cad file requirements
Drawing & CAD File Requirements — STEP, IGES, DWG, DXF
Cad file requirements — what buyers and engineers need to know before placing a custom machining order.
Upload your drawing (STEP, IGES, DWG, DXF, PDF) — we return DFM feedback and a quote within 24 hours.
Overview
Getting a fast, accurate quote for a machined part starts with the file you send. These cad file requirements cover the formats we accept — STEP, IGES, DWG, DXF and PDF — and the five annotations that let us return a quote and DFM feedback within 24 hours. A complete file means fewer questions back and forth, and a lead time that starts the day you send it.
We machine from your drawing on our own floor in Qidong — see our factory — across aluminium, stainless steel, steel, brass and copper and titanium. The file is the contract, so the clearer it is, the tighter the quote.
Engineers and purchasing teams use this page as a checklist before sending a file, because a complete package is the difference between a quote in 24 hours and a back-and-forth that costs days of lead time.
How it works step by step
The flow is short. First, you send the files: STEP or IGES for solid geometry, DWG or DXF for 2D profiles, and a PDF of the dimensioned drawing. Second, we review the geometry and the annotations below and flag anything ambiguous. Third, we return DFM feedback and a quote within 24 hours, stating tolerances and lead time. Fourth, on your approval, we program and machine — samples in 5–10 days, production in 25–35 days. At every step, a clear file keeps the loop to one pass: send, review, quote.
CAD file requirements: formats and annotations
The formats we accept are STEP, IGES, DWG, DXF and PDF. STEP and IGES carry the solid model and are the most useful for machining; DWG and DXF carry 2D profiles; PDF carries the dimensioned, annotated drawing. If you only have one of them, send it — but a 3D model plus a dimensioned PDF answers most questions up front.
Five annotations turn a drawing into an order. Mark the material (for example 6061 aluminium or 316L stainless), the quantity you need, the surface finish (raw machined, anodizing or another finish), the key tolerances (ISO 2768-m general and ±0.01 mm on the features that matter), and the thread standard (metric or inch, with the specific thread specification where it matters). With those five, we can quote without a round of questions.
Common mistakes to avoid
The mistakes that slow a quote are consistent. A drawing with no material leaves us asking which alloy you mean. No quantity means we cannot state the MOQ position or the production lead time. A “standard thread” note without the standard leaves metric versus inch unresolved. An unstated tolerance leaves the general tolerance to guesswork — say ISO 2768-m or mark the dimensions. And a PDF with no dimensions, or a model with mixed millimeter and inch units, forces a clarification round before the quote.
The pattern behind all of them is the same: an assumption that we can read what is not written. We quote from what the drawing states, so the fewer assumptions, the faster and more accurate the price. Send the five annotations and we quote in 24 hours.
Frequently asked questions
What file formats do you accept?
STEP, IGES, DWG, DXF and PDF. STEP and IGES carry the solid model, DWG and DXF carry 2D profiles, and PDF carries the dimensioned, annotated drawing.
Do I need a 3D model and a PDF?
Both is ideal — the model for geometry and the PDF for annotations — but send what you have. One complete file is enough to start a quote.
What must my drawing include?
Five annotations: material, quantity, surface finish, key tolerances, and the thread standard. With those five, we can quote without a round of questions.
What if I only have a sketch?
Send it as a PDF. We will quote from a dimensioned sketch, but expect a clarification round if dimensions or material are missing.
What units do you work in?
Both metric and inch. Mark which the drawing uses — a mixed or unmarked unit file forces a clarification before the quote.
How fast do you quote from a complete file?
Within 24 hours, with DFM feedback on tolerance, material and lead time.
What tolerance should I mark?
ISO 2768-m for general dimensions and ±0.01 mm on the features that decide fit. If your drawing has its own general tolerance block, that block wins.
Do you accept a DXF without a model?
Yes, for 2D profiles. A DXF plus a dimensioned PDF covers most flat and turned parts; add a STEP or IGES where 3D geometry matters.
Can you convert my file?
Tell us the format you have. We work from STEP, IGES, DWG, DXF and PDF directly and will tell you if we need it in another form.
Send your drawing — quote in 24 hours
DFM feedback, material certificates and pre-shipment photos come with every order.