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Frequently Asked Questions
The Seventeen Questions Buyers Ask First
Short answers, each with a pointer to the page that carries the detail. Where a figure has to be confirmed against our own records before we publish it, we confirm it first rather than estimate it.
Every answer keeps its detail attached. Where a figure has to be confirmed against our own records first, we say so rather than printing a number we cannot stand behind. Ask one that is not here
Capability & Capacity
Machines, size and tolerance
1. How many 5-axis machines do you have, and what brand, model and travel?
We operate a 5-axis group within a facility of 2,600 m² that holds more than thirty machine tools in total. The full ledger — brand, model, quantity, travel envelope, number of simultaneous axes, achievable accuracy and year of commissioning for every machine — is not published on the open site, because it is exactly the information a competitor uses and exactly the information a customer needs.
What is already public: the 5-axis group handles parts up to a Ø1050 mm table / workpiece diameter, the 4-axis and 3-axis groups to 1260 mm, CNC turning to Ø1250 mm, and our CMM measures up to 2000 mm on Rational DMIS. See the public capability envelope on the capability page.
It is available two ways: as a PDF sent after a signed NDA, or as a direct download for qualified enquiries. We will also confirm specific machines during a video audit.
Public now: the 5-axis group runs on Swiss GF Mikron simultaneous-5-axis centres and large-format Guangzhou Feihong 5-axis turn-mill centres; the turning group on 10+ CNC turning centres; metrology on Nano CMMs running Rational DMIS. Still released under NDA: exact machine count, model, travel, accuracy and commissioning year — released under NDA on request through the RFQ form. Evidence: Capabilities · 5-axis machining · Plant & capacity
2. What is your maximum machining size and the tightest tolerance you hold?
Both depend on the machine, the material and the feature, so a single number would be misleading. What we can state without qualification: the maximum part envelope is set by the largest machine in each group — 5-axis up to Ø1050 mm, 4-axis and 3-axis up to 1260 mm, CNC turning up to Ø1250 mm — and the tolerance we hold is the one your drawing specifies where that is achievable with the process route and metrology available.
If you send the drawing, we will state in writing which features we can hold, which we would need to discuss, and which fall outside our capability — before you commit.
Factual values: maximum envelope (per group) now confirmed above; typical achievable tolerance ; thinnest wall demonstrated .
Evidence: Capabilities · Inspection capability
3. What products and processes does your quality system certification cover?
The ISO 9001 certificate is held by Baoji Tuohang Precision Manufacturing Co., Ltd. — the entity that signs your contract — and covers the machining of precision components for aerospace and industrial applications, together with the inspection and documentation activities that support it. It does not cover melting, rolling or forging, which sit with a separate entity holding ISO 9001.
The certificate scope statement, registration number and expiry date are provided on request, and we will send a copy of the certificate itself rather than a description of it.
Factual values: registration number ; certifying body ; validity period .
Evidence: Certifications · Quality system · Company structure · About TUOHANG
Material & Quality
Material, inspection and documentation
4. Do you produce the material yourself or buy it in? Can you supply EN 10204 3.1 / 3.2?
Both, and we state which applies on every quotation. Titanium and nonferrous mill product — melting, rolling and forging — is produced within our group by Baoji Qicheng Nonferrous Metals Co., Ltd. Grades outside that scope are purchased from certified mills and declared as externally sourced; we do not present bought-in material as our own.
EN 10204 3.1 material certification is provided as standard. EN 10204 3.2 — countersigned by an independent third party or by your appointed inspector — is available and is quoted as a line item, since it involves an external body.
Factual values: share of material sourced externally ; accredited body used for 3.2 .
Evidence: Materials · Titanium & titanium alloys · Vertical integration · Grade equivalency
5. Do you support third-party witness inspection?
Yes. Customer or third-party witness inspection can be arranged at defined hold points — incoming material verification, in-process checks, final inspection or pre-shipment. Witnessing may be performed by your own quality representative, by a nominated inspection agency, or remotely by video where travel is not practical.
Notice period, hold-point list and the scope of remote witness are agreed before the order is placed so that a witnessed operation is never also a scheduled surprise.
Factual values: required notice period ; agencies regularly worked with .
Evidence: Inspection & testing · Certifications · In-process verification
6. What inspection reports ship with the goods?
Three documents as standard, issued against the same heat and batch reference so they reconcile with each other:
- Material report — chemical composition and mechanical properties, traceable to heat / melt number, to EN 10204 3.1.
- NDT report — UT, PT and/or RT results as specified on your drawing, with the acceptance criteria stated.
- Dimensional report — full layout against the drawing, feature by feature.
A certificate of conformity, packing list and, where applicable, special-process and calibration certificates complete the package. A copy set is e-mailed before the goods arrive.
Factual values: exact report templates and languages .
Evidence: Document package · Process chain
7. Have you done FAI to AS9102, and can you provide PPAP?
First article inspection to AS9102 is available and is performed to the form appropriate to the part — Form 1 for part number accountability, Form 2 for material, special processes and functional testing, Form 3 for characteristic verification and compatibility with the drawing. Which forms are required is agreed at quotation so the ballooned drawing is prepared once, correctly.
PPAP support is available for customers working to automotive-style submission requirements; the submission level and the supporting documents are agreed per order.
Factual values: number of AS9102 FAIs completed to date ; PPAP level supported .
Evidence: Quality system · Document package · Certifications
8. How is a batch traced, and can you trace back to the melt heat number?
Yes — that is the specific advantage of the group structure. The chain runs melt heat number → batch / lot number → part number (and serial, where required). The heat and batch identity are recorded when the stock is released to machining, not reconstructed after a question is raised.
Reverse lookup works in both directions: give us a finished part number and we resolve it to the batch and the melt heat; give us a heat number and we identify every part made from it.
Factual values: record retention period ; marking method on parts .
Evidence: Traceability · Melt-to-part chain · Titanium grades & certification
Commercial
Responsibility, quantities, pricing and lead time
9. How are quality problems handled — response time and where responsibility sits?
A nonconformity raised at your incoming inspection is logged, contained and answered with a corrective action within an agreed response window. Because Baoji Tuohang is the contracting entity and carries responsibility for the material it selected and released, there is no second supplier for you to chase: if the root cause lies in the material, Tuohang still owns the corrective action.
Containment, root-cause analysis and the corrective action are recorded; where a systemic cause is found, the corrective action is extended to affected batches identified through the traceability chain.
Factual values: initial response window ; corrective action closure window ; RMA and replacement terms — all stated in the quality agreement before the first order.
Evidence: Single point of accountability · Who you are contracting with · Compliance
10. What is your MOQ, and how long do sampling and production take?
We do not set a minimum order quantity that forces you to buy parts you do not need. Single-piece prototypes, first-article builds and MRO spares are accepted; the unit price naturally reflects the setup and programming work that does not scale down.
Lead time is quoted per part and depends on material availability, process route and the inspection and documentation requirements attached to the order. A drawing-based quote states the sampling lead time and the repeat production lead time separately, because they are not the same number.
Factual values: typical sampling lead time ; typical production lead time ; expedite option .
Evidence: Request a quote (states your required date) · Process chain · Contact & response times
11. Can you handle customer drawings and work under NDA?
Yes. We accept STEP, IGES, DWG and PDF, and we work under our mutual NDA or yours — whichever you prefer, provided it is mutual and reasonable in scope. Drawings are stored with access restricted to the people who need them, are not used for anything beyond evaluating and producing your part, and are not published, photographed or shown to third parties.
We will not display a customer part on this website, in a brochure or in a presentation without written permission. Our public site shows no controlled drawings, no military part numbers and no proprietary processes — see the compliance statement.
Factual values: NDA turnaround ; drawing retention policy .
Evidence: Secure RFQ with drawing upload · Confidentiality & NDA
12. What do I need to send with an enquiry?
A drawing — CAD (DWG · DXF), PDF or STEP — or a sample image of the part, marked clearly with material, machining quantity, precision tolerance, surface treatment and any special requirements. Where a detail is not decided yet, send what you have: we quote the fixed specification, state what is still open and tell you what settling it would change.
With the drawing, the material grade and the quantity in hand, the quotation comes back within 24 hours — 10 minutes at the fastest on a straightforward part. Complex or incomplete enquiries take longer, and we say so when we see the file rather than after you chase us.
Evidence: RFQ form — what to send · How we quote · Contact & response times
13. How do you price a part, and can a lower price cost me somewhere else?
Price is agreed with you, part by part, against the drawing and the inspection scope. We do not run a published rate card, because a rate card cannot see a datum structure, a tolerance stack or a documentation requirement. Where the number can come down, we will say how — material route and stock form, batch size and setup sharing, tooling amortised across repeat orders, or a process sequence that removes an operation.
What we will not do is buy a lower number with your programme. A price reduction never comes out of quality, delivery, documentation or how quickly we answer you when something needs solving. If a lower figure is only reachable by weakening one of those, we will tell you that instead of quoting it.
Evidence: How we price, and payment terms · Request a quote
14. Can parts be supplied under our own brand or label — do you manufacture on an OEM basis?
Yes. We manufacture on an OEM and private-label basis: finished and semi-finished parts can carry your brand, part number and marking rather than the TUOHANG name. The external label changes; the maker and the quality system behind it do not.
Baoji Tuohang Precision Manufacturing Co., Ltd. remains the contracting entity and the single point of accountability for quality and delivery, regardless of whose name is on the part. Material origin and heat-lot traceability travel with the lot exactly as they would on a TUOHANG-branded order — we do not present bought-in material as our own, even under your brand.
Documentation follows the part and can be issued to your specification where the framework allows — material certificates (EN 10204 3.1 / 3.2), FAI to AS9102 and the inspection reports — with your document header where the programme requires it.
OEM and branding programmes are normally governed by an NDA plus a quality agreement that sets out permitted markings and document handling. Send the drawing together with your brand, marking and label specification through the RFQ form, and we will confirm the handling in the quotation.
Factual values: permitted marking scope ; document header handling ; minimum programme volume — stated in the quality agreement before the first order.
Evidence: Contract manufacturing · Single point of accountability · Request a Quote
Compliance
Export control and regulated goods
15. How do you guarantee export control compliance (ITAR / EAR / dual-use items)?
We operate under Chinese export control law and the applicable international rules, and we screen enquiries before we quote. In practice this means:
- We do not accept projects that require a US export licence we cannot hold, and we decline work involving ITAR-controlled technical data or defence articles unless the appropriate authorisation exists and is evidenced.
- Where the US EAR applies, we request the classification and destination information needed to determine whether a licence or licence exception is required, and we act on the answer.
- For dual-use and military-civil items controlled under Chinese law, we determine whether an export licence is required before accepting the order, and we do not ship without it.
- We require end-use and country-of-destination information at enquiry stage — which is why the RFQ form asks for your industry and destination country.
- This website displays no controlled drawings, no military type designations and no classified processes.
Factual values: internal control programme documentation ; named compliance officer ; licence history .
Evidence: Compliance & export control statement · Contact the compliance lead
16. Can you supply large-format titanium plate, and what finishes are available?
Yes. Large-format plate up to 2000 × 6000 mm is a standing capability (1250 mm and 1500 mm widths also produced) — which is what lets us quote large structural and ring blanks that smaller stockists cannot. Plate is supplied in bright, pickled or sandblasted finish; state the finish on the order, since it affects both price and downstream handling.
Bar and forging stock is produced through the full reduction route in sequence — hot forged blank, precision forged billet, hot rolled, cold rolled and ground — so the condition you receive is a specified stage, not an unspecified leftover.
Factual values: thickness limits by alloy and mill schedule .
Evidence: Titanium supply forms and size ranges · Materials
17. Do you supply non-standard titanium products — clad bar, mesh, sintered filters, fittings?
Yes. Beyond standard mill forms we supply titanium-clad copper and titanium-clad aluminium bar, woven titanium mesh, sintered porous filter elements, and formed pipe fittings such as elbows. Cut-to-length and cut pieces are available where full mill lengths are uneconomic — useful for prototypes, small batches and replacement parts.
These sit in the material business rather than the machining business, so they are contracted through the material entity; we confirm at quotation which entity contracts your order.
Factual values: available size ranges per product .
Evidence: Titanium & titanium alloys · Supply forms · Which entity contracts your order
Question not answered here? Send it with your drawing through the RFQ form — a technical question attached to a real part gets a more useful answer than a general one. Specific figures on this page are marked and confirmed in writing at quotation stage.
Send the drawing. Get the numbers in writing.
Every on this page becomes a stated figure on your quotation — confirmed against our records, not estimated.