Repeat production program
SUS304 Livestock Feeder Components for OEM Programs
These components are produced in 1.2 mm SUS304 with no additional surface treatment. They are used in nursery, adult-pig and dry-wet feeding applications.
What the Feeder Programme Has Already Fixed
| Product type | Stainless Steel Livestock Feeders |
|---|---|
| Material and thickness | SUS304, 1.2 mm |
| Surface finish | Natural stainless steel |
| Drawing formats accepted | STEP, DWG, DXF, PDF and SolidWorks |
| Project tolerances | Confirmed against the buyer drawing and manufacturing review |
Application context
What a Feeder Component Has to Do in Service
Livestock equipment is repeatedly exposed to feed, water, cleaning and physical contact. The metal structure therefore needs cleanable surfaces, controlled seams, stable mounting locations and edges that are appropriate for the operating environment. The real workshop image shows formed stainless steel feeder bodies before final project completion.
Engineering review
Decisions That Change How a Feeder Part Is Made
A useful RFQ identifies animal type, feeding method, capacity, installation points, access for cleaning and whether the buyer supplies internal mechanisms. The enclosure geometry should be reviewed for drainage, trapped residue, weld access and assembly sequence. Where several models share a platform, common panels and hardware can simplify repeat purchasing.
Manufacturing route
How a Feeder Programme Reaches Repeat Orders
- Drawing and interface reviewOutlet slot, adjuster travel and mounting hole pattern are read together with the material and finish, because together they decide both the blank and the welding sequence.
- Sample build and trial assemblyOne set is built and assembled, so outlet clearance, adjuster movement and hole alignment are tried before the batch settings are fixed.
- Batch manufactureCutting, forming and welding to the confirmed settings, with jigs reused across repeat orders.
- Inspection and size-marked packingDimensions are checked against the drawing, and components are separated and labelled by size so installation does not depend on sorting at the site.
Quality approach
How Feeder Parts Are Checked Against the Drawing
Inspection follows the buyer drawing and approved sample. We focus on overall fit, panel alignment, welded-joint condition, hardware position, accessible edges and the interfaces used for installation or adjustment. Packaging is planned around the finished assembly size and the buyer’s destination.
Request a project review
Planning a Feeder or Dispenser Programme Like This One?
Send the hopper or tube interface, the adjustment range, the trial quantity and the annual demand, together with material, finish and destination. Where the part is washed down or stands in a wet area, say so at enquiry stage: it changes the weld detail and the finish, and it costs less to decide before the first sample than after it. Related reading: TIG welding on thin stainless and what a material certificate proves.
Working in Stainless: The Decisions That Change the Outcome
This page already sets out the production route from drawing to repeat order. What is worth adding is the part that is specific to stainless: the same operations that are forgiving on coated steel leave marks on a natural finish, and there is no coating to cover a miss afterwards.
| Decision | Why it matters in stainless | How it is settled before production |
|---|---|---|
| Grade and condition of the material | 304 in a soft condition forms and bends cleanly. The same grade work-hardened by an earlier operation will crack at a radius it took without complaint on a fresh sheet | The mill certificate is checked against the operations the part needs, not only against the grade written on the drawing |
| Visible faces and tooling marks | A formed stainless part holds tool marks, roller marks and weld tint. A coated part would hide all three | Which faces are visible is agreed before forming, so the tooling and the weld sequence are planned around them rather than corrected later |
| Weld appearance and heat tint | TIG welding leaves a heat tint that is a cosmetic problem, and on a hygienic part also a place where corrosion starts | Whether each joint is left as-welded, brushed or passivated is decided per joint rather than left to the welder |
| Bend radius against the material limit | A radius tighter than the batch will take either tears the outside of the bend or work-hardens it | The tightest radius on the part is checked against the actual material batch before the drawing is frozen, not after the first part cracks |
| Edge condition | A stainless edge cannot be touched up the way a painted edge can. A burr or a grinding mark stays on the finished part | Edges are dressed as part of the operation, not as a rework step at the end |
| Tolerance and springback | Springback varies with the batch, and there is no coating thickness to absorb a dimensional miss | Bend angles are set by measured trial on the batch in hand, and the critical dimensions are recorded against the run |
| Packing and protective film | Stainless marks in transit, and a protective film left on too long leaves adhesive on the surface | The film and the removal window are agreed, because a film that stays on for months leaves a residue that has to be removed before the part is used |
Changes That Do Not Force New Tooling on Feeder Parts
On a stainless part the variables are the grade, the finish and the treatment of the welds. Change those and most else follows.
| What can be changed | What it affects | What it does not affect |
|---|---|---|
| Grade: 304, 316, or a ferritic grade | Corrosion behaviour, weldability and cost | The forming operations, provided the grade still takes the same radii |
| Thickness | Stiffness, weight and how the part forms | The welding parameters and the fixture |
| Finish: as-welded, brushed, passivated or electropolished | Hygiene level and how the surface ages in service | The geometry |
| Weld treatment, joint by joint | Appearance, and corrosion resistance at the weld | The joint positions |
| Protective film and packing method | Whether the part arrives unmarked, and how the film comes off | Nothing structural |
| Which faces are allowed to carry tool marks | Where the tooling may touch, and the appearance of the finished part | The function, provided the structural faces stay as they are |
Why a Feeder Part Is Made in Stainless Without a Coating
Feeder components in a piggery are washed, and they are washed with something more aggressive than water. A coated part in that environment fails at the first chip, because the coating is what is protecting the steel and a chip exposes it at exactly the point where moisture and residue sit. Bare 304 has no layer to lose. That is the whole argument, and it is why a natural stainless finish on this product is a specification rather than a cost saving.
- 304 is the right grade for the washing regime in most feeding applications. Where chlorides are present in the cleaning agent or in the water, the grade question is worth revisiting.
- Formed stainless holds marks. A component that is visible and handled should be specified with the surface condition in mind, not just the grade.
- An adjustable mechanism in a wet, corrosive environment seizes. The adjustment detail has to be specified for the environment – a thread that works dry will not work after a season of washing.
Creases and Corners: Where a Feeder Component Is Hardest to Clean
Wash-down design is mostly about not creating places that cannot be cleaned. On a sheet metal part that means the inside corners, the lap joints and any crevice where two surfaces meet without being sealed. A lap joint that is tacked at each end and open along its length is a crevice that will hold residue and that nobody can reach with a brush. A continuous weld closes it. This is a specification decision made on the drawing and it is much cheaper than discovering it after installation.
The other one is the drain path. A component that holds water after washing will hold it between washes, and standing water in a livestock building is where corrosion and biofilm both start. A part that drains is a design outcome rather than an accident. Tell us the washing regime – pressure, temperature and what is in the water – because that is what sets the grade, the joint detail and the surface requirement, and it is information that is almost never on the drawing. Lead time is quoted after drawing review and process confirmation.
Questions Buyers Ask About Feeder Programmes
How do we know the material is what the certificate says?
The mill certificate travels with the batch and is checked against the grade and the heat number when material is issued, so the sheet that was formed is traceable to the certificate. Where a substituted grade or a suspect batch is involved, the check moves to a test rather than the paperwork – which is the point of keeping the certificate tied to the batch in the first place.
Why is a tight bend radius a problem in stainless?
Because stainless work-hardens as it is formed. A radius the material takes without complaint on the first bend can crack on a part that was already formed or punched nearby, and the tighter the radius the less margin there is. That is why the tightest radius is checked against the actual batch before the drawing is fixed, rather than discovered on the press.
Can the parts be supplied with no additional surface treatment?
Yes, and for a natural stainless part that is often the correct answer, because the material is already doing the work. What still has to be decided is the weld treatment: leaving a joint as-welded is a legitimate finish on a structural part, and it is the wrong one on a part that has to be cleaned or that will sit in a corrosive environment.
Stainless is chosen for the surface, so the surface is the specification. Send the drawing with the visible faces and the environment marked through the RFQ form and the finish and the weld treatment are set to them. Related: material certification, surface finishing and DFM engineering review.
Payment Terms
How a project is paid for is agreed before production starts, and the structure that applies to your order is stated on the quotation and on the order confirmation, so there is no ambiguity later.
- 30% advance payment with the order and the 70% balance before shipment — our standard structure.
- 70% advance payment with the order and the 30% balance before shipment — used for some projects.
- 100% payment in advance before production starts — used for some projects.
If your finance team works to a fixed structure, say so in the first enquiry and we will confirm what applies to your order before you commit. Request a quotation.
Questions buyers ask before sending drawings
The questions that come up most often before a project starts, answered the way we answer them by email.
What do you need from me to quote SUS304 Livestock Feeder Components for OEM Programs?
2D drawings as PDF, DWG or DXF, or 3D files as STEP, IGES or SolidWorks, together with material grade, sheet thickness, surface finish, quantity and destination country. If the drawing is not finished yet, send a photo, a sketch or the existing part instead — we review what can be measured from it and reply with the questions that still need answering.
How long does a quotation take?
Enquiries are answered within one business day. Simple laser-cut and bent parts are quoted within 24 hours. Welded frames, assembled units and multi-part structures are quoted after the drawing review and process confirmation, and the date is confirmed in our reply.
Is there a minimum order quantity?
Prototypes are made from a single piece and small batches of 10–50 pieces are routine. Prototype, first batch and repeat volume are quoted together so the numbers stay consistent as the project scales.
Can you work from a sample or a photo if I have no drawing?
Yes. Send the part itself, clear photographs with a rule or caliper in frame, or a dimensioned sketch. We measure what can be measured, list what is still undefined, and confirm it with you before production.
Need a Similar Part?
Most enquiries that start on a page like this are not an order for SUS304 Livestock Feeder Components for OEM Programs — they are a search for a factory that can make something like it. Send us your drawing, 3D model or sample and we will review the manufacturing process and the quotation requirements, then come back with a process plan, a price and a lead time.
We work from 2D drawings, STEP / DWG / DXF / PDF files, or a physical sample if that is all you have.
No complete drawings yet? Describe the part, send photos or a sketch, or send a sample — we can start from there. Discuss your project.
Trade Terms and Delivery
We quote under the standard Incoterms your logistics team already works with, and build the packing and documentation around the one you choose.
- EXW — you collect from our Ningbo facility and run export clearance through your own forwarder.
- FOB Ningbo — we deliver to the vessel at Ningbo port and handle export clearance.
- CIF — we cover carriage and insurance to your named destination port.
- DDP — we handle carriage, insurance, import clearance and duties through to your door.
Send your destination country, target delivery date and preferred trade term together with the drawing. Request a quotation.
Quotation Time
We quote from your drawings. How long that takes depends on what the part asks for:
- Simple parts — quoted within 24 hours. Laser-cut blanks and bent components, supplied with complete 2D or 3D drawings. Mon–Fri, GMT+8.
- Complex assemblies — quoted after the drawing review. Payment kiosks, multi-part welded frames, enclosures with purchased hardware, or anything needing a coating or assembly trial. We confirm a quotation date once the scope is clear.
Production lead time is quoted separately, after drawing review and process confirmation. Send your drawings.
What stands behind this quotation
- Manufacturing since 20162,500 m² Ningbo plant — 3 laser cutting machines (including newer TRUMPF), 4 CNC press brakes and 10 welding stations.
- Shipped to more than 30 export marketsEnclosures, cabinets and formed parts supplied to OEM buyers across Europe, North America and Asia.
- 123 documented product casesMedical device housings, HVAC and heat pump enclosures, agricultural and livestock equipment, industrial hydraulics, material handling trolleys and EV charging cabinets.
- Factory evidence you can checkTUV Rheinland audit reference MIC-ASI243729 and Bureau Veritas reference MIC-ASR263630 available for buyer review on request.
Before you send drawings: project confidentiality is default · first-article inspection is carried out before a batch continues · pricing is staged from prototype quantity to repeat volume · pre-shipment photos and packing records are prepared when the project needs them.