RFL Engineering — Low-volume, obsolete and difficult-to-source mechanical components

01

From problem to finished component

Most of the parts we handle are not in a catalogue. They are out of production, needed in small numbers, or were last made by a supplier who no longer exists. We take whatever you have and turn it into a manufactured, inspected component you can fit.

Drawing

You have a drawing

Original or redrawn, any age, any drawing standard. We check it for completeness, resolve missing tolerances and finishes with you, and issue a drawing suitable for manufacture.
Sample

You have a physical sample

Worn, broken or intact. We measure it, establish what the original dimensions and material were likely to be, and produce a drawing and model that you own.
Requirement

You have a requirement, not a part

An interface, an envelope, a load and an environment. We design the component to suit, make it, and prove it against the drawing before it leaves.

02

Three ways to work with us

A

Build to Print

You supply a complete drawing. We review it for manufacturability, select the process and the supplier, manufacture, inspect and deliver to drawing.

Inputs: 2D drawing, 3D model where available, material and finish specification, quantity.
Output: Finished parts to drawing. Inspection report and material certification where specified.

B

Reverse Engineering

You have a part but no usable drawing, or a drawing that no longer matches what is fitted. We measure, model, establish material and tolerances, and produce documentation you own.

Inputs: Physical sample in any condition. Photographs, partial drawings or maintenance notes help but are not required.
Output: Manufacturing drawing and CAD model, then parts made to them.

C

Design & Manufacture

You have a problem rather than a part. We design a component around the constraints, prototype where it reduces risk, and manufacture the production quantity.

Inputs: Mating parts or interfaces, loads, envelope, operating environment, quantity and target cost.
Output: Design pack, drawings and finished parts.

03

Difficult to source?
Send it to us.

If the part has been discontinued, the original maker has gone, or the lead time you have been quoted runs to months, send it to us. We will tell you plainly whether we can make it, how, and roughly what it will cost.

What to send

The part itself, or the best drawing you have
Quantity now, and likely repeat quantity
Material, if known, and where the part fits
Photographs are enough to start a conversation

Send Us a Part

PHOTO 02 — Worn or obsolete component alongside its newly machined replacement, dark background

04

Capabilities

RFL Engineering is an engineering business, not a machine shop. Design, measurement and inspection are done by us. Machining, casting and finishing are placed with specialist UK manufacturers chosen for the process, material and tolerance each part needs.

PHOTO 03 — Component under measurement: height gauge, micrometer or CMM probe, close-up

Mechanical design: Component and assembly design. Drawings to BS 8888 with geometric tolerancing where it matters. Material and finish selection. Design for the process that will actually make the part.
Reverse engineering: Dimensional measurement of existing parts. CAD modelling and drawing production. Material identification arranged where the original specification is unknown. Recovery of design intent from worn or damaged samples.
CNC-machined components: Turned and milled components in carbon and alloy steels, stainless steels, aluminium alloys, copper alloys and engineering plastics. One-off and prototype through to batch quantities.
Cast and machined components: Sand and investment castings in iron, steel, aluminium and bronze. Pattern and tooling arranged as part of the job. Castings fully machined to finished dimensions and supplied ready to fit.
Inspection: Dimensional inspection to drawing before dispatch. Inspection reports, certificates of conformity and material certification supplied where the order calls for them.
Managed manufacture: One engineer, one purchase order, one point of responsibility. We select the supplier, control the drawing, manage the schedule and inspect the result, so you are not managing a subcontract chain yourself.

05

How a job runs

Every job follows the same five stages, whether it is one replacement bush or a batch of cast and machined housings. You see the drawing before anything is made and the inspection result before anything is shipped.

No.	Stage	What happens	You receive
1	Understand	What the part does, what it must fit, what failed and why. We ask the questions before we quote.	Confirmed scope and a quotation
2	Engineer	Drawing checked or produced. Material, tolerances and finish fixed. Process chosen to suit quantity and cost.	Drawing for approval
3	Manufacture	Placed with the right specialist manufacturer. Schedule managed by us, with progress reported to you.	Progress updates
4	Verify	Inspected against the drawing. Reports and certification compiled where required.	Inspection report, certificates where specified
5	Deliver	Packed, delivered and documented. Drawings and models handed over so the part can be made again.	Finished parts and documentation

06

Why RFL Engineering

Set up for small quantities, awkward parts and the paperwork that comes with them.

PHOTO 04 — Batch of finished machined parts on a bench, with drawing and inspection sheet

Small quantities are the business, not an inconvenience. A one-off replacement or a batch of twenty gets the same engineering attention as a production order. We are set up for it deliberately, and our suppliers are chosen because they are too.

One engineer, start to finish. The person who understands your part is the person who quotes it, places it, inspects it and answers the phone about it. There is no hand-off between sales, engineering and production because they are the same desk.

You own the documentation. Drawings and models produced for your job are yours. If you want to source the part elsewhere next time, you can. We would rather earn the repeat order than lock it in.

Process matched to the part. Because we are not tied to one workshop, we choose casting, machining, fabrication or a combination on merit rather than on what happens to be on the shop floor.

Straight answers. If a part cannot be made economically, or a drawing will not work as issued, we say so early and suggest what will.

07

Request a quote

Contact

Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 07879979263
Location: Chippenham, Wiltshire
Hours: 8:30am - 5pm Monday-Friday

What happens next

We acknowledge every enquiry. Simple build-to-print work is normally quoted within a few working days. Reverse engineering and design work is quoted after we have seen the part or discussed the requirement with you.

Samples can be posted or collected by arrangement. They are returned with the finished parts.

Difficult parts.Engineered and supplied.