Two quotations for a custom drill bit can describe different purchases. One may cover a body awaiting machining or cutter installation; another may cover an assembled tool. Comparing their prices before identifying those boundaries can hide the work, components and inspection that the buyer still needs to arrange.
For an OEM customer or distributor, the first decision is therefore the required handover stage. Define what must arrive, what work remains after delivery, and who is responsible for each interface. A clear scope makes the drawing, quotation and acceptance requirements refer to the same item.
Name the handover stage
Use the following stages to structure the enquiry. They are ways to define a purchase, rather than a promise that every stage is available for every FSDRILL design. The quotation should identify the feasible scope for the specific part.
| Requested stage | What to define | Responsibility to allocate |
|---|---|---|
| Blank or unfinished body | Material requirement, starting geometry, machining allowance and supplied condition | Who completes machining, establishes final datums and checks finished dimensions |
| Machined body or holder | Finished features, connection, cutter pockets or holder interfaces, and surface requirements | Who supplies cutters, completes joining or assembly, and verifies the interfaces |
| Assembled drill bit | Included components, approved configuration and final acceptance requirements | Who approves component selection, assembly details and the final inspection record |
“Complete” also needs a definition. A tool may be complete for one customer's assembly process while another expects additional adapters, replaceable components or documentation. List the included items and identify anything that will be supplied separately.
Use the photograph to start the conversation, then use the drawing
A body photograph can show the general arrangement and whether visible seats are empty. It cannot establish the material grade, finished tolerances, internal features or an approved cutter fit. Mark the relevant features on the drawing instead of expecting a supplier to reproduce an interface from perspective photographs alone.
If only a sample exists, identify whether it is new, worn, modified or damaged. Treat it as a reference requiring review. Wear and previous repairs can change the dimensions that a replacement actually needs.
Make the drawing revision control the order
Assign a drawing number and revision to the requested item. Identify the dimensions and datums that govern the drill-string connection, cutter seats, holder interfaces and assembly envelope. Specify critical tolerances where the function requires them; a general request for “high precision” does not define an inspection criterion.
When several components meet at an interface, provide the mating reference or the necessary interface dimensions. If the drawing changes during quotation, establish which revision the final offer uses. An approved sketch, a sample and a later drawing can otherwise leave different parties working from different assumptions.
Allocate machining, cutter installation and joining
State who provides the body, cutters, holders and other specified components. Then allocate machining, preparation, joining and final assembly. Where the process affects a critical fit or the selected components, include the relevant requirement in the scope for review.
This allocation matters when the buyer plans to complete part of the work locally. A supplier needs to know which surfaces and seats will be finished before delivery and which will be completed afterwards. The party doing the later operation also needs a defined starting condition, rather than a body that merely looks suitable.
Choose the manufacturing route through the part specification. Casting may be relevant to a specified design, but a request for a drill bit body does not establish that it must be cast. Material, geometry, subsequent operations and acceptance requirements should guide that discussion. Manufacturing capability information supports the review; it does not replace the requirements for the ordered component.
Agree what will be inspected and supplied as evidence
Define acceptance around the features that matter to the handover. For a machined body, that may include agreed critical dimensions and connection details. For an assembled bit, the agreed check may also cover the included components and final assembly configuration. Request particular material or inspection documents explicitly if the order requires them.
A request for documentation should identify what the buyer needs to verify. Avoid assuming that a photograph, a material statement and a dimensional report are interchangeable forms of evidence. The quotation should state which documents are included and how they relate to the supplied item.
A scope statement you can adapt
Illustrative RFQ wording — replace the bracketed fields:
“Please quote [quantity] of [part name] to drawing [number], revision [revision]. The requested handover stage is [unfinished body / machined body / assembled bit]. Include [component list]. We will supply or complete [items and operations]. Review material requirement [specification], connection reference [drawing], and critical interfaces [references]. Please identify any proposed deviation and the included inspection records [requirements] in the quotation.”
For repeat orders, retain the agreed revision, approved deviations and component list with the order record. A new quantity should not silently introduce a different drawing or supply stage.
Start with the FSDRILL Custom & OEM range and the drill bit bodies and cutter holders page. Send your drawing and requested handover stage so that the technical review and quotation can address the same scope.