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The numbers, in one place
Six tools and tables we use in the shop when a drawing arrives. Free, no sign up, no email wall. Use them against your own part and bring us the result.
Anodise growth calculator
How much a bore, a shaft, a face or a thread moves when the part is anodised, and what to machine it at.
OpenThread engagement calculator
How deep a thread has to be in aluminium, titanium or plastic before it stops being a consumable.
OpenO-ring groove calculator
Groove depth, width and gland fill for a static face seal, from the cord diameter and the squeeze you want.
OpenUAV material properties
Strength, density, stiffness, thermal conductivity and expansion for the metals and polymers that end up on an airframe.
OpenTolerance and finish reference
What a machine shop actually holds, what each step costs, and which features deserve a call out.
OpenUAV machining glossary
Forty terms that appear on drawings, quotes and inspection reports, in plain language.
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Where these numbers come from
Material properties are typical published values for the alloy or polymer, rounded honestly, the kind of figure you would find in a materials handbook. They describe the material, not your lot. The only number that applies to a real part is the one on its mill certificate, which we send with every order.
Machining figures are what this shop holds in normal production, not a best case from one lucky part. Where a value depends on the part, the tool says so rather than inventing precision it does not have.
Using these with a quote
Run your part through the tools, then send the model with the answers you got. An RFQ that already says the bore is machined undersize for hard anodise, or that the groove came from a 20 percent squeeze, gets a sharper quote and fewer questions back.