Custom Laboratory Parts and Research Fixtures

Custom laboratory parts are sample holders, instrument adapters, specimen nests, carriers, fixtures and replacement components made to fit a specific research instrument, specimen or experiment; AMD Machines designs and builds them in metal and plastic.

AMD Machines makes these parts for university research laboratories, national laboratories, shared research facilities and industrial materials R&D teams. Engineering, in-house machining of metal and plastic parts, and assembly are combined in Querétaro, Mexico, with sales and service from Chicago. To start, request a custom part review and give the drawing number and revision or the reference part, the material grade, the quantity and the operating conditions.

Most of these parts have no catalog number. When one wears out, breaks or has to change for a new experiment, it has to be made again correctly, and made the same way the next time it is ordered.

AMD Machines custom laboratory parts at a glance:

What custom laboratory parts and research fixtures does AMD Machines make?

For research laboratories, AMD Machines designs and builds sample and specimen holders, instrument adapters, specimen nests, furnace supports, positioning fixtures, custom grippers, tray and carrier assemblies, metal and plastic replacement parts, repeat spare kits, and test stands and experiment rigs. The table shows what each part does and what has to be defined before it can be quoted.

When should a custom laboratory fixture be designed with the robot or instrument it feeds?

A custom laboratory fixture such as a nest, carrier or gripper that presents specimens to a robot or an automated instrument is usually designed together with the handling it serves, because these parts are often what makes laboratory automation reliable. AMD Machines designs end-of-arm tooling (EOAT) in-house, as its page on robotic cells describes.

Specimen loading around test frames belongs with materials testing automation, furnace carriers and quench transfer with heat treatment and furnace automation, and sample transfer into a process chamber with vacuum system automation. If carriers or specimens need permanent identification, marking and traceability systems covers marking and code verification.

When does a custom laboratory part need engineering, not just machining?

A custom laboratory part needs engineering, not just machining, when it has no complete, current drawing, or when it must mate with an instrument, feed a robot, sit in a load or measurement path, or survive heat, vacuum or repeated handling. A part whose current drawing is proven in the instrument only has to be made to that drawing. AMD Machines does the design, fit and interface work, and your group approves the resulting drawing before the part is made; ask whether that drawing will be delivered to your group.

Can you make a custom or replacement laboratory part from a drawing, the old part or a requirement?

Yes. AMD Machines makes a custom metal or plastic laboratory part, new or replacement, from one of three starting points: a current drawing, an approved sample such as the old part, or a functional requirement. A current drawing with its revision is the fastest and most reliable of the three, because it already defines the tolerances, the material and the finish.

What should a drawing for a custom laboratory part show?

A drawing for a custom laboratory part should show its revision letter, the exact material grade, the critical dimensions with their datums and tolerances, the surface finish and any coating or plating. File formats AMD Machines accepts: "We accept all major CAD formats including STEP, IGES, Parasolid, SolidWorks, CATIA, and NX. We can also work from 2D drawings or even physical samples." A 3D model sent with a 2D drawing is the best combination: the model carries the geometry, and the drawing carries the tolerances, finish and notes that a model alone does not.

Can a replacement part be made from an approved sample when there is no drawing?

Yes. AMD Machines can make a metal or plastic replacement part from an approved sample, a reference part your group accepts as correct (an unused spare, the original part or a part that has worked in the instrument), by measuring it and turning it into a drawing. AMD Machines publishes the same practice for tooling: "We can also reverse-engineer worn tooling to create replacement dies and fixtures." Ask to approve the new drawing before the part is made, and ask whether it will be delivered to your group. Once approved, the drawing, not the sample, is the reference for every reorder.

A sample shows geometry, not intent. It does not show the original tolerances, the material grade, or a heat treatment or coating. Wear changes exactly the dimensions that matter most, and a broken part may be missing features. A request based on a sample should therefore also give:

• Material and use: the material, if it is known, and how the part is used
• Functional features: which features locate, seal, mate or carry load
• Mating part: the mating part, or its drawing
• Failure history: whether an earlier version of the part failed, and how

To limit the fit risk on a part made from a sample, order one first article to check in the instrument before the rest of a kit or batch is made. If the first article needs a change, ask for the correction as a new drawing revision, so every later order is made to the corrected drawing.

Can a laboratory part be designed from a functional requirement alone?

Yes. When there is no part yet, such as an adapter between two instruments, a holder for a new specimen geometry or a fixture for a new experiment, the starting point is the functional requirement: what the part must hold, mate with, survive and leave accessible. AMD Machines engineers turn the requirement into a design, and that design is what you review and approve before anything is cut.

How is a custom part made to fit an existing laboratory instrument?

A custom part fits an existing laboratory instrument when every mating interface (hole pattern, threads, datums, clearance, thermal expansion and load path) is defined before the part is made, and AMD Machines agrees that design with your group before anything is cut. These are the interface points to define:

• Hole pattern and threads. The hole spacing on each side, and whether each thread is inch (UNC or UNF) or metric. An adapter plate between instruments from different makers often has to carry both.
• Datums and alignment. The faces, bores or pins the instrument locates from, so the part is dimensioned from the same features and lines up with the instrument.
• Clearance and access. The room inside the enclosure, chamber or furnace, the door or port the part passes through, and how the part is installed and removed, by hand or by a robot.
• Temperature and dissimilar materials. Aluminum, steel and ceramics expand at different rates, so a fit or clearance that works at room temperature can bind or loosen at working temperature.
• Load path and measurement path. An adapter, grip insert or holder in an instrument's load path or measurement path can change its results, so its design is agreed with your laboratory before AMD Machines makes it.
• Fit check. When the mating instrument cannot be measured directly, a first article checked in the instrument before the rest of a batch is made catches a hole-pattern, thread or clearance error while it is still inexpensive to correct.

Any verification or calibration of the instrument after a part is fitted stays with the instrument's owner or its service provider. The guide to calibration management for test equipment covers that side of the work.

What should you send to get a quote for a custom laboratory part or fixture?

To review and quote a custom laboratory part or fixture, AMD Machines needs a drawing with its revision or an approved reference part, the exact material grade, the quantity now and later, the critical dimensions and datums, and the operating environment. The table lists what to send and why each item matters.

Describe the part through the AMD Machines contact form and choose Custom Laboratory Parts as the project type. The form takes a description; drawings and photos can be sent after the first reply. An AMD Machines engineer then reviews the request and says what can be quoted or which details are still needed. Ask that the quote name the material grade, the drawing revision, any outside process, the delivery date and the delivery terms.

If a drawing, CAD model, specification, photo, part or instrument is export controlled, do not send it. AMD Machines is currently not compliant with ITAR. Its manufacturing operations are conducted outside the United States, and it cannot currently accept ITAR-controlled technical data or any work subject to export control regulations under 22 CFR Parts 120 through 130. Read the AMD Machines ITAR notice before sending anything that may be controlled.

What drives the cost of a custom laboratory part?

The cost of a custom laboratory part depends mostly on the quantity, the material grade, the number of features with tight tolerances, the finish or coating, any outside process such as plating or heat treatment, and the inspection documents your group asks for. AMD Machines quotes each part, fixture or spare kit with its own delivery date.

A part made from a sample also carries the work of measuring it and producing a drawing, and a part designed from a requirement also carries the design and its approval. Stating the quantity, the grade, the critical tolerances, the finish and the documents required in the first request lets AMD Machines review the part without a second round of questions.

How are laboratory test stands and experiment rigs scoped?

A test stand or experiment rig with its own motion, controls and safeguarding is a machine, and AMD Machines builds and scopes it like one: requirements first, then full 3D design and design reviews with your team before anything is cut, then the build and an agreed factory acceptance test. The table shows who defines each part of a rig scope.

For a research rig, the factory acceptance test at the AMD Machines facility uses your specimens or validated samples rather than production parts, and, when installation is in scope, the site acceptance test follows at your laboratory, against criteria agreed in the order. AMD Machines keeps mechanical, controls and safety engineering under one roof and delivers complete safety documentation packages with every system: risk assessments, safety circuit drawings, verification test records, and operator training materials.

AMD Machines sets a rig's lead time in the proposal. For machines, it publishes its lead times: "AMD Machines delivers simple machines in as little as 6 weeks and complex systems in 24–26 weeks, vs. 40–42 weeks typical for overseas builders." The custom automation lead times guide explains what drives machine lead times. When a rig is really an automation project (robotic loading, several instruments, data association with specimen identity), it belongs with custom laboratory automation systems.

Can AMD Machines make repeat spare kits of custom laboratory parts for later reorder?

Yes. AMD Machines makes repeat spare kits of metal and plastic laboratory parts to one controlled drawing revision, so a later order of parts for a custom rig or instrument is made to the same drawing as the first. A custom laboratory part stays reorderable only when that drawing, not an email or the old part, defines it. Three habits keep it that way:

1. One controlled drawing per part. Give each part a revision letter, and order against that revision.
2. Everything on the drawing. Put the material grade, finish and any coating on the drawing, not in an email.
3. Kits made to one revision. Order wear parts as a repeat spare kit, all made to the same revision, and label the kit with its part numbers and revision.

AMD Machines applies the same rule to its own machines: "Custom-machined parts are fully documented with drawings so any competent machine shop can reproduce them." The guide to spare parts strategy for automation equipment explains criticality tiers, and documentation requirements for automation systems explains what a drawing package for custom grippers and fixtures should contain.

Where does AMD Machines design and make metal and plastic laboratory parts?

AMD Machines designs and makes metal and plastic laboratory parts in Querétaro, Mexico, and runs sales and service from Chicago. Founded in 1996 and ISO 9001 certified, AMD Machines operates 30+ in-house CNC machines across 70,000 sq ft of facilities and draws on more than 30 years of experience and 2,500+ delivered machines. That machining base is why metal and plastic parts are the core of the service; the page on why AMD Machines builds in Querétaro with in-house machining explains how engineering, parts machining and assembly work together.

Can AMD Machines quote alumina, MACOR, tungsten or molybdenum parts?

AMD Machines decides whether it can quote an alumina, MACOR, tungsten or molybdenum part only after reviewing that specific part, and the review can conclude that it cannot. AMD Machines publishes no standard route, stocked grades, standard tolerances, lead times or minimum order quantities for alumina, MACOR, tungsten or molybdenum parts.

The review needs the exact grade (not just "ceramic" or "tungsten"), the features that truly need a tight tolerance, the service conditions (temperature, atmosphere, load, thermal cycles, electrical duty, any bake-out) and whether the part sits in a metal fixture or needs a vacuum-tight joint.

Technical ceramics and refractory metals follow manufacturing routes that differ from ordinary metal and plastic machining, and the right route depends on the material, the geometry, the tolerances and the service conditions. The table summarizes how public manufacturer and industry sources describe each material; it is general background for an AMD Machines review, not an AMD Machines specification.

What is the difference between MACOR and alumina?

MACOR® machinable glass ceramic, a Corning product, is machined fully dense with ordinary metalworking tools, following Corning's published machining practice, and needs no firing afterward, so it does not shrink after cutting; alumina is a harder technical ceramic that is either machined before firing and then shrinks, or diamond ground after firing.

Corning's MACOR data sheet gives MACOR a porosity of 0%, a continuous operating temperature of 1,472 °F (800 °C) and a maximum no-load temperature of 1,832 °F (1,000 °C); the second figure is not an operating rating. Corning also states that MACOR, when properly baked out, won't outgas in vacuum, and that it is an excellent electrical insulator at high voltages and high temperatures. The bake-out condition matters for any part that goes into a vacuum system. These are Corning's figures, not AMD Machines ratings.

MACOR is not an automatic substitute for alumina. MACOR suits prototypes, one-off parts and insulating parts that must reach final dimensions without firing and stay within Corning's continuous operating rating; dense alumina suits a part that needs more hardness, wear resistance or temperature capability than MACOR offers. The service conditions (temperature, load, electrical duty and atmosphere) choose the material, and the material then sets the manufacturing route, not the reverse. AMD Machines reviews MACOR and alumina parts one at a time and does not publish a standard route for either.

Why is machined alumina expensive, and can it be machined before firing?

Alumina is expensive to machine once it is fired, because fully fired alumina is finished mainly by diamond grinding, which is time-consuming and costly; before firing, in the green or biscuit state, it machines relatively easily into complex shapes. A technical ceramics manufacturer's published guidance explains the tradeoff: sintering shrinks the body by about 20%, so very tight tolerances cannot be held by machining before the part is fired. The same guidance notes that most of the cost in ceramic manufacturing comes from diamond grinding after firing.

AMD Machines publishes no tolerance for alumina or any other ceramic part and confirms what can be quoted only in the review of the specific part. As general context, alumina used as fired holds much looser tolerances than alumina diamond ground after firing: one technical ceramics manufacturer's published design guide lists a standard as-fired tolerance of ±1% or ±0.005 in (0.13 mm), whichever is greater. Those are that manufacturer's published figures, not AMD Machines tolerances.

A tight-tolerance alumina part therefore often combines a near-net shape before firing with diamond grinding of the critical features after it. Marking only the features that truly need a tight tolerance keeps the grinding, and the cost, down.

How do pure tungsten, tungsten heavy alloy and tungsten carbide differ?

Pure tungsten is the unalloyed metal and is brittle at room temperature; tungsten heavy alloy binds tungsten powder with a ductile nickel, iron, copper or cobalt phase and is machinable; tungsten carbide is a cemented carbide, not tungsten metal, finished by diamond grinding or electrical discharge machining (EDM). A drawing that says only "tungsten" is therefore not ready to quote. AMD Machines reviews pure tungsten, tungsten heavy alloy and tungsten carbide parts one at a time and publishes no standard route for them. The published material facts below are background for that review, not AMD Machines specifications:

• Pure tungsten is made by powder metallurgy: tungsten powder is pressed and sintered, and the sintered billet or rod is usually then worked, for example by forging, swaging or rolling. Published research reports a ductile-to-brittle transition temperature that varies widely with purity, processing and test method, so no single value should be assumed. It is chosen when its high-temperature properties are the point.
• Tungsten heavy alloy is tungsten powder, about 90% to 98% of the alloy by weight, consolidated by liquid-phase sintering with a lower-melting, ductile phase of nickel, iron, copper or cobalt, to a density of about 0.61 to 0.67 lb/in³ (17 to 18.5 g/cm³). Published research reports room-temperature fracture toughness several times that of monolithic tungsten, and one tungsten alloy supplier's machining guidance compares machining its heavy alloys with machining gray cast iron. ASTM B777 covers four classes of this machinable, high-density material and notes that it may be weakly ferromagnetic, which matters next to magnets and some instruments.
• Tungsten carbide is tungsten carbide powder mixed with a binder, usually cobalt or nickel, compacted and shaped in the green state, then sintered; one carbide manufacturer's design guide says it can shrink as much as 20% linearly in sintering, after which it is finished by diamond wheel grinding or EDM.

Molybdenum, TZM or tungsten: what decides the material for a furnace support?

Temperature, load and cost decide between molybdenum, TZM and tungsten for a furnace support, and the furnace atmosphere decides whether bare molybdenum or TZM can be used at all. Bare molybdenum and TZM belong in vacuum or a protective atmosphere, not hot air. TZM is often chosen over unalloyed molybdenum for supports that carry load while hot, and the International Molybdenum Association (IMOA) notes that tungsten furnace hardware is generally reserved for furnaces operating above 2,732 °F (1,500 °C).

IMOA describes molybdenum's strength and stability at elevated temperature as what makes it attractive for high-temperature furnaces and their fixtures and tooling, and notes that tungsten costs much more and is much harder to fabricate than molybdenum.

TZM is a molybdenum alloy with small additions of titanium, zirconium and carbon (nominally Mo-0.5Ti-0.08Zr-0.03C). IMOA reports that this alloying gives TZM higher creep resistance than unalloyed molybdenum at moderate temperatures, an advantage it loses above about 2,732 °F (1,500 °C). Three further facts shape a review of a molybdenum or TZM part:

• Atmosphere. IMOA notes that uncoated molybdenum loses weight catastrophically at relatively low temperatures in air, as molybdenum oxide evaporates, so the atmosphere and temperature in service have to be stated with the request.
• Machining. IMOA notes that molybdenum's relatively high ductile-to-brittle transition makes it susceptible to stress risers that can start cracks, so sharp internal corners and thin sections on a molybdenum drawing deserve a second look.
• Service history. Published sources note that molybdenum held at high temperature can recrystallize and become more brittle, so say whether a replacement is for a support that cracked or distorted after use.

AMD Machines reviews molybdenum, TZM and tungsten furnace parts one at a time and publishes no standard route for them.

Can you supply a ceramic component together with its metal fixture?

A ceramic component held mechanically in a metal fixture (clamped, captured, pinned or bolted) can be reviewed with that fixture as one mechanical assembly; a hermetic ceramic-to-metal joint is a specialist process outside the AMD Machines custom laboratory parts service.

In a mechanical assembly, the metal parts are designed around the ceramic, with allowance for the difference in thermal expansion and without point loads on a brittle part. Who supplies the ceramic element, and to what grade and tolerance, is settled in the review before AMD Machines decides whether it can quote the assembly.

A hermetic ceramic-to-metal joint is a different product. The ceramic, typically a high-purity alumina, is first metallized (for example with a molybdenum-manganese layer and nickel plating) and then brazed to the metal, or it is joined with an active braze alloy that bonds to the ceramic directly. The finished joint is then leak tested, for example with helium. That is a specialist joining process that has to be qualified for the part. If your assembly needs a vacuum-tight or pressure-tight ceramic-to-metal seal, say so at the start: the review then separates the seal, which this service does not provide, from the mechanical parts AMD Machines can review.

What does the custom laboratory parts service not cover?

The AMD Machines custom laboratory parts service covers parts and fixtures for research instruments and experiments. Hermetic ceramic-to-metal seals and ITAR-controlled work are outside it; production tooling, spares for robots and automation equipment, automation retrofits and laboratory automation systems each have their own AMD Machines page:

• Production tooling, such as press tooling, assembly fixtures and welding fixtures for manufacturing lines: custom tooling, press dies and weld fixtures.
• Spares for robots and automation equipment, such as servo motors, drives, PLCs and catalog end-of-arm tooling components: automation spare parts.
• Upgrading or retrofitting automation equipment, such as controls, robots or safety systems, beyond replacing a part: automation system upgrades and retrofits.
• Automating specimen handling, an instrument or a multi-station workflow: laboratory automation and research equipment.

Gripper fingers and nests designed for your specimens belong to this custom laboratory parts service, not to automation spares.

Frequently asked questions

Are custom laboratory fixtures the same as lab casework or plumbing fixtures?

No. A custom laboratory fixture in research equipment holds, locates or adapts a specimen, sensor or instrument, such as a specimen nest, a positioning fixture or an adapter plate. Laboratory casework and furniture (benches, cabinets and countertops), fume hoods and plumbing fixtures (sinks and faucets) share the word but are different products. The AMD Machines custom laboratory parts service covers the first meaning: parts and fixtures for research instruments and experiments.

Do you make one-off prototypes or only repeat quantities?

Both can be sent for review: AMD Machines reviews single prototypes, one-off replacements and repeat batches or spare kits of custom laboratory parts. State the quantity now and the quantity you expect to reorder, because quantity sets the manufacturing approach and the cost. A part that will be reordered should be made to a controlled drawing revision from the first order.

Can you make parts for an instrument AMD Machines did not build?

Yes. Holders, adapters and replacement parts for instruments and rigs from other manufacturers are what the AMD Machines custom laboratory parts service is for. Send the instrument's make and model and the mating part or its drawing, and if the instrument is under an OEM warranty or service contract, check its terms before fitting a non-OEM part.

Can a custom laboratory part go into a furnace or a vacuum chamber?

A custom laboratory part can go into a furnace or a vacuum chamber when its material suits the temperature, atmosphere and pressure it will see; state the peak and continuous temperature, the atmosphere (air, inert gas or vacuum) and the pressure range. AMD Machines reviews ceramic and refractory-metal parts part by part, and a part for vacuum use also needs its cleaning and packing defined.

What should you send if a custom laboratory part fails in service?

Send photos of the failed part, its drawing number and revision, the conditions it saw in service (temperature, atmosphere, loads and cycles) and how it failed, and the failed part itself if it can be shipped and is free of hazardous or process contamination. That is the information AMD Machines needs to decide with your group whether the material, the design or the conditions must change.