Frequently Asked Questions

1. What's the advantage of making a part on a screw machine anyway?
The principal advantage of a screw machine over single-spindle machines is the reduction in the time required to machine a part. In contrast to the single-spindle machine, on which one tool at a time is machining on one spindle, the screw machine has tools located at each spindle position where all machining takes place at the same time.

2. What is your minimum run quantity or most economical run quantity?
Part size and quantity play a key role in the machine selection, and must be reviewed on an individual basis. Generally speaking, we like to start with a minimum of 250 parts for our single spindle group; 5,000 for our Small Acme group; 1,500 for our Large Acme group; and 10,000 for our five-spindle group.

3. Can you help with new part designs or suggest changes that would save money on existing parts?
We can offer technical assistance in machining methods, raw material and finish applications. Many times, a slight design change, tolerance review, elimination of secondary machining, etc. will allow a problem part to fit into a low-cost screw machine application. Send us a sketch; we'll take a look.

4. What kinds of materials are you capable of machining?
The following is our "short list" of the most common materials run in all standard, and sometimes irregular, shapes.

• Low/Medium Carbon: 1018, 1117, 11L17, 11L41, 1144, 12L14, 1215, Stressproof, Fatigueproof.
• Alloy Steel: 8620, 86L20, 4140, 41L40/42/47, 41L50.
• Stainless Steel: 203, 303, 304/L, 316/L, 416, 420, 174.
• Aluminum: 2011, 2017, 2024, 6061 and 6062.
• Brass: 360, 353, 464, 485.
• Copper: 145, 147.
• Plastic: Nylon, Delrin, Acetal, Teflon, Polyethylene, Polypropylene and PVC.

5. Do you perform your own secondary operations?
We perform most of our own secondary machining operations, such as milling, drilling, tapping and deburring. For other secondary machining, we subcontract to five St. Louis-based machining companies which include our parent company, Davlan Engineering, Inc. Also, all finish processing such as cylindrical grinding, heat treating, plating, etc. is subcontracted to approved suppliers.

6. Your price looks good for higher quantities, but I don't want to stock that many parts. What can you do?
Barring design changes, we can produce your six-month or annual requirement, inventory your finished parts for up to 12 months, and ship from our stock at monthly, quarterly or six-month releases to match your production schedule.

7. What is your average lead-time?
Normal lead-time is approximately 4 weeks affected by work load & complexity of part configuration. QSMP strives to be your on time producer of production parts.

8. Do you operate on more that one shift?
Currently, we operate on a single shift from 7:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. Central Time. We have plans to add a second shift in the near future.

9. Is your company ISO 9000 certified?
Yes, we are. Quality Screw Machine Products, Inc. is now certified ISO 9001. British Standards Institution auditors determined the company meets International Organization for Standardization requirements for consistently high-quality products and manufacturing processes. View ISO Certificate

QUALITY SCREW MACHINE PRODUCTS, INC. 4017 N. Broadway -- St. Louis, MO 63147 -- (314) 621-7758 -- Fax (314) 621-5510 www.qualityscrewmachine.com -- info@qualityscrewmachine.com Copyright © Quality Screw Machine Products, Inc.