provide a separate quote for DfM work. This ensures you get clear pricing and accurate planning.
The turnaround time depends on the complexity of your part and the extent of the changes required. Most design revisions are completed within a few days to a week. We’ll confirm timelines once we’ve reviewed your drawings or models and understand your project in more detail.
Yes, we only offer our DfM expertise if we’re machining your part. Many customers use our DfM insights to finalise their designs before placing their order with us. Our goal is to help you get the best results, and we believe you get that with Penta.