Frequently Asked Questions
How fast can you turn parts?
Standard lead time is two weeks. Rush turnaround is 24 hours and is available on request. Tolerance, inspection and documentation are identical either way. The only difference is queue position. Tell us your date when you send the drawing and we will tell you straight away whether it is a standard or a rush job.
How do you handle design revisions?
A revision does not restart your job. We run ProShop ERP fully paperless, so a drawing change goes to the floor as a controlled revision against the live job: digital travelers update, quality records follow the new rev, and the schedule absorbs the change. You do not go back into the queue behind work that was quoted after yours.
How do you handle ITAR-controlled drawings?
BELL Machine Works is ITAR registered with the U.S. Department of State, Directorate of Defense Trade Controls; our CAGE code is 18MB0. Drawings, models and job data are held in a Microsoft GCC High tenant, Microsoft's government-community cloud, on U.S. soil, with administrative access restricted to U.S. persons. ITAR work runs in a separate, isolated environment from our commercial work, from quote through delivery. GCC High is infrastructure, not a certification: it describes where your files sit and who can open them.
Do you machine parts for flight programs?
Yes. Prototypes and production hardware for flight programs, in the same shop under the same quality system. One-piece prototypes with same-day rush quoting at the development stage, and ITAR-registered machining with material certs, lot traceability and first article inspection with CMM data as the program moves toward qualification. Technical data is held in a Microsoft GCC High tenant on U.S. soil under U.S.-person administration, and finishing runs through an ITAR-registered house so the compliance chain doesn't break. Our CAGE code is 18MB0.
Are you AS9100 certified?
Not yet certified. Our quality system is compliant with ISO 9001 and AS9100D, and third-party certification audits are scheduled for Q1 2027. What we can supply now: material certifications, Certificates of Conformance, in-house CMM inspection with first article reports on request, lot traceability on every order, and MIL-STD-130 laser engraving. Our CAGE code is 18MB0.
What tolerances can you hold?
Standard tolerance is ±0.001". Our tightest held is ±0.0002", where the part calls for it, a tightest-held figure, not a standard. Minimum feature size is Ø0.010", at depth-to-diameter ratios up to 8:1, where most shops decline past 3 to 4:1. Our 5-axis work envelope is 8" × 8" × 3". If your part sits outside it, send the drawing anyway and we will tell you quickly rather than quote you slowly.
What materials do you machine?
Plastics are where we are strongest: PTFE, Delrin, polycarbonate, UHMW, PEEK, Ultem, Torlon and Vespel. Metals: aluminum 6061 and 7075, copper, brass, bronze; stainless 303, 304, 316/316L, 17-4 PH and 15-5 PH; titanium Grade 5 and Inconel 625 and 718. If your material is not listed, ask.
What finishes and marking can you supply?
Anodize Type I, II and III per MIL-A-8625 / MIL-PRF-8625; chem film Type I and II per MIL-DTL-5541; passivate and electropolish per AMS 2700, ASTM A967 and ASTM B912; plating in electroless nickel, nickel sulfamate, gold, silver, copper and tin; bead blast, sand blast, bright dip, precision masking and hydrogen de-embrittlement bake. All of it runs through an ITAR-registered finishing house and the certs come back with the parts. For marking, MIL-STD-130 laser engraving down to 0.035" character height.
What should I ask any shop before I send a controlled drawing?
Five questions worth asking, of us or anyone else. Are you ITAR registered, and what is your CAGE code? Where is technical data stored, and is it on U.S. soil? Who administers that environment, and are they U.S. persons? Is ITAR work separated from commercial work, or does everything sit in one place? And does the compliance chain hold at finishing, or does the part leave for plating and come back through an uncontrolled vendor? ITAR registration alone does not answer any of those. It says a company may handle controlled data, not where that data ends up.
What documentation ships with the parts?
Material certifications, Certificates of Conformance and dimensional inspection reports. Quality records are tied to every job in ProShop ERP, so the paperwork matches the revision you actually received.
Where are you located?
Gilroy, California 95020, at the south end of the Bay Area on US-101. All machining is performed in-house at our Gilroy facility.
Do you work outside aerospace, defense and physical AI?
Yes. We also machine for semiconductor equipment, photonics and optical systems, and microfluidics and medical devices. The same machines, tolerances and documentation apply. Aerospace, defense and physical AI are where most of our work sits, not the limit of what we take.
Do you take prototype and low-volume work?
Yes. It is most of what we do. Teams typically come to us during prototype iteration and stay through low-volume production, which is why revision control matters as much to us as tolerance.